Dog Pee Nearly Destroyed My Marriage, an Enzyme Cleaner Named Earthworm Saved It

Normally, you’re here to read my take on how big tech is poised to reshape (or wreck) our lives, not about an enzyme cleaner or how a six-week-old puppy nearly wrecked my marriage. But friends, I’ve just had a revelation of the domestic kind, and I just have to share it.

My wife and I brought home a puppy from a San Francisco shelter, an adorable little mutt we named Mochi. Everyone was thrilled to welcome him into the family. We’d never had a dog before, and our kids were ecstatic, finally getting the pet they’d been campaigning for since they could talk.

There was a honeymoon period where we marveled at how sweet he was, watching him trot around and flop onto his back for belly rubs. But then, like all honeymoon phases, ours hit an abrupt end.

Turns out Mochi had some potty-training problems.

Big ones.

I’d read all the guides, watched the YouTube videos, even set an alarm on my phone every few hours to make sure he got outside on time. None of it mattered. Mochi quickly found a “favorite” spot in the corner of the living room, which he claimed with enthusiasm every chance he got. And no matter what cleaning solution I tried — from vinegar concoctions to expensive carpet sprays from the pet store — he kept going back to the same spot, as if it had his name etched into it.

If you’ve ever been through puppy training, you know it can test the limits of a household’s patience. I’m a guy who’s handled deadlines, unexpected tech rollouts, and plenty of work-life chaos, but this little dog’s bladder had me beat. My marriage has weathered nearly twenty years of ups and downs, but at the height of Mochi’s marking spree, I wasn’t sure if we’d all make it through this. My wife had officially declared the living room a disaster zone, and even the kids were tiptoeing around, not wanting to set off “puppy territory reclamation mode” again.

The problem with traditional cleaning products, I quickly learned, is that they’re basically just masking the problem. Sure, they might smell nice to us humans (usually with heavy artificial fragrances that give you a headache) but dogs have noses that are thousands of times more sensitive than ours. What smells “clean” to us still screams “this is MY spot” to them. Plus, I was starting to worry about all the harsh chemicals we were spraying around a space where our kids played and our new puppy spent most of his time.

Then, in a moment of desperation, I did what every modern problem-solver does: I turned to Reddit. After scrolling through what felt like endless advice on puppy potty training, I came across a thread on r/explainlikeimfive suggesting an enzyme-based cleaner for dog urine called Earthworm Pet Stain & Odor Eliminator.

I didn’t know much about enzyme cleaners. Frankly, cleaning products aren’t my beat.

But apparently, an enzyme cleaner works in a totally different way than the usual stuff.

What Makes Enzyme Cleaners Different and So Impactful vs. Pet Stains

Here’s the deal: when you use a regular cleaner, you might wipe away the visible mess, but it doesn’t actually break down the odor markers on a molecular level. Enzyme cleaners like Earthworm do exactly that. The enzymes — which are naturally occurring proteins — go to work breaking down the urine molecules at their source, leaving absolutely no trace behind. In other words, the cleaner doesn’t just mask the odor; it destroys it completely. This leaves no scent for Mochi to detect, which for a dog, is everything. If he can’t smell his own scent in that spot, he doesn’t feel the need to mark it again. In other words, no more “my spot” mentality for Mochi.

What really sold me on Earthworm brand, though, was learning it’s a natural formula. As someone who writes about technology and environmental impact for a living, I’ve become increasingly conscious about the products we bring into our home. The last thing I wanted was to solve one problem (puppy accidents) while creating another (exposing our family to toxic chemicals). Earthworm’s enzyme pet spray is biodegradable, non-toxic, and safe for pets and kids, which meant I could actually use it liberally without worrying about Mochi licking the carpet or my toddler crawling around on the floor.

The ingredient list reads more like something you’d find in an eco-friendly kitchen cleaner than a heavy-duty pet stain remover: purified water, plant-based enzymes, and natural surfactants. No ammonia, no bleach, no petroleum-based chemicals. Just good, old-fashioned biology doing what it does best — breaking down organic matter. It’s the kind of environmentally friendly cleaning product that actually works, which in my experience is a rare combination.

After a few sprays of this miracle solution, Mochi finally seemed to lose interest in his designated corner. The first time I used it, I saturated the area completely (following the instructions, which stress that enzyme cleaners need to reach every spot where the urine soaked in), let it sit for about 10 minutes, then blotted it up. Within 24 hours, Mochi walked right past his former favorite spot without even a sniff. I was stunned.

He was still stubborn in other areas of house-training, but at least our living room was back. Earthworm broke his habit by erasing all traces of his earlier escapades, which finally got us out of this exhausting loop of “clean, reclaim, repeat.” I’ve since used it on a few other accidents around the house, and every time, it’s worked like a charm.

The natural enzyme cleaner formula means there’s no harsh chemical smell lingering afterward. Just nothing.

Which is exactly what you want.

I’ve become such a convert that I’ve actually started recommending Earthworm’s enzyme-based pet cleaner to other dog owners I meet at the park. There’s something satisfying about finding a product that solves a real problem without compromise — effective and environmentally responsible. In a world where we’re constantly told we have to choose between performance and sustainability, it’s refreshing when something delivers on both fronts.

And just like that, our little family crisis was over. We’ve got our home (and our sanity) back. Now, Mochi’s off happily marking his territory outside where it belongs, the living room no longer smells like a kennel, and my marriage is stronger for having survived the Great Puppy Crisis of 2024. I can finally turn my focus back to weightier matters — like how AI is about to reshape the entire power grid.

Though I have to say, if someone could develop an enzyme-based solution for cleaning up the AI industry’s environmental mess, I’d be first in line to write about it. Earthworm, if you’re listening, maybe that’s your next market opportunity?