It snowed and it’s really cold… and Conestoga Chuck is really stinky! But it’s way too cold to give them a traditional bath… so what to do? Never fear!!!! I have a recipe that’s inexpensive and works great at eliminating doggie odors! Better yet the dogs don’t seem to mind getting a quick spritzer bath either and it usually sends Conestoga Chuck into a round of happy zoomies afterwards. Better yet it only takes a couple seconds to do! Yay! Not only that, but it meets my rule of having multiple uses!
So let’s get started: in a spray bottle add 1 tablespoon baking soda and 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar. Let it fizz, then add 1 cup of warm water and give it a shake to mix it up. I then add a few drops of rosemary essential oil which smells good but also repels fleas and ticks and has a few other neat uses (always research essential oils before using them on your pet as some are not pet safe. Always dilute and never use full strength!)
Next I spritz the intended victim… I mean smelly critter.. Umh… I mean the good boy 🙂 lol and rub it into the fur with my hands. They like this part because they are getting a body massage lol. Get the belly and the tushy etc but as always avoid getting the face! Then I take a hand towel (they like this part too lol) and dry them off (another body massage lol). Usually at this point they are super happy and get the zoomies… but they smell really nice and clean! Within seconds they are completely dry and can go outside safely in cold weather (unlike if I had given them a traditional bath). They are no more wet than if they had come in from being outside on a rainy day. A quick toweling and they are mostly dry’ish.
Once I’m done doing that… whatever spritzer I have left in the bottle I use the same way you would use Febreeze 🙂 I spritz their doggie bed, the couch, chairs, rugs, curtains, shower curtain etc this eliminates the doggie odor that is in the house nicely. If I have some left in the spray bottle I use the rest like a spray cleaner and clean the shower, toilet, bathroom countertop and sink with the reminder.
Its an awesome cleaner for the bathroom… it works as well if not better than any commercial brand bathroom cleaner I have ever bought and hubby will grab the homemade stuff before the commercial stuff every time!!! because he says it cleans better and quicker and easier when combined with a magic eraser than anything we have found yet! Hint: I usually double the recipe above so I have a big bottle of spray to use after I’m done spritz bathing the pups. The only thing this doesn’t clean well is glass/mirrors because the baking soda and essential oil can leave a streaky residue if not rinsed off which isn’t a problem for sinks, tubs or toilets… but not so great for mirrors or windows lol
If you spritz anything metal… I always make sure to wipe it off really well afterwards because vinegar corrodes metals. However, I really haven’t had a problem with this recipe because the vinegar is very diluted! But if you use pure vinegar (or a stronger dilution) be cautious with using it around metal object because of corrosion. The only metal I know of that it won’t corrode completely is the copper/metal in pennies…. lol as a child I used to soak pennies in vinegar water to make them look shiny and new. I have no idea why I did that but I distinctly remember doing it! Probably a science experiment I read about in a children’s book and decided to try lol I was always doing something like that as a child. But make sure to rinse the pennies in water really good afterwards or they will turn green and get a mossy look/feel.
Now back to snuggling a good smelling and happy Conestoga Chuck! Everyone in the house approves this recipe lol Much better!!!!! Now to get hubby to stop snuggling the dog and talk him into cleaning the bathroom for me 🙂 
Conestoga Chuck 