My house smells of dog

[ImStickMan]

My SIL told me she can smell dog quite strongly in my house (she wasn't being bitchy, I asked her to tell me honestly )

I don't know how to get rid of it! Dog is rather old and stinky (but lovely!) I try to brush her often outside but she sheds a lot (she's a border collie cross)

I vaccum every other day, and use shake and vac. I also use scented candles if I know people are coming over. The living room carpet is old and stained so possibly responsible for some of the smell. We've cleaned it with a carpet cleaner but really it needs replacing (which we can't afford)

We open the windows and air the place regularly but it still smells.

Is there anything else I can do to combat the smell?

My house definitely stinks of dog! We somehow have managed to end up with 5 dogs, they come to the stables with me every day and smell of dog, horse and sometimes fox...
Impractical to bath them all everytime they get wet or pongy.
We have hard floors, they aren't allowed anywhere (in theory) other than the kitchen but the smell pervades the whole house .
I'm putting my house on the market soon so really need to sort it out!

I have 4 dogs, a smelly, old, semi-incontinent rotty and 3 hairless cresteds. The hairless dogs actually smell quite a bit as their skin can get greasy ad then transfer to carpet/couches.

Once a week I give the carpets a really good clean with the vax cleaner www.amazon.co.uk/Vax-V-124A-Upright-Carpet-Upholstery/dp/B000Y828JO/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1458490759&sr=8-4&keywords=vax+carpet+cleaner ( it's brilliant!) . I use a biological carpet cleaner with added lavender oil and it really helps to break down the smells and keep everything fresh. I have cheap fleece blankets on the couch (one for wear and one for washing) so these are changed at the same time. I also wipe down all hard floors, low walls, doors and skirts to make sure everything the dogs have touched is clean and fresh. My balldies are rubbed with a dry doggy shampoo and the rotty, well......nothing can hide her odour so we just try to do our best with lavender dog wipes.

Vet surgeries can be home to some pretty dodgy smells and they mostly use Neutrodol. (Blue aerosol available from most big supermarkets .) It doesn't cover up the odour but neutralises it. If it works on the smell created by a male ferret emptying it's anal glands or rabbit abscesses (a smell like no other) it should work on a doggy whiff.

Second the above, we also have some prices room diffusers - the open window one which is fabulous.

And we put a scented bag in the dyson - glade lily of the valley one is like a scented tea bag and is brilliant.

www.diy.com/departments/glade-drop-in-vac-lily-of-the-valley-carpet-fragrance-sachet/1142366_BQ.prd?gclid=CILJ0tnvz8sCFasV0wodCgwH2A&ppc_type=shopping&ecamp=SEAPLA1142366_BQ&ef_id=VuxbrwAAAd-gJRuK:20160320181638:s

We have a 6month old pup and his whiff is mostly when he has accidentally peed on himself whilst learning to cock his leg. baths fix that and regular washing of his toys and bedding. However, my parents have always had dogs and as an adult-returner to the house I noticed, as a previous poster, that the hoover is the principal culprit for spreading the whiff of dog. Change the bag, clean the filter and put a bearable perfume in the bag (your favourite smell squirted onto a cotton wool ball and dropped into the bag is probably nicer than an artificial air freshener). Best of all...open all doors and windows regularly!

Scented air fresheners, plug in etc are really bad for you. The reed diffusers can burn your pet if spilt.

I bought a thingy from MUJi, you put cold water and essential oil in it ( I love lavender) and it puffs out fragrant vapour. It was about £60, but it's fantastic. I've got two dogs so I need all the help I can get.Really recommend it!

An essential oil diffuser, you can get them cheap on amazon or eBay. :)

I use neutradol pots in each room. I place them behind a picture frame and they absorb bad odours. I bath my dog every month and brush her daily. the carpet is probably responsible for a lot. I know you can't replace it but could you rip it up and have floorboards? So much easier to clean then.

Oh and when I change the hoover bag(its a Henry) I put a good few drops of lavender oil in then when you hoover it perfumes the house naturally.

Do people still have hoover bags? We're buying a house which doesn't smell too much of dogs in the main house. The odd subtle wiff once you know dogs lived there. And I'm not majorly a dog lover (despite living with dogs) and am quite sensitive to smells. But the cellar where the dogs slept/lived!!! OMG. They had the run of it and it schmells summink rotten. A good clean or fews needed!