4 Easy Ways to Get Rid Bad Smells in Carpets and Rugs

Carpets and rugs, because of their fluffy nature, can easily absorb odors. Both good and bad odors. It is not a problem when they smell nice, but it’s a huge discomfort in the home or office when your carpet smells badly.

Regularly keeping your carpets clean and proper maintenance practices will help you avoid these smells in the long run. But after a while, you can’t just avoid it. It seems the bad smell creeps on you. They accumulate over time. Especially if you have children and pets running around.

Whatever the living condition the carpet has to bear, your carpet maintenance skills have to rise to the occasion. But what do you do when the smells come? How do you clean it? Would it be easy with everyday home cleaning items?

We’ll show you all you need to know.

Let’s tell you how to get rid of these bad smells in your rug or carpet and enjoy the indoor atmosphere of your home or office.

Some Rules for Removing Unpleasant Odors from a Carpet

Vomit, mold, pet urine and stool, cigarettes, etc. these attacks leave unpleasant scents on the beautiful carpet. When lacking in maintenance, odors persist and spread throughout the house. To avoid this inconvenience, it is important to wash and deodorize it from time to time. However, certain essential points need to be known in order to succeed in this operation.

• You have to start by cleaning the carpet by vacuuming. The visible spots should be removed with suitable products. Pets and children should be kept away during treatment. Finally, wearing gloves is strongly recommended during deodorization. 
• Never combine ammonia and white vinegar. Mixing may create a toxic chemical reaction. Regarding the use of ammonia, which is a fairly powerful cleanser, it is strongly recommended to protect your nose and mouth and open the windows during the operation. Before applying a product, test its action on an invisible part with a cotton swab. If the color of the carpet settles on it, stop cleaning immediately and proceed to dry.
• When you deodorize a carpet giving off a cigarette smell, you must ensure that the interior is well ventilated and you must promote air circulation. In the absence of ventilation, the wet carpet will give off a musty odor. If the non-slip mat gives off a urine odor, it is advisable to replace it immediately. Avoid using the steam cleaner or pouring hot water directly onto a carpet that smells like urine.
• Call a professional to carry out the treatment in case of failure.

4 Ways to Eliminate Unpleasant Smells from Your Carpets and Rugs

Before deodorizing a carpet, it is important to do a thorough cleaning. This operation essentially comprises dusting and removing remarkable stains from the entire surface of the carpet.

To do this, here are the steps to follow:

1. Put on household gloves;
2. Use a cloth impregnated with warm soapy water and a few drops of ammonia to clean;
3. Insist on stubborn stains;
4. Let the product act;
5. Rub with a cloth dampened with lukewarm water;
6. Use a dry cloth to dab the carpet;
7. Dry in lukewarm air from the hairdryer.

To get rid of the bad odors present, here are some foolproof cleaning methods to discover:

• Scatter a thin layer of baking soda over the entire surface of the carpet if the source of the odor is not known. On a small spot, apply the product directly with your fingertip. Leave on overnight if the smell is very marked and only two hours for a small trace. Then empty the vacuum bag before absorbing the baking soda powder. A mixture of baking soda, borax, and washing powder, can also be used. Then spray a solution of lemon juice and water or essential oil so that the carpet smells good after washing.
• Combine 2 cups of baking soda, a little bay leaves, and a few drops of eucalyptus essential oil. Massage the carpet with the solution so that it is perfectly impregnated. Leave for 2 hours, then vacuum.
• Spread Sommieres Earth over the entire carpet to remove unpleasant odors. Leave on overnight before vacuuming in the morning. The mixture of white clay and Sommieres earth is another alternative that is both stain remover and deodorant.
• In a sprayer, add 50% hot water and 50% white vinegar. Spray the carpet with the mixture and wait a few hours. Finish deodorizing by vacuuming. 

How to easily remove stubborn odors

The long fiber mats tend retain odors. To overcome it, here is a simple tip to adopt:

1. Put on gloves and keep children and pets away;
2. In a spray bottle, mix a liter of lukewarm water, two tablespoons of hydrogen peroxide, a teaspoon of washing up liquid, 50 g of baking soda, and a tablespoon of vanilla essence  ;
3. Spray the entire carpet, no need to soak the entire surface;
4. Empty the vaporizer;
5. Air the room;
6. Leave to act for 24 hours.

How to remove the smell of cigarettes from a carpet

The best way to get rid of cigarette smells is white vinegar. In addition to being a good detergent, it eliminates bacteria which are among those responsible for unpleasant fumes. There are two ways to use vinegar as a carpet deodorizer:

• Fill two or three bowls with white vinegar or ammonia. Place them around for a whole day, they will gradually absorb cigarette smells. The idea is to purify the air inside. Empty and clean the bowls after standing time. Clean the carpet with baking soda and leave it on overnight, then vacuum in the morning.
• Pour the white vinegar into a steam cleaner. Remove unpleasant odors by passing the appliance over the carpet to be treated. It is important to read the instructions for use of the steam cleaner carefully before using it. Then leave to dry, taking care to provide good ventilation.

How to get rid of animal odors on the carpet

To overcome these foul odors, here are some practical tips:

1. Remove as much urine as possible with a paper towel. Use a scraper to remove vomit or droppings. On a dried stain, moisten before rubbing with a paper towel.
2. Prepare a solution based on two tablespoons of sodium bicarbonate, 250 ml of water, and 250 ml of white vinegar in a spray bottle. Spray on the part with a bad odor.
3. Leave to act for at least 5 minutes.
4. Remove excess baking soda with a spoon.
5. Check if the odor has subsided if necessary, use a steam cleaner filled with the white vinegar solution to get rid of it. Mixing baking soda and talcum powder can also be effective.

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