Written By: Brianna Harvey | @snortandsnarfle | Real Dog Mom of Skout's Honor 

As a dog mom I have two goals in my house.  First and foremost, I want my dogs to be happy, integrated members of our family.  This means they have the run of the house.  They sleep in our bed, nap on the couch and have a million dog beds everywhere.  But when guests come over, I don’t want the signature scent of our home to say it.

Yes, we all know that every house, every family has their own signature scent.  But yours doesn’t need to involve wet dog or the dreaded undertone of puppy potty training.  Sounds a bit like having your cake and eating it too, right?  But with the help of my cleaning and grooming essentials from Skout’s Honor it can be a reality!

Pet Safe Cleaning

There are so many cleaning products out there; it can get overwhelming when you are researching.  And when you have pets there are extra considerations to take into account.  I have tried several all-natural products that left me underwhelmed and several harsh chemicals that burn my nose.  All-natural products might be pet-safe but so many aren’t tough enough to handle their messes.  And if the harsh chemicals burn my nose, I can only imagine what it's doing to my dogs’ noses as they wait outside the door.  I was blown away when I found Skout’s Honor because their products are tough and gentle at the same time.

Severe Mess Stain & Odor

Whether you are cleaning up a gross messy poop situation or spilled red wine, Skout's Honor's Severe Mess Stain Odor is going to be your best friend.  I have used it for both, and after putting in a small amount of elbow grease it was like it never happened. 

I think we have all had a dog with an upset stomach and it always ends with something gross coming out one end or the other.  While it may feel like an emergency to get an icky poop off your carpet or rug immediately, I find that this can lead to the stain getting ground into the fibers even further.  If you can block off the mess so your dog can’t get into it and let it dry, that is my first recommendation.  Once it’s dry you can easily pick the solidified poop with some paper towels.  Once you just have the remaining stain give it a good soak with the Severe Mess Stain & Odor and scrub.  You might need to soak any stubborn spots but for me it came out completely within just a few minutes.

I can’t pretend that my dogs are the only ones that make messes.  I spilled a little red wine on my white blanket and didn’t realize it happened until the next day when the stain was fully set.  After fully soaking the spot with Severe Mess Stain & Odor I threw my blanket in with my normal detergent and it came out as white as new!  It is better than any laundry pretreatment I have purchased just walking down the aisle of a general store.

Urine Destroyer

The Urine Destroyer is a must have if you have a dog, but it’s especially important during the dreaded potty-training stage.  Potty training French Bulldogs is notoriously difficult and all of mine put me through the wringer as puppies.  Skout’s Honor didn’t exist when I was potty training my first two, so I was extremely happy to find Skout's Honor's Urine Destroyer before we brought our newest home.

I have tried a plethora of different cleaning methods to try to get rid of the smell and stains from accidents.  I came across two main issues during my search.  I found many products that appeared to get rid of the stain initially, but the stain would re emerge later.  And there were other products that seemed to get rid of the smell but after drying would leave an undertone of urine smell in the area.  I don’t know about you, but I don’t like to have multiple products to address one mess.  I have had several, SEVERAL opportunities to clean up accidents since bringing home our youngest dog.  There is not a single urine stain in my home!  And you can ask any of my friends and family, my home doesn’t smell like a kennel.

Odor Eliminator

Unlike blankets things like pillows and couch cushions aren’t so easy to refresh.  And since you can’t always just throw them into the washing machine, Skout's Honor's Odor Eliminator is there to come to your rescue!  Personally, I like to use it at night so that everything is dry by morning and there are no dogs bouncing on the treated areas while they are still damp.  I like to do a light spray on the couch cushions and pillows about once a month to keep any dog or people odors from building up.  If you do it less often you can easily do a more liberal coating to get any smells out that might have set in a bit deeper.  This also works great for stairs or rugs that need a refresh but haven’t gotten to the point you need to break out your carpet cleaner.  (FYI the Skout’s Honor Carpet Machine Solution is there for you when they do need that deep clean though!)

Laundry Booster

Skout's Honor's Laundry Booster is great for everything from your pet’s beds to the laundry you accidentally left in the washer too long.  I think all of us have forgotten a load of clothes in the washing machine before and have had to do the “rewash of shame.”  But depending on how long you forgot about it, rewashing might still leave you with a musty undertone.  Thanks to the Laundry Booster that musty undertone is no more!  It also, of course, works wonders for my dogs’ beds, blankets, towels, clothes and our couch blankets that they cuddle up in with us on the daily.  Now if Skout’s Honor started making fabric softeners in their grooming scents, let’s just say you would be cuddled up on the dog beds too!  Speaking of which, your dog needs to smell amazing if your house is going to!

Dog Grooming Must Haves

I’m confident that you can clean up any mess and refresh any smells that your four-legged child may bring your way with the products above.  However, I know I don’t want to put in all that work to make the house smell nice and then have my dog smell, well, like a dog.  There are two must haves in my book to keep them smelling nice, keep their fur soft and keep their skin happy.

Probiotic Shampoo + Conditioner 

With their patent-pending blend of probiotics you can help stop potential skin issues before they start!  Our oldest suffered with allergies his whole life.  Despite medications his paws would still flair up, especially during peak allergy seasons.  Because of the severity of his allergies, allergy medication was always a must, but Skout’s Honor reduced the need for medicated paw bathes and topical ointments dramatically.  In the last year of his life, when I found Skout’s Honor, his paws had never been better.  I only wish these products existed the entire 10 years we were blessed with him!  After seeing how much Skout's Honor's Probiotic Shampoo + Conditioner helped him, I am a lifelong supporter of this company.  And have I mentioned the scents yet?  If I could get some body wash in the Honeysuckle or Happy Puppy scents that would be great.  Also, a Dog of the Woods for my husband?  I don’t even need that renamed Man of the Woods for him because the scent is perfect.

Probiotic Deodorizer

My dogs aren’t the biggest fans of bath time.  While they tolerate it, they much prefer to have as long of a stretch in between bath times as possible.  To their delight Skout’s Honor has their backs with their Probiotic Deodorizer!  I use it on them in two different ways.  Firstly, I use it right after bath time.  Every Probiotic Shampoo + Conditioner scent has a matching Probiotic Deodorizer.  Since all the scents are absolutely delicious, I like to give them a few spritzes after a fresh bath to help extend the life of the scent.  Secondly, I use it as intended, for in-between bathes to keep them smelling fresh!  I love to have them smelling extra good when we have guests over and have gotten compliments on their scent and how soft their fur is multiple times.  And a tip for all you dog moms and dads out there, they also work great if you need a quick refresh!  I have used the Happy Puppy scent on my underarms after some yard work left me less than fresh, but I didn’t need a second full shower.  A couple of spritzes to each pit and the odor vanished!  I was left feeling and smelling fresh!

That’s it my friends!  Not sure if you could tell, but I’m very passionate about this topic.  I hope all my trials and errors over the years can save you some time, money and keep your home smelling good.