10 Best Laundry Detergents for Dog Urine in 2024 – Reviews & Top Picks

If you’ve ever had your dog pee on fabric, you already know how tricky it can be to remove that awful smell. You can’t use just any detergent, and if you do it wrong, you can contaminate entire loads of laundry. We know how important it is to get the right detergent when it comes to pet urine, which is why we took the time to highlight the 10 best laundry detergents for dog urine for you below. Not only did we come up with some reviews for each one, but our buyer’s guide will walk you through everything you need to know before and after you purchase one.

A Quick Comparison of Our Favorites IN 2024

The 10 Best Laundry Detergents for Dog Urine

1. Dr. Easy Odor Remover Laundry Detergent Sheets – Best Overall

When you’re trying to get dog urine out of your fabrics, you want the best of the best. In that aspect, the answer is clear: the best overall laundry detergent for dog urine is Dr. Easy Odor Remover Laundry Detergent Sheets.

Not only is it extremely effective at removing urine stains and smells, but it’s also easy to use and won’t make a mess, and the biodegradable formula makes it an excellent choice for the environment. There are also multiple scents to pick from, allowing you to replace that nasty urine smell with something far more palatable.

You might need to use multiple sheets for larger loads, but overall, it’s a great choice, and you won’t regret using these detergent sheets.

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2. LivePure Anti-Allergen Laundry Detergent – Best Value

If you need to get the dog urine out of your clothes but don’t want to send your laundry bill through the roof, then LivePure Anti-Allergen Laundry Detergent is just what your bank account has been looking for. Not only does it do a phenomenal job of removing pet urine, but it also combats and removes pet allergens to help keep allergies at bay.

This detergent is affordable, helps remove stains, and doesn’t have any harmful VOCs, making it a safe and effective choice in your home. It is a budget choice, so it doesn’t last the longest, but when you look at everything it offers, it’s easily the best detergent for dog urine for the money.

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3. Dirty Dog Laundry Detergent – Premium Choice

If you have stubborn pets that have created deep urine stains and smells, or you run a pet business where you want the best product around, Dirty Dog Laundry Detergent is an outstanding choice. It comes in a gallon container that works for up to 128 laundry loads, plus it’s a great choice for stain removal.

It deodorizes and cleans everything it touches, and it does it better than any other option on our list. It also has minimal harsh oxidizers, and it uses a biodegradable formula that’s great for the environment. The only drawback to this detergent is the price, but if you need a lot of the stuff, it’s still a lower cost per load.

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4. LaundraPet Premium Laundry Detergent

While LaundraPet Premium Laundry Detergent doesn’t have a special accolade, that doesn’t mean it’s not the best choice for your laundry needs. It does an amazing job of cleaning and removing stains, and it is a formula specific to removing urine scents.

It eliminates that scent completely and leaves a Gentle Ocean Breeze scent behind, going from stinky urine to a pleasant, gentle smell in no time. However, it is a more expensive option, and compared to the biodegradable options on our list, it does use harsh chemicals. It’s still safe, but it’s just not as great for the environment.

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5. Pet Refresh Pet Laundry Detergent

If you have dog urine on your clothes, it likely isn’t an everyday occurrence. Because of this, you don’t need to always use a laundry detergent that fights and combats pet urine. With Pet Refresh Pet Laundry Detergent, that’s a good thing because it only comes in a smaller size and is more expensive per load of laundry.

However, it is extremely effective at removing and eliminating pet urine, it features an eco-friendly formula, and it’s hypoallergenic, so it’s highly unlikely you’ll be allergic to it. It’s far from perfect, especially if you need a lot of it, but if you don’t need it often and just for minor mishaps, this might be just what you need.

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6. Bark2Basics Dog-Off Laundry Liquid Detergent

Bark2Basics Dog-Off Laundry Liquid Detergent is another great choice if you run a pet-specific business where you need a pet-specific laundry detergent all the time. You can only purchase this detergent by the gallon, which drives up the overall cost a bit, but it does lower the cost per load.

It does a great job cleaning, and the plant-based formula is great for the environment, but it’s not the best choice for stain removal. Not only that, but unless you need a gallon of it, you’re overpaying simply because you’re getting more than you need!

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7. Pet Parents PetTergent Enzymatic Pet Laundry Detergent

If your dog seems to always go after the same piece of clothing no matter how many times you wash it, it’s probably because you’re not eliminating all the enzymes when you wash it. That’s not something you need to worry about when you use Pet Parents PetTergent Enzymatic Pet Laundry Detergent.

Not only does this detergent remove the smell of urine, but it also removes the enzymes that keep your pup coming back to do it again! This formula is biodegradable, which makes it good for the environment, but it only comes in smaller sizes and is much more expensive per load.

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8. Gain Laundry Detergent Liquid Soap

Gain Laundry Detergent liquid soap is the first non-pet-specific laundry detergent on our list, but while it’s not specifically for pets, it can still clean up their scents and odors. The advantage of going with a formula that isn’t pet-specific is that it’s far more affordable, and it still has awesome cleaning power.

You can also pick from a ton of sizes and scent options, but we recommend the Original + Aroma Boost for stubborn urine smells. Even with this formula, you might need to wash your clothes a few times to eliminate stubborn urine smells, and it really doesn’t do much about the enzymes that can lead to your dog reoffending.

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9. Arm & Hammer Plus OxiClean Fresh Scent

Arm & Hammer uses OxiClean and baking soda in its formula, which makes a big difference in combating pet urine smells. It’s still not a pet-specific formula, but there’s no denying how effective it is at cleaning clothes and fighting stains.

Not only that but it’s super affordable, allowing you to save a ton of money while getting clean and fresh clothes. But like every formula that isn’t pet-specific on our list, if you have urine smells that have had time to set into your clothes, you might need to run it through multiple times.

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10. Tide PODS Laundry Detergent Soap Pods

Tide PODS Laundry Detergent Soap Pods are another everyday laundry detergent option we’re sure you’ve heard of before. There’s a reason it’s a common household name, as it does a great job of cleaning clothes, lifting stains, and protecting colors.

You can also pick from tons of size options to get exactly what you need, and the pod shape makes them super easy to use. However, it isn’t a pet-specific formula, it’s slightly more expensive, and you might need to wash your clothes a few times to get rid of stubborn urine smells.

It won’t keep up with the pet-specific options farther up the list, but you could also do far worse!

Buyer’s Guide: Choosing the Best Laundry Detergents for Dog Urine

We know we’ve highlighted several great options already, and while that means you can find just what you’re looking for above, it also can be a little overwhelming. That’s why we came up with this buyer’s guide that breaks down everything you need to know before and after you get the detergent.

Finding Pet Urine in Clothes

Sometimes you can smell the pet urine in your clothes but you can’t find it. The secret to finding pet urine stains is the power of blacklight. Blacklights let you see a pet urine stain since it’ll glow, ensuring you find the right contaminated piece of clothing to treat and wash. It also ensures you find all the contaminated clothing in one go-around so that you’re not tackling things one shirt at a time!

Pretreating Your Clothes

We’ve highlighted some great pet detergents for dog urine on our list, but even the best detergent doesn’t eliminate the need for pre-treating your clothes. Pet urine is a stubborn scent, and you need to throw everything you have at it, so pre-treating should be your first step.

Start by rinsing out the spot with cool water. Blot at the spot, and do not scrub it. Then, let it soak in a 50/50 mixture of Oxiclean or baking soda and water for 1 to 4 hours. After that, wash the stained clothes with your new detergent.

Why Your Pup Keeps Going Back

If you keep going through all these steps only for your pup to go back to the same piece of clothing and pee on it again, it’s likely they’re picking up on enzymes. The only way to prevent this from happening again is to eliminate the enzymes.

You can also keep the article away from them for a few washes, and if you don’t like the piece of clothing all that much, you might want to consider throwing it away or replacing it.

Laundry Detergents and the Environment

We know when you have pet urine in your clothes, the only thing you’re worried about is getting it out. But the truth is that laundry detergents can have all sorts of harmful chemicals. Not only are these chemicals rough on the environment, but they’re rough on your clothes and skin too.

By going with a biodegradable formula like most of the options on our list, you can get your clothes clean and feel good about it at the same time. “Biodegradable” and “good for the environment” don’t mean “ineffective.” In fact, these formulas work better than any of the harsh chemicals in other detergents.

Conclusion

If you’re stuck with choice overload because of all the great options and reviews on our list, take a deep breath and go with Dr. Easy Odor Remover Laundry Detergent Sheets. It’s the top choice on our list for a reason, and it’ll take care of those urine problems once and for all with an eco-friendly formula.

But if that’s out of your budget, go with LivePure Anti-Allergen Laundry Detergent. It does a great job at an even better price, so you can stop dealing with pet urine in your clothes!

See Also:

• Best Materials and Fabrics for Dog Bed

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Featured Image Credit: Kuznetsov Alexey, Shutterstock