This Odor Remover Erases Pet Stink Without Offending Your Nose

There aren’t many things I can say I’ve been full-stop, 100 percent loyal to, but there is at least one: Nature’s Miracle. It rescues us from all pet-associated stains and stinks; as well as a variety of other spills. It has lifted coffee, it has lifted mud, it has lifted mysterious little smudges the dog leaves on his favorite corner of the rug. But Nature’s Miracle has that specific odor.

I wish the smell was similar to that of gasoline or bug spray: The scent isn’t great, but the associations of summer or travel make it bad in a good way. Nature’s Miracle’s scent certainly fades eventually, but if you’re using it a lot — and I am — it has a a nose-wrinkling effect. When my dog, Finn, has been clearly (illegally) snuggling up on my pillow during the day, I weigh which smells better: eau de Finn or eau de Nature’s Miracle. Eau de Finn usually wins. This wasn’t a problem I was looking to solve, until I learned about a spray designed to solve exactly that: Defunkify. 

Defunkify absolutely erases odor. It works almost instantly. For serious stinks, you soak the fabric and wait for it to dry, but for little remnants of smell, a light mist will do. Even the lavender scent — which smells so nice and lavender-y at first, leaves nothing in its wake. I’ve become less annoyed with the dog sneaking onto my bed during the day; a few sprays will lift that Finn scent right up. 

Now, at $20, it is a little pricey; I think it’s worth it, but I hear the hesitations. My friend Sally and I got caught in the rain on a recent vacation, and she wrote to the group chat that her favorite backpack, a Beacon’s Closet treasure, “smells like fish inside.” I sent a link to Defunkify instantly and she replied, “Thank you, but that costs more than my stupid fake leather backpack.” In the end, she thought about all the future stinky items she would possess, and she sprung for Defunkify. It cleared away all remnants of summer storm from her backpack. Recently, I took a small bottle of it on a long trip, and it saved me from even thinking about doing laundry.

Defunkify also confirms that they’re pet-friendly, including all their scents, even the peppermint. The company does recommend that if customers are spraying it directly on the animal’s bedding, they wait for the spray to dry completely first. The company is also especially invested in sustainability, including using toxicity testing, semi-recycled packaging, local sourcing to return transit emissions, and a small give-back program to environmental causes. 

It’s definitely not a replacement to Nature’s Miracle, but for me, it’s a crucial companion. And the dog who is now currently allowed on the new couch, I’m sure, is thrilled. 

Defunkify Odor Remover Spray

$20

$20 at Defunkify