Thick, luxurious and beautiful, the carpets in your home are a key part of your décor. When they are clean, your entire house feels fresh and welcoming. However, the smell of your carpet is just as important as how it looks. If your otherwise clean carpet has an unpleasant odor, then your home will feel dirty and unkempt.
White Vinegar for Pet Urine
Your new puppy is a source of pride, but housebreaking is a frustrating chore. Prevent your sweet little pup from returning to areas he has previously marked by cleaning them with vinegar. Using a steam cleaner, you can use white vinegar in place of soap. You can also pour small amounts of white vinegar over the stain, allow it to soak in for a few minutes, and then start blotting it up with clean towels. Remember to clean an area much larger than the visible stain to remove urine that has soaked into lower areas and spread.
Hydrogen Peroxide and Baking Soda for Stubborn Stains
Start by sprinkling dry baking soda over the area where the stain has been ground in. With a gentle scrubber, work the soda into the carpet fibers. Using three-percent hydrogen peroxide, mix one-quarter cup of peroxide with a teaspoon of dish detergent. With a toothbrush, work this mixture into the carpet where the baking soda is. Allow it to dry, and then vacuum it away.
Baking Soda for General Odors
If the entire carpet has an unpleasant odor then you will have to treat a larger area. Baking soda has been trusted for nearly a century to remove unpleasant odors from refrigerators and even the laundry. You can also use it to make the carpet smell fresh. Sprinkle it over the entire carpet and allow it to settle into the fibers overnight. The next day, spend time vacuuming the baking soda out. Move the vacuum more slowly when you are pulling it back, and overlap rows to clean the entire carpet. You may have to repeat the treatment, but it should remove quite a bit of the odor.
Persistent Odors Need Smarter Treatment
If the odors are particularly stubborn, then you can take the baking soda to the next level by adding a sheet of plastic. After you sprinkle the soda over the floor, cover the flooring with a plastic sheet. Try to hold the edges down with furniture or scraps of wood to create a nice seal. The next day, remove the plastic and vacuum the floor. The plastic will help trap the odor in the baking soda, making it easier to vacuum it away.
An unpleasant smell in your carpet will make your home uninviting to guests and family alike. It makes your home feel dirty, and you won’t be able to sit and relax as long as the stench persists. If you have tried to vacuum the carpet and remove the odor with these tried and true methods, then it may be time to call in the professionals. Expert steam cleaners have special enzymatic cleaners for dealing with pet stains, and they have commercial strength upholstery cleaners for eliminating odors. If you are trying to save a carpet with a questionable odor, visit www.highqualitycarpet.com to see how they can remove the odor and restore your carpet.