DIY Eco Friendly Chemical Free Carpet Fresh Recipe

With the colder weather hitting Australia and the house being closed up with the heater cranked I noticed last night a bit of a smell about the place. I know what the smell is as son number 2 ( bles him ) vomited all over my carpet earlier this week. Having never had to deal with vomit on the carpet before I made up a bucket of warm soapy water and gave it a good wash then I sprayed vinegar infused with essential oils over the affected area and let it dry. After vacuuming I could not see the vomit but last night sitting on my couch I kept getting a slight whiff of it. Now if I can smell it others must be able to as well so I racked my head this morning thinking what could I make to pop on the carpet to get rid of the smell. So this is what I came up with I put 1 cup of Bi-Carb ( or baking soda as it is known to some of my readers ) into a glass bowl and added 20 drops of essential oil ( I did 10 drops sweet orange, 6 drops ylang ylang, 4 drops patchouli it’s my signature scent for the house ) and mixed well followed by 3 or 4 rounds through my sifter. Once the essential oils were well combined with no clumps I transferred the mix into an old talc bottle. I then proceeded to shake it all over my carpet concentrating on the smelly area. I let it sit for 15 min then I vacuumed it all up. My house more so my carpet smells great. Not only can I not smell any vomit but the carpet appears to have had a “makeover” I only used about a tablespoon all up for one application to a rather large area of carpet. Be sure to only use the purest of essential oils, fragrance oil or any kind of dye is not recommended as it could stain your carpet.

By Nellie Lee Luhrmann

Comments

15 Comments so far

Julie from Australia on June 17, 2011 5:33 pm
What a great tip. I’ve been looking for something to freshen up our rugs! Thanks!
Diana on July 3, 2011 8:28 am
Putting Bi-carb in the water when you wash or sponge anything that has been vomited on works well as does sprinkling it over the carpet and leaving it for a while. I think it neutralises the acid. Good to know if you have someone who doesn’t travel well. Even on a plane – the cabin crew can usually find you a bottle of soda water to sponge over clothes. Love your combination of essential oils!
Hipolito M. Wiseman on July 7, 2011 12:36 am
Keep working ,remarkable job!
Dani on August 25, 2011 8:55 pm
That’s pretty much like the carpet deodorizers that you can get. The only problem is that the vacuuming does not get all of the soda. A lot of the soda sinks down into the carpet padding.
Nellie Lee Luhrmann on August 26, 2011 9:55 pm
I wanted to test that theory Dani. I own a Dyson. I vacuumed my carpet emptied it cleaned it, then I sprinkled exactly 100 grams of my carpet fresh on my rug. Then proceeded to vacumn. I then weighed what was in my vacumn and it was 97 grams. I am ok with that. I tell all men that if they love their wife they should buy her a dyson
alissa on September 25, 2011 5:34 pm
Be careful doing this, only do it every once in a while, the baking soda builds up in the pad and if you have your carpet cleaned, it pulls it to the surface and puts a nasty crust on the top of your carpet. It can also clog the carpet cleaners hoses.
La Voynne on October 6, 2011 5:17 am
Where do you get your ingredients?
Nellie Lee Luhrmann on October 7, 2011 5:14 pm
I buy my ingredients from a wholesaler in Sydney called SEOC if I need just a few things I go to Auroma these are Australian companies as I am in Australia. If you are after some ingredients in the US try Pine Meadows
Jess on October 22, 2011 7:42 am
I always keep big boxes of Baking soda around the house. My son threw up on his bed in the middle of the night once and I just sprinkled a lot of baking soda on the mess. I actually did this out of desperation. I had no idea how to clean up the mess. I left it until the nest afternoon when it was completely dry. I heaved the vac up there and vac’d it all up. I couldn’t smell anything even with my face buried in the mattress. It had soaked all the liquid.
blondie on November 3, 2011 10:08 am
This works. I have gone through a lot of Arm and Hammer baking soda a nd my house smells lovely…even the dogs room! The car. Husbands closet floor…(ewww) I used Eucalyptus oil. Wonderful!
Ashley on November 21, 2011 10:55 am
Excited to try this!! Where do I find the oils to use??
Nellie Lee Luhrmann on November 22, 2011 12:54 am
Hi Ashley
You can find any essential oils at your local chemist or health food shop. Alternatively try amazon or ebay or simply google essential oils in your local area
Ashley on November 22, 2011 1:33 pm
Thank you for gettin
Ashley on November 22, 2011 1:33 pm
Thank you for getting back to me!! I can’t wait to try this
Holly on January 27, 2012 2:35 pm
Awesome! I can’t wait to try it, and by the way… I’m quite impressed that your house has a “signature scent”. Thanks!:)