Have you ever visited someone’s house where, upon entering into the living room, you were greeted by a strong odor from their carpet? There is nothing that can make a house more unwelcoming than lingering odors in carpeting. Do you have a similar problem with your carpet? This could be due to lack of air circulation, stale debris, or dust, or due to pets relieving themselves on the carpet, among other reasons. However, no matter what the reason is, de-odorizing the carpet is something that should be done on priority. You may not necessarily need to deep clean your carpet each time something happens to make it smell bad. It is also not necessary to rip out your existing carpet and get a new one. You can remove odors by trying out a few simple home remedies as mentioned below.
Tips For Getting Rid Of Carpet Odors
- Baking Soda has proved to be very effective in getting rid of bad odors from carpets. Sprinkle baking soda evenly on your carpet and let it be for a while. Clean the carpet with a broom or a vacuum cleaner. You could also choose to mix baking soda in a bowl of water and apply all over the carpet. Rinse completely with soap and water and dry the carpet out in direct sunlight.
- Add a cup of white vinegar to your carpet cleaning solution. Vinegar works well at neutralizing odors due to its high level of acidity. Mix one part of vinegar with three parts of water and apply to your carpet with a brush or a cloth. Scrub both sides of the carpet thoroughly, rinse with soap and water, and leave the carpet to dry out in direct sunlight.
- Lemon is acidic and can also be used to kill odor causing bacteria on carpets. Mix a little fresh lemon juice with water and apply it to the areas that smell. Scrub it well and then rinse with soapy water. Dry the carpet out in direct sunlight.
- Foam cleaners can be used to deal with persistent or overwhelming carpet odors. In this case, the foam is sprayed evenly over the carpet, allowed to soak into the carpet and then dry into a powder. Once it has dried, the residue can be vacuumed off.
- At times, your carpet odor could be due to traces of dirt trapped in the carpet’s lining. In this case, you would just need to clean the dirt away. This could be done by hiring a water-based steam cleaner and using a carpet cleaning fluid or white vinegar to get rid of the odor and make your carpet smell fresh.
- In some cases, the problem could be with the padding beneath the carpet and not with the carpet itself. The solution here would be to replace the underlying pad. This might be time consuming, but it nevertheless relieves you of the necessity of replacing the entire carpet.
- Call a professional if home remedies do not work. It will save you a lot of money and frustration in the long run.