Composite Decking and Dog Urine

Owning pets can be a handful. But as loving owners, we treat our dogs as a part of the family. Sure, you’ll have to make some sacrifices, but it’s all worth it in the end. When choosing your decking boards, you’ll also have to consider your pets. If you have dogs and want to build or have a composite deck, you may have a few concerns. One of the most common concerns for pet owners who plan or have decking is dog urine. What does dog urine do to a deck? If you have a dog, should you build composite decking? And if you already have decking, how can you clean your dogs’ “business”? 

Decks and Dog Urine

What does dog urine do to a deck? Depending on the material used, it can potentially ruin it. For instance, wood, especially non-pressure-treated ones, will soak up any liquid if left for a long time. When your dog urinates on a wooden deck, the urine seeps into the wood, damaging and staining it.

So what about composites? Will dog urine have any effect on composites? As long as the composite decking board is appropriately maintained, there will be no major consequences when they’re exposed to dog urine. Of course, if left for long periods then the liquid will soak into the boards especially with uncapped composite decking and with capped decking if left for long periods you run the risk of staining your deck. In this case, it may ruin the deck. Fortunately, composites are moisture-resistant and very durable, as long as you clean quickly and effectively your deck will be fine.

How to Clean Composite Decking of Dog Urine

Despite being resistant to stains and moisture damage, it’s best to clean dog urine from your composite decking as soon as possible. But how can you clean it? Do you need to take extra measures?

Composites are very low-maintenance. You don’t need to get extra supplies to clean it. As for dog urine, you need water, a soap solution, and a soft-bristle hand brush. You only need to wet the deck, pour the soap solution, and gently brush it to remove any traces of urine. It’s that simple. Unlike wood, you don’t need to spend on stains and seals, protecting the wood from moisture and stains.

How To Keep Your Dog From Urinating on Your Composite Deck

Composites are easy to clean and resistant to dog urine. However, it’s within your best interests to keep your dogs from urinating on your composite decking. But how can you keep your dogs from doing their “business” on your patio?

The first way to do so is to train the dog. Sure, you will need time and effort to do this successfully. But once you’ve trained your pups, you can save more time and effort than not training them at all. Instead of the decking, give them space to freely do their business and train them to go there whenever they need to.

Another way to keep your dogs off your decking is by applying repellents that will discourage your dog from urinating on your deck. For this, you have a lot of options. And because you’re working with composite decking, you don’t have to worry too much about damaging the deck.

One of the things that you can use is vinegar and lemon solution. Spray it on areas on the deck where your dog may urinate. The smell of the solution may discourage your pets from urinating in that area. However, be careful not to overdo it since the solution if left for long periods could create another issue of discolour or stains on the deck, please also note that dogs have sensitive noses, and the solution may be too much for you and the dogs to handle. There are other homemade solutions that you can try.

Another option is buying commercial products that keep dogs away. There are plenty of these products which are safe for dogs. This will effectively mask the smell of the area, discouraging the dogs from urinating. One of the best solution in which we have tested to support a customer a few years back, which worked successful of removing the dog urine stains was compo clean, this successful remove the urine stain and support with the dog not urinating in this area.