Carpet is highly absorbent, and that is why it quickly becomes dirty and smells bad. Smoking, accidents and spills may lead to pungent, horrible smells. But you do not need to replace your carpet when it smells bad. It just needs some extra cleaning. In this post, we will show you how to neutralise odours in carpet.
General odours
The first thing you need to do is to treat soiled areas. Do something about dried on spills, remove noticeable stains by using soap, and blot away wetness. Before you treat the smells, you must prepare your carpet.
Then sprinkle some baking soda on your carpet. Baking soda can effectively neutralise odours. You can cover an entire room with a box of baking soda. Make sure the coat of baking soda is thinly spread. Use your hand if necessary.
For better results, you can also add some Borax. The ratio of baking soda and Borax can be 1:1. If you like the perfume, you can also add some scented essential oil to the mixture. If you are wondering how to neutralise odours in carpet, this is one of the most effective ways to do it.
Let the mixture sit onto the carpet for a few hours. You will get better results if you let it sit overnight. Make sure that little children and pets do not get close to the mixture.
Use a vacuum cleaner to vacuum the baking soda. Your vacuum cleaner canister or bag should be monitored frequently, because it can be quickly filled with baking soda. Empty the bag if necessary.
In some cases, baking soda alone will not be enough to remove the persistent odours. In such a case, you can make a deep cleaning treatment with some hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, liquid soap and water.
Just mix the ingredients mentioned above and pour the mixture on your carpet, you can also use a sprayer. Spraying will help you achieve an even coat. Be careful when you are spraying the mixture. If you are not very careful, you may end up saturating the carpet, which will make the task harder for you.
If are not using a sprayer, do not forget to wear hand gloves. This treatment does not work instantly, and that is why you should let it sit for a couple of days. The room should be well-ventilated, but make sure that children and pets are away from the room. You can remove the excess liquid by using a towel.
Smoke odours
To remove smoke smells from your carpet, you need some ammonia or white vinegar. Pour ammonia into two bowls and make sure it does not slosh over. Then you have to keep the bowls in the room in which the smoke-scented carpet is set.
It is important to note here that ammonia will not remove the odour completely, but it will certainly break down the smell, and the removal process will start. But avoid mixing white vinegar with ammonia. The mixture will lead to a gas which is harmful for health.
Keep the bowls in the room for a day. The bad smell will be removed by the ammonia or white vinegar. It works, although it is not applied directly to the carpet. After the time, remove the substance from the room. Make sure that children and pets do not get close to ammonia or vinegar bowls.
Baking soda can also remove smoke odours. Sprinkle the soda and let it sit for about 12 hours. When you are using the treatment, children and pets should be away form the area.
Commercial carpet cleaners contain scented granules. You can use them too. If you really want to learn how to neutralise odours in carpet, you must know the creative uses of vinegar and baking soda.
Using a steam cleaner is another effective way to remove smoke odours from your carpet. As an acidic cleaner, vinegar is very effective because it can wipe away bacteria. Commercial cleaning products are especially designed to neutralise odours in carpet.
Pet odours
There are a few ways to remove pet odours from your carpet. If you keep your pet clean, you will have to deal with this issue less often. In most cases, an enzyme cleaner or baking soda is used to remove dog smell.
First, we will show you how you can use baking soda to remove pet smell. But before you use baking soda, you must vacuum your carpet thoroughly. Make sure that hair or pet dander is not embedded in the fibers.
Odours from pets are among the main problems for people who are trying to figure out how to neutralise odours in carpet. Use a handheld vacuum if you are cleaning a small mat. But use a full sized vacuum if you are cleaning a large carpet. If you do not own this device, you can rent one from a hardware store.
Sprinkle some baking soda on your carpet and let the soda sit for several hours. Pet odours get stuck in carpet fibers, and baking soda can effectively neutralise the odours. A thin layer of baking soda can absorb pet odours from your carpet. After a few hours, just use a vacuum cleaner to vacuum the baking soda.
Neutralising dog urine smell
Before you make an attempt to remove dog urine smell, you have to know how to spot stains of dog urine. You can easily do that with a black light. You can purchase one from an online shop.
And when you can spot dried up stains, apply some odour neutraliser. It will remove the smell. Now you can find black lights that are especially designed for spotting pet messes.
Use a clean cloth to blot urine stains when they are still fresh. Before you start cleaning urine, soak up some. Paper towels can also be used for this purpose. Soak up as much urine as possible.
There is another very effective way to remove pet urine smell from your carpet. You can make a mixture with baking soda and vinegar. We have already discussed the procedure of making the mixture. Spray the mixture on the stains and leave it for a few minutes. Then use a clean cloth to blot up the mixture.
As an alternative, you can also use an enzyme cleaning spray. If the pet urine smells really bad, and the odour is lingering, you can use this enzyme cleaner. There are many brands of enzyme cleaners that are safe for pets. If you really want to know how to neutralise odours in carpet, you must try a pet-friendly enzyme cleaner.
Your carpet will smell fresh, because the cleaner will destroy bacteria responsible for the odour. Make sure you purchase a vet approved and non-toxic cleaner.
To remove urine stains, do not use a steam cleaner. This is a mistake that many people make. Although steam cleaners can remove stains, the odour of urine will get permanently set. Later you will find it even more difficult to neutralise the odour.
Final words
There are different types of carpet odours, and you have to deal with them in different ways. In most cases, you can get the job done with baking soda and vinegar. The type of odour will determine whether you should use an enzyme cleaner. If you are a little bit strategic, the task is not difficult at all.
