Carpet odors can sneak into your home over time, undetected until someone points them out or you return home after being away. Over time, we become accustomed to smells from pets, cigarettes, mildew, and foods, so it’s difficult to notice them.
Once you discover them, you’ll need to persistently work on removing the odors. Here are several strategies you can use to get those pesky smells out of your carpet and keep them smelling fresh and clean.
Using Carpet Cleaners and Deodorizers
There are an abundance of carpet cleaners and deodorizers on the market today that deliver great results. Some of them use synthetic solvents, but there are also natural cleaners if you want to avoid using harsher chemicals. Using carpet cleaners regularly will help keep your carpets fresh.
Baking Soda
If you want to save money and use natural ingredients as a home remedy, baking soda can help with pet odors and smoke. It works by trapping smells and absorbing moisture. Sprinkling it on your carpet overnight and then vacuuming it up the next morning will help clean and deodorize your rug.
If you’re focusing on deodorizing, mixing baking soda with ground spices and borax will remove odors and leave your carpets with a pleasant scent. A popular spice to use is cinnamon but avoid it if you have light-colored carpets. You can also add essential oils for a nice scent.
Vinegar and Vodka
Vinegar is another natural solution that removes unpleasant odors from your carpet. It works well on pet odors. White vinegar is recommended, and although it smells at first, the scent disappears once it dries. Spray it evenly onto your carpet and let it dry. You can repeat the process until the odor is completely gone.
Vodka also works well on stubborn odors. It kills bacteria and removes stains. For spot cleaning, apply vodka over a stain for 10 to 15 minutes, then blot the moisture with a paper towel. To deodorize your carpet, spraying it evenly and vacuuming afterward will remove unpleasant odors. You can mix vodka with baking soda to absorb excess moisture before vacuuming if you desire.
Preventing Carpet Odors
Regularly cleaning your carpets will prevent odors from settling into your carpets and keep dirt and residue from building up. Steam cleaners in combination with other cleaning solutions can penetrate deeply into your carpets, forming embedded stains and odors. If you’ve tried several cleaning solutions and none of them work, it may be time to hire a professional to clean your carpets.
Carpet odors are inevitable but taking these steps and consistently caring for your carpet will help keep them cleaner for longer.
Contact our team or call (419) 705-8693 today to schedule a free, no-obligation demonstration of our amazing carpet cleaning system in Toledo for your home or business.
