Pet odor removal

The back seat of my car has more than a slight dog odor issue, and I spend a lot of time in my car.

Sprays and fragrances used to hide pet smells often smell worse to me than the original odor. My lungs are sensitive to chemicals found in most cleaning supplies and “deodorizers,” so I avoid cleaning products when I can.

When Bill Vaughan from Earth Care Products contacted me about a natural pet odor eliminator called Clear the Air, I was interested. I tried my free sample of Clear the Air on multiple trouble spots in my house.

In the long run, you’re going to be better off paying $200 to have your carpets professionally cleaned. However, for $10 Clear the Air is worth a shot to at least temporarily remove that “dog odor” or cat urine smell from your carpeting. It also works on furniture.

Clear The Air is designed to eliminate chemical odors, animal carpet odors and indoor pollutants, according to Earth Care Products.

The odor remover is nontoxic, biodegradable, hypoallergenic and safe around children and pets. That’s good, considering both my dog and cat walked in it, put their faces in it and probably tasted it.

I thoroughly clean the carpet every time Ace throws up (a common occurrence) or whenever a dog has an accident. But no matter how well I clean, animals can still smell where the urine once was. That’s why I really wanted to try Clear the Air to get rid of those “invisible” odors.

I used the pet odor remover on:

1. The back seat of my car
That’s where Big Black himself likes to ride.

2. Multiple spots on my carpet
A foster dog had an accident on my carpet more than a year ago. Since then, that spot has been a place where visiting dogs want to mark. Other areas of my carpet just have that gross “dog odor” from Ace existing.

3. The scratching post that two visiting dogs decided to pee on
The better choice might be to throw this particular scratching post away. But, it’s worth a shot.

4. Ace’s bed
No matter how many times I wash the mutt’s bed, it still reeks like dog. It may be time for a new dog bed.

How does the odor eliminator work?

Clear the Air is simple to use. You sprinkle it on or near the soiled areas, leave it overnight and vacuum it up the next day. You do need a good vacuum capable of sucking up the fine particles.

Most of the spots I tried the pet odor eliminator on did not have very strong odors to begin with, so it’s difficult to say how well this product actually works. I used it hoping it would take care of any lingering odors left behind after a good cleaning.

The carpet in my office had the worst doggie odor, so I actually left the odor removal out for twice as long as recommended. That seemed to do the trick. For extremely smelly areas, it would help to do a second round of deodorizing and to be extra liberal when applying.

One reader who tried Clear the Air on his carpets said he was pleasantly surprised. He used it on the carpet in a room that smelled like dogs. After vacuuming up all the dog hair (twice) and then using the odor eliminater, the dog smell was completely gone. Nice, huh?

What’s good about this odor eliminator?

One advantage about Clear the Air is that the particles do not have to come in direct contact with the odor, according to Earth Care Products. The product works when sprinkled on or near the smell. An ion exchange will occur, supposedly eliminating the odor.

I appreciated that Clear the Air has no scent at all. It is also safe to use on all fabrics, including leather, and it did not leave a trace on my light carpeting.

What’s bad about this odor remover?

One disadvantage is that the product won’t make the odor disappear immediately. The longer Clear the Air has to do its job, the more effective it will be. And keep in mind that this product is meant as an odor remover, not a stain remover.

Clear the Air is almost as annoying as stepping in cat litter. If you plan on using the odor remover on your carpeting, plan on avoiding that area overnight and keeping pets away from the area too. This shouldn’t be a big deal if you plan ahead.

Have you used this particular pet odor eliminator? What did you think?

This was not a paid review.