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Whether it’s dog pee assaulting your olfactory each time you open the bedroom door or a strange sweat smell emanating from that area in front of the television, there can be a strange assortment of smells around your home. Deodorizing your carpet isn’t the most glamorous task you’ll take on all week, but it might be the one that pays off the most.
Rather than explaining things away the next time you have company over, why not fight the odors head-on? We have a variety of solutions for a variety of odor-causing scenarios, so keep reading to find out how to tackle to smells around your home.
Deodorizing Smoke Odors
Homes and apartments that hit you in the nose with the smell of an ashtray as soon as you open the door are such buzz-kills. If you’ve unfortunately inherited a house with the lingering odors of chain smokers past, don’t worry! Luckily, there is a pretty simple solution for ridding your space of that unpleasant Smokey smell without having to tear the place apart.
Here’s what to do:
✨ Sprinkle baking soda over the affected carpets, or pour a generous amount into a colander for more even distribution. Baking soda works as a natural odor absorbent, so it should effectively eat up that nasty smoke smell.
✨ Walk around the carpet, on top of the baking soda, with some shoes or slippers on so that there’s an even distribution around the carpet and so that it’s pressed into the offending carpet a little deeper. You don’t have to grind your feet into the baking soda, just walk around normally.
✨ Let the baking soda sit on the surface of your carpet for about thirty minutes to an hour, doing your best to avoid walking on it while it works. The baking soda will work to fight the odors trapped within the carpet during this time, so you can start deodorizing another area if needed.
✨ After waiting for your timer to run out, you can vacuum up every inch of baking soda for a fresh start for your carpets. If you still smell smoke don’t worry, you can repeat this process as needed until that stubborn smell has been removed.
Deodorizing Musty Mildew Odors
No one likes mildew, but everyone knows what it smells like. So if your home has the tell-tale musty odors around, you’re probably aware of the situation especially if you’ve been suffering from respiratory problems.
If you live somewhere that has higher humidity, you’re no stranger to mildew, so let’s find out how to turn that ‘dew into a dew-not.
✨ If you find water trapped within your carpet, start by soaking it up with an air humidifier or several fans pointing downward, but don’t open any windows.
✨ Once the carpet has been allowed to fully dry, mix 2 cups of warm water with 1 cup of white vinegar in a spray bottle and lightly spray the carpet with the solution. The acidity of the vinegar will work to dislodge the odor-causing compounds for good.
✨ Remember that if the carpet gets too wet while you’re treating it, you’ll actually create another type of mildew problem. So stick to lightly misting the carpet as you treat it, and don’t do a second pass once you’ve covered the surface.
✨ Leave the solution to dry on the carpet for a few hours (no fans necessary), and as the carpet dries the vinegar scent will disappear, leaving you with nothing but freshness.
Deodorizing Leftover Bacteria & Mold Odors
If you’re dealing with more stubborn odors like bacteria and mold, we recommend a shot of vodka. Not for you though, for the carpet! The alcohol can actually break up the odor-causing compounds, so here’s what to do:
✨ Pour some plain vodka into a spray bottle and lightly spritz any areas that have more saturated smells. Remember not to heavily saturate the areas, we want a fresh-smelling home, not one that smells like a dive bar.
✨ Once you’ve sprayed the offending areas, leave the alcohol to sit for about 15 minutes.
✨ After the vodka has been left for the right amount of time, blot it up from the carpet with a rag until it is as dry as possible.
✨ If there are any lingering lighter odors still around the carpet, sprinkle some baking soda around the surface.
✨ Allow the baking soda to sit for around 30 minutes, then vacuum it up to reveal a fresher carpet.
Deodorize that Funky Basement Odor
The subterranean scent that lingers around in your home’s lower level is one of the more unpleasant odors around the house. Thankfully, there’s a stinky solution. We know it will sound strange, but this bizarre hack works:
✨ Peel an onion, yes an onion, and cut it in half, then set both halves on a plate in the basement overnight. If there are multiple rooms, you can place pieces of the onion in each of them.
✨ Come back in the morning to check in on the state of the smells. The onion should have absorbed a good amount of the extra moisture in the air, thankfully taking the lingering smells with it.
✨ You can repeat this process for a few days until that gross basement smell is completely gone. Once the smells are gone, toss the onions. Trust us, DON’T eat the leftovers.
Deodorizing Stubborn Pet Urine
Our furry friends are often considered members of the family, except when it comes to going to the bathroom. Unfortunately, accidents happen, so what can you do to treat the smells that remain? We have two quick fixes for you below:
✨ Soak up as much of the pee as possible with an absorbent, dry towel. Do this as quickly as you can so that the pee doesn’t sink deeper into the carpet. The more the pee soaks into the carpet, the harder it will be to remove the remaining pungent scent.
✨ Mix up 2 cups of warm water and 2 cups of white vinegar, and then slowly add in about 4 tablespoons of baking soda. Pour the resulting solution into a spray bottle and spray a generous amount directly onto the affected area.
✨ Leave the mixture to sit for about five to ten minutes depending on the size of the accident.
✨ Once the solution has had time to work, blot the area completely dry with a soft and absorbent cloth.
OR
If you don’t have any baking soda handy, don’t worry. If you act quickly to catch the accident, club soda is actually a great solution because it can lift stains out of carpet fibers. Here’s how to make it work for you:
✨ Open up a fresh bottle of club soda, and pour a generous amount all over the stain, then leave it for a few minutes.
✨ If there’s a window in the room, open it up so the carpet can dry faster, or you can turn on a nearby fan and aim it directly at the stain.
✨ After a few minutes, use an absorbent cloth to blot up the remaining moisture. If the odor hasn’t been fully removed, you can repeat the process until the odor goes away.
Deodorizing Stinky Sweat Odors
Unfortunately, we’ve all learned the hard way that carpets can take on the smell of their sweaty human owners and pets. Our favorite lounge areas like in front of the television and around our bedrooms can trap and hold onto some of the most offensive odors. So here is how to treat those sweaty odors:
✨ Start with a few spritzes of Febreze Fabric to whisk away nasty odors and replace them with far more appealing and pleasant scents.
✨ If your carpet still stinks like a gym, try the handy baking soda trick. Sprinkle a generous amount around the carpet, leave it to work overnight, and then vacuum it all up in the morning.
✨ If your carpet still stinks like sweat even after the baking soda has been removed, we suggest referring to the guide above for treating mold, mildew, and bacteria. Just add vodka!
Our Favorite Products
We don’t want to leave you without offering you some of our favorite carpet deodorizing products. Below you’ll find a few of our go-to powders, sprays, and shampoos that you can pick up to use around your own home. Why not give them a try and find out what makes them every pro’s favorite?
Powders
✔️Aunt Fannie’s Carpet Refresher
✔️20 Mule Team Borax
✔️Arm & Hammer Baking Soda
Sprays
✔️Paw Sense Pet Stain & Odor Removal
✔️Aunt Fannie’s All-Purpose Cleaning Vinegar
✔️Fresh Wave Odor Eliminator Spray & Air Freshener
Shampoos
✔️Stuart Pet Supply Co. Professional Strength Deep Clean
✔️Zep Premium Carpet Shampoo
✔️Bissell Professional Pet Odor Eliminator (works with a carpet cleaner machine)
How to Keep Your Carpet Fresh
You’ve deodorized your carpets and you’re breathing easy once again. But how do you keep those nasty odors from coming back? Here are some general rules of thumb for keeping your carpets smelling fresh so your home doesn’t end up in another stinky situation:
✨ Vacuum regularly. It may not be as fun as binge-watching your favorite show, but it’s definitely a chore that pays off in the long run. Do a light vacuum around the house at least once a week to keep odors at bay and give you those satisfying lines in the carpet.
✨Open your windows every once in a while. Fresh air and a nice breeze can be a good way to keep any stale air around your home circulating so that it doesn’t settle into your carpets and furniture. On a nice, breezy day open up some windows around your home and let the breeze carry away any odors and bring in fresh air.
✨Take off your shoes inside. Investing in slippers or house shoes can actually save you from bringing in unpleasant odors from outside. It’s weird to imagine that we’re cool with the same shoes walking us through parking lots, down the grocery store aisles, and around gas stations to also make their way through the halls of our own house. Having designated no-shoe zones in your home can help eliminate outside odors, dirt, and germs from infiltrating your home.
✨ Use a dehumidifier. When moisture is trapped in your carpet, it can start to smell damp and unappealing. Dehumidifiers are one of the best ways to keep moisture under control and keep your carpets smelling fresh, or better yet, not smelling at all.
Now that you know how to destroy your carpet’s worst enemies, you should have no problems with lingering odors. For more tips and tricks, and to find out how our Boston maid service can help you and your home, check out our blog or browse our available services. We’re happy to help however we can so contact us today!
