Carpet is one of the most used items within your household. Feet are constantly tramping on it.
Animals roll and play all over it. Then there are the times when accidents can happen.
Food spills or a pet not being able to make it to the toilet in time can lead to your carpet smelling unpleasant. However, you don’t have to put up with stinky carpets. Let’s run you through several ways to deodorize your carpet.
There may be affiliate links in this article. You can read more about this in my disclosure.
Baking soda and essential oils
With this, you will have your carpet and your house filled with a sweet fragrance. This is a great option if you’re into aromatherapy.
- Add 20 to 30 drops of your essential oil to ½ a cup of baking soda. Mix so that the oil is distributed throughout the soda.
- Place this into a sealable container with holes in the lid and place it in the room with the smelly carpet.
- Leave it overnight.
- In the morning, sprinkle your baking soda and essential oil mix over the carpet.
- Wait for 15 minutes.
- Vacuum the carpet.
White vinegar
The magic behind white vinegar is the acetic acid that it contains. This stops any odor-causing microbes.
That makes white vinegar a great option to deal with your less-than-pleasant-smelling carpet.
- Pour the white vinegar into a spray bottle.
- Spray a generous amount of vinegar over your carpet, especially on those areas that stink the most.
- Let the vinegar dry naturally.
- Repeat this process if any smells remain.
Enzyme cleaner
This type of cleaner contains enzymes that break down and then consume the odor-causing bacteria within your carpet.
There are plenty of enzyme cleaners on the market. Some of the best are:
- Biokleen Bac Out Natural Stain and Odor Remover
- Naturally, It’s Clean Carpet Stains & Odors
- Rocco & Roxie Supply Co. Stain and Odor Eliminator
To use an enzyme cleaner, read the instructions that come with the particular one you purchased.
Typically, you apply the cleaner to the affected areas on your carpet and then let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes. After that, you blot the stained place with a cloth to remove the cleaner and the smell!
[amazon box=”B00LO1PJJ6,B0072DRNXU,B00CKFL93K” grid=”3″]Baking soda and dried herbs
We return once again to baking soda. This time you are adding a gorgeous, homely scent of dried herbs to the situation.
Lavender does have a soft and relaxing fragrance. Rosemary offers a more earthy scent.
Which herbs you choose is entirely up to you.
- Turn the dried herb into a powder by crushing it by hand in a food mixer.
- Combine the crushed herb with a cup of baking soda. Mix and place everything into a shaker.
- Give the carpet a good coating of your powder.
- Let the powder rest for an hour.
- Vacuum your carpet.
Febreze
The magic in Febreze happens due to beta-cyclodextrin, the main ingredient in the product.
This sticks to the molecules that are causing the odor. The result is no more stink.
You can use Febreze on your carpet. It’s so straightforward to do.
Spray Febreze over your carpet until the carpet is moist. Then let the Febreze air dry and any unpleasant smells are gone.
You have a range of scents to choose from with Febreze such as Lavender, Lemongrass and Ginger, Forest, and more. So you can match the scent according to your mood or the ambiance you want to create in the room.
[amazon box=”B09P4PKR9N” template=”vertical”]Carpet Shampoo
This is the major way of eliminating those nasty odors from your carpet. It’s a good choice if the flooring requires some serious TLC.
There are a variety of carpet shampoos on the market. You will have to do some research to find out which one suits your specific need.
Once you have purchased your carpet shampoo, add it to the tank of your carpet cleaner. Then follow these steps:
- Remove everything from the room.
- Give the carpet a thorough vacuum to remove as much dirt and debris as you can.
- Starting at a far corner of the room, shampoo the carpet in one-meter square sections. Work your way towards the doorway.
- Leave the room to air dry. If you want to speed up this step, then place fans in the room to help circulate the air.
- Make the room a “no-go” area for 24 hours.
Baking soda and vinegar
Yes, baking soda…again. That’s because it’s incredible at what it does.
This time we are combing it with the power of vinegar. That way you have a super odor-busting duo.
- Give the carpet a vacuum.
- Pour vinegar over the offending areas of your carpet.
- Sprinkle baking soda over this spot and allow it to froth up as it reacts with the vinegar.
- Let the vinegar and soda do their thing for a quarter of an hour.
- Get your vacuum cleaner out once more and suck up the baking soda.
Enjoy your stink-free carpet.
[amazon box=”B074J7X1DN,B07CN5K12R” grid=”2″]Preventing the stink from returning
Now you have your carpet smelling lovely, you want to keep it that way. Here are some ways to minimize odors from entering the carpet:
- No shoes allowed inside (that stops nasty stuff being transferred from the sole to the carpet)
- Keep the room well-ventilated and dry. This reduces the chance of mold and mildew growth within the fibers.
- Vacuum regularly. Sprinkle through the room before vacuuming.
- Do a deep clean at least once every six months. More often if the carpet gets a lot of traffic across it.
- Take care of spills straight away.
- Place rugs and mats over the more popular spots of the carpet.
- Stop or reduce any odor-causing activities (such as smoking).
Conclusion
The carpet is one part of your house that gets its fair share of action. Unclean feet or shoes, spills, and those whoopsie moments when someone has an “accident” on it can make the carpet start to smell funky.
You now have a variety of ways to tackle those bad odors and have your carpet smell wonderful again.
We have provided both commercial and natural options. Which one you go with is up to you.
No matter which way you go, there is one thing guaranteed…
Your flooring doesn’t stink anymore.
Farah Zeb is a mother of five, including two children with special needs. She shares practical parenting tips and resources to help other families navigate daily challenges and create supportive, nurturing environments.
