Deciding which type of flooring to use in your home is a big decision. There are so many choices to go with. Homeowners should take the time to factor in foot traffic, kids, pets, and anything else that might create a dirty environment. Whether you choose wood flooring, tile flooring, or carpet flooring, you will need to maintain the surfaces. Each material will be cleaned differently. Additionally, carpet is an absorbing material and tends to soak up various odors and dirt particles. This is not good for keeping your home smelling clean and fresh. You will want to be sure that you know how to solve this problem. Wondering how to remove odor from your carpet? There are a variety of options to use. Citrus, steam cleaning, baking soda, and vinegar are all options.
Let’s take a look below at some more details regarding cleaning your carpet and getting the odors out.
What Are The Steps?
When it comes to home projects, they all have varying levels of instructions or directions to accomplish the task. Let’s take a look below at the recommended steps to getting odor out of your carpet.
- Use baking soda – Sprinkle baking soda throughout the smelly carpet area. Baking soda is a great absorber of carpet odors and can be used in places throughout the home. Most homeowners will use baking soda in their refrigerators, garbage disposal, closets, and pantries.
- Spread it around – Spread the baking soda around the carpet by using your shoes to help get the baking soda into the various carpet levels. This also helps spread the baking soda around.
- Allow it to settle – Once you have spread the baking soda around, you can allow it time to settle. Typically, 15 minutes to 30 minutes is a great time to allow the baking soda to sit for a few minutes. Additionally, the baking soda will soak up excess moisture that is in the carpet.
- Vacuum – Use your vacuum cleaner and vacuum up the baking soda.
- Repeat – If an order remains, repeat the process above and allow the baking soda time to work on the affected areas.
How Can I Keep My Home Smelling Fresh?
Preventative maintenance is always key. Luckily, there are some additional options in case the baking soda doesn’t work. Let’s take a look below at what some other options might be.
- Vinegar and water – Mixing 2 cups of warm water with 1 cup of distilled white vinegar can help you get rid of mildew smells. Gently spray the mixture onto your carpet and let the carpet dry. Once the carpet is dried, the vinegar smell will be gone.
- Fruit peels – Slicing up some fruit peels from oranges, limes, and lemons and crushing them up with your garbage disposal will release a citrus smell into the home. This fruity smell will mask other odors.
- Essential oils – Many homeowners will use essential oils to naturally eliminate odors in their homes. Using oil drops in a spray bottle will be just as effective as using an oil diffuser. Simply spray the solution onto the carpet and let it dry.
- Crockpot – Mix baking soda and water into the crock pot. Set the crock pot setting on low and let the mixture heat through. Keeping the lid off allows the scent to travel throughout the home.
Keep in mind that you can also look to cleaning products such as hydrogen peroxide or carpet shampoo. Also, use fans to help dry the area of the carpet. Doing this quickly reduces the risk of excess moisture buildup.
Other Recommended Maintenance
Now that you know how to get odors out of your carpet, this would be a great time to learn about how to remove mold from your carpet. Mold can also produce unbearable smells throughout your home. Removing it quickly and safely is key.
Next, once you have steam-cleaned or sprayed solutions on your carpet, you might want to read up on how long it takes the carpet to dry. Knowing this information allows you to determine when the carpet is walkable and if the odors are gone.
Lastly, since you are on the topic of floor cleaning. In many homes, there are a variety of flooring materials. Bedrooms might have carpet, while other areas of the home have engineered wood flooring or tile flooring. After you have cleaned your carpet, you might want to look into cleaning your engineered wood flooring.
When Do I Call A Professional?
Typically, most communities have carpet cleaning companies in town. If for some reason you do not have access to a local professional carpet cleaner, then look to rent a carpet cleaning machine from your local hardware store. If the steps listed above have not worked to get the odor out, call on your local home inspection team to assist. They can inspect to see if something is causing the odor, such as water damage. Also, they might recommend that if a deep cleaning doesn’t work, you remove the carpet. Additionally, they can recommend a reputable carpet cleaning service.
Conclusion
Working to get the odor out of your carpet should not be a time-consuming project. However, if the first attempt does not work, you will want to continue the process. Additionally, finding the right solution is important. You might notice the padding underneath the carpet should be replaced. It is possible that water damage has occurred and you’re not sure where or how this happened. Reach out to Atkinson Inspection Services for a floor inspection in the Orlando, Clermont, and Villages areas and a full home inspection.
