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Home  /  DIY PROJECTS  /  How to Clean Smelly Carpets in 4 Simple Ways
DIY PROJECTS

How to Clean Smelly Carpets in 4 Simple Ways

By Silvy November 16, 2023

How to Clean Smelly Carpets

We rarely pay attention to our carpets at home because it just part of the everyday background. But you know how easily and quickly they can fall victim to dirt and stains, no matter how careful you may be, you’re bound to encounter a few spots and spills along the way. And usually, there is a foul odor coming from it.

So if that is the case, how do you handle your smelly carpets? Cleaning your carpet isn’t the most fun and glamorous task, but it might be the one that pays off the most. You sure don’t want these kinds of odors to make your home feel anything but pleasant, right?

Well, the good news is it doesn’t have to stay that way! If you’re looking for the best way to keep your carpets smelling good, fresh, and clean, this awesome post on how to clean smelly carpets will guide you and give you some tips.

Different Types of Carpets

Before we dive deep into how to clean your smelly carpets, you need to know the various types of carpets commonly found in homes and how they can affect the way its cleanliness and odor.

There are two major types of carpets, natural fiber (wool) and synthetic fibers (nylon, polyester, polypropylene (olefin), and the newest synthetic carpet fiber, triexta) 

Synthetic fibers are generally much more stain-resistant and are easier to maintain than natural fibers. Each type of synthetic carpet has its own positive and negative regarding stains and dirt, read this great article from The Spruce to understand more about your carpet.

How to Clean Smelly Carpets

First things first, you need to determine what is causing your carpet smell. Do a little light investigation to figure out why your carpet stinks to begin with, then follow these easy ways to eliminate the odor.

There are different ways to deodorize your carpet. The methods range from eco-friendly and cheap to not-so-eco-friendly and don’t worry, each of these DIY options doesn’t require a ton of work! So, here are a few easy ways to remove odor from your carpet and make the surrounding air inside your home fresh again.

Additional Tips: How to Keep Your House Smelling Fresh All the Time

Supplies and Equipment

The items you will need for the cleaning process, include baking soda, vinegar, vodka, carpet cleaning products, a vacuum, and a scrub brush.

Prepare the Carpet

Best to remove any furniture or objects on the carpet and vacuum thoroughly to remove dust, dirt, and debris. If your carpet is wet, use several fans pointing downward, a wet-dry vacuum, or towels to remove excess moisture. Also, test a small area of the carpet with the cleaning solution to ensure it doesn’t cause discoloration or damage to the fibers.

How to Remove Bad Smell from Carpet

DIY Solutions

Baking soda

Use to deodorize: Light smells

If you notice a subtle smell coming from your carpet, you should go with baking soda as it is a natural absorbent, so it should effectively deodorize a carpet.

Sprinkle generous amounts of baking soda over the affected areas or the entirety of your carpet. Walk around on top of the carpet (no bare feet!) so that there’s an even coating and the baking soda is pressed into the carpet.

Leave the powder for several hours or overnight, depending on how strong the smell is.

Then after that, vacuum it up to remove all the fine particles from the carpet fibres.

If you still smell some bad odor, repeat the process until the smell is gone or you can try adding drops of essential oil (if you have a pet, do not use tea tree oil as this could be toxic) to the baking soda and repeat this process as needed.

Vinegar

Use to deodorize: Mildew smell

If you live in areas with lots of humidity, you’re no stranger to the mildew. Vinegar works well for carpet deodorizing when you notice a musty smell. But you need to try it on a small area first because it’s an acid and there is a possibility it can damage the fiber of your carpet.

After you’ve made sure it’s completely safe, pour a generous amount of white vinegar into a spray bottle and spray the smelly part of the carpet. The powerful acidity in the vinegar will remove the odor-causing compounds and exterminate them for good and don’t worry – the vinegar smell will disappear when the carpet dries.

Note: You need to spray enough liquid but not so much that you end up soaking the carpet. If you get the carpet too wet while treating it, you’ll simply create another type of mildew problem. So, this is somewhat tricky to do.

You can leave your carpet to air dry, or open windows, or use a fan to increase ventilation and speed up the drying process. Avoid walking on the carpet until it’s completely dry to prevent any new odors.

If the smell persists, you can make a solution of white vinegar, baking soda, and warm water and spray that on the carpet to fully eliminate the odor.

Vodka

Use to deodorize: Mould smell, bacteria, urine

A shot of a popular Russian alcoholic drink, vodka, is not only good for you but also for the carpet! It kills bacteria very well and will actually break up the odor-causing compounds, making it a great natural deodorizer and stain remover.

Pour some vodka (clear, flavorless) into a spray bottle and lightly spritz any areas with truly formidable smells. Let the alcohol sit for 15 minutes, after that blot the sprayed area with a clean rag until dry. And that’s basically it. Repeat if necessary.

Note: For pet urine, you need to perform an initial clean first. Soak up the pee as best you can with a dry rag or towel. And do it as fast as you can! Because the more the pee soaks into the carpet, the harder it will be to remove its pungent scent.

Carpet Cleaning Products

You will find different carpet deodorizers on today’s market either in powder, spray, or shampoo form. They all come with various fragrances, antibacterial properties, and specific directions for different types of carpets (so be sure to read and follow the directions!). So, if you have a pee or vomit stain, look for a product designed for that purpose.

Powder

Powders work best when you’re trying to de-funk the entire carpet, instead of just spot cleaning. Baking soda is typically the main ingredient in any type of powdered deodorizer, so you can just cut to the chase and straight up use baking soda. Baking soda neutralizes and absorbs odors, making it the best carpet cleaner. Powders are super easy to use: Simply sprinkle them on the carpet, let them sit and work their magic, then vacuum them up. And done.

Spray

Sprays are best used for spot cleaning (like the stain of your pet’s urine!). Sprays require a bit more work, often some patting with a rag is involved. Sprays work by drawing whenever a stain is causing the offensive smell up and out of the carpet.

Shampoo

Carpet shampoo is the most labor-intensive, whether you’re applying it with a spray foam canister, a carpet cleaning machine, or a wet vac. Shampoo kills stinky scents while at the same time eliminating dirt and debris.

Recommended post: How to Clean Mold from Carpet Effectively in 4 Easy Ways

How to Prevent Smelly Carpets

When you’ve cleaned your carpet, adhere to these common principles of thumb for keeping carpets smelling new so you don’t wind up in another stinky circumstance:

Vacuum routinely. Most likely, it’s not exactly so particularly fun as watching fun shows, yet rather a task that will be dealt with over an extended time. Give your floor covers a fast outline something like once consistently to fend off fragrances and give you those very satisfying lines in the mat.

Open your windows whenever the situation allows. The inspiration driving that enormous number of scented candles you have piled on the table? In all honesty: it’s the smell of plants, blooms, and trees floating inside your home to invite you. In light of everything, covers prerequisites to breathe in some of the time.

Remove your shoes inside. You could think about your mother’s response, but embracing the no-shoe-inside lifestyle could be your new call. Put assets into shoes or house shoes. (Since shoe shopping is in like manner fun.) It’s challenging to imagine that, as an overall population, we are great with comparable shoes walking us through parking structures, down the grocery store ways, every through diner, and through the hallways of our own home. Portraying no-shoe zones kills outside soil and microorganisms from being on and on traipsed through your home.

Utilize a dehumidifier. Wetness achieves more than curve your hair up into a little frizz ball and fulfills your plant. Right when trapped in your carpet, it can smell unappealing. Dehumidifiers are a staggering strategy for keeping the dampness out of the air and keeping your floor covers smelling 100% — or stunningly better, not smelling using any and all means.

When to Call a Professional

If you have tried all of the ideas above and still cannot get rid of the smell, it may be time to call a professional in your area who will clean your carpet from the inside out. The professional will use a cleaning technology and reach deep within fibers to extract dirt, dust, allergens, and stains, so it could be worth it to hire experts to get it done for you.  

Key Takeaways

Now that you know how to tackle your carpet’s worst enemies, let’s get started. From baking soda to vodka and everything in between, those unpleasant carpet smells are a thing of the past.

Hope you find one of the above smart ways to care for your carpet and easily answer the how question to keep your house smelling fresh all the time – in no time.

Tags: How to clean
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Silvy

Hi, I'm Silvy and welcome to my little piece of the internet. I find joy in knowing about many things, especially about food recipes, DIY, self-care and room decor. Through this blog, I share things that I love and hope you find something that you'll love too.

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