Dog poop is an extremely unpleasant thing to have to clean up, but leaving it in your yard can lead to it getting tracked in your home, not to mention the horrible smell left behind by it decomposing. Finding ways to eliminate the dog poop in your backyard can help keep the environment safe and healthy for your dog, along with keeping your backyard a pleasant environment for you and your neighbors.
One way to eliminate dog poop in your yard without picking it up is to dissolve the poop. This isn’t the ideal disposal technique, but it is necessary for some people who can’t pick up their dog’s poop or who have nowhere to store pet waste until trash day. Here are four options that can help get your yard poop-free!
The 4 Great Options to Dissolve Dog Poop in the Yard
1. Garden Lime
| Ease of use: | 4/5 stars |
| Safety: | 2.5/5 stars |
Garden lime is widely available at most home and garden supply stores, as well as being very affordable for most budgets. It’s as easy to use as simply sprinkling over the dog poop that needs to be dissolved. However, it’s important to understand that garden lime is a very caustic material that can burn your skin and your dog’s paws. It can also be dangerous if ingested, so this is not a good long-term option for dissolving dog poop across your whole yard.
2. White Vinegar
| Ease of use: | 4/5 stars |
| Safety: | 4/5 stars |
White vinegar is a simple, inexpensive way to dissolve the dog poop in your yard. Even better, it’s a relatively safe option for use around pets. You want to keep your dog from eating the poop or the grass around it that has vinegar on it since it can lead to stomach upset, especially in large amounts. White vinegar should be diluted with an equal amount of water. So, if you want to use 2 cups of vinegar, add 2 cups of water to make the solution. This method may take longer to dissolve poop than other options, but it will do so successfully given enough time.
3. Enzymes
| Ease of use: | 4.5/5 stars |
| Safety: | 4/5 stars |
Enzymatic cleaners and products made with enzymes specifically for dissolving pet waste are a commercially-produced option for dissolving dog poop. They are generally made to be safe for use in areas that pets frequent. Enzymatic waste cleaners are typically easy to find, but products specifically intended to dissolve waste in an outdoor environment may be more difficult to come across. These products are generally as easy to use as just spraying them directly onto the poop. You may need to repeat with multiple treatments for maximum dissolution.
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4. Bleach
| Ease of use: | 3.5/5 stars |
| Safety: | 3.5/5 stars |
Bleach is a common cleaning agent in many homes, and it can be an effective tool against dog poop. It’s best to dilute bleach in a similar way to how you would dilute white vinegar for the same purpose. Be cautious when handling bleach as it can be irritating to the skin, mucus membranes, and respiratory tract. Some people and pets are more sensitive to this than others. Also be aware that bleach can remove color from clothing, so be careful not to splash it on your clothes.
Things to Consider Before Leaving Dissolving Dog Poop
It’s important to understand the risks of leaving dog poop in your yard, even if you are dissolving it. Dog poop can carry many types of pathogens and parasites, posing a threat to your other pets, you, and your family. There is also a risk associated with dog poop getting into the groundwater, which runs off into bodies of water and can pose dangers to the natural environment.
Some areas have laws associated with pet waste, so you should always check the laws in your area to make sure you are not breaking laws by dissolving pet waste. Due to the risks associated with pet waste decomposing in the natural environment, many areas have deemed it in the best interest of public and environmental health and safety to require pet waste be picked up and disposed of.
Conclusion
Dissolving dog poop in your yard isn’t an ideal disposal method, but it is necessary under some very specific situations. There aren’t many products designed for this purpose because it isn’t generally recommended, but it can be done with some easy-to-find household products, as well as some commercial products.
Make sure to check the laws in your area to ensure dissolving your dog’s poop is legal where you live. Otherwise, you may inadvertently break the law and potentially harm yourself, your neighbors, or the natural environment.
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Featured Image Credit: Javier Brosch ,Shutterstock
