Naturally It's Clean vs Biokleen vs Skout's Honor: dog pee, mess by mess

Your dog peed on the rug and the smell is still telling him where. Which bottle you reach for depends on the mess: a fresh spot, a dog bed, or a smell that survived the first clean.

Head to head, mess by mess

Fresh pee on carpet or the couch: Naturally It's Clean wins

Plant-based enzymes made for carpets, upholstery and drapes, with lemon scent from essential oil and no dyes or artificial fragrance. Blot, spray, wait a few minutes, then blot again.

Pee on the dog bed, a crate pad or the laundry: Biokleen Bac-Out wins

It is made for carpet, couches, beds, crates and laundry, and the live enzyme cultures keep working after you spray. Spray, leave it 5 minutes or more, then blot. Comes in a gallon, for big soaks.

The smell is still there after an enzyme soak: Skout's Honor wins

It is not an enzyme cleaner, so it takes a different route to the smell. Four ingredients, all named: water, a plant-based surfactant, a mineral-based deodorizer and a plant-based fragrance. Test a hidden patch first.

Old, set-in stain: none of the three

All three are built for the mess you just found. A stain that has been there for weeks needs a longer soak, so start with the fresh vs old stain guide.

Fresh spot: Naturally It's Clean. Bed or laundry: Biokleen. Smell survived the soak: Skout's Honor.

The catch on each

• Naturally It's Clean: tougher stains need a longer sit before you blot.
• Biokleen Bac-Out: the spot looks different until it dries.
• Skout's Honor: not for wool, leather, silk or unsealed wood.

Which one to buy

• He just did it on the carpet: Naturally It's Clean.
• It is on his bed, or you are washing it: Biokleen Bac-Out.
• You soaked it twice and the smell stayed: Skout's Honor.
• Fresh puddle? Skip Skout's Honor and start with Naturally It's Clean.

More bottles for more messes: all the dog odor cleaners.