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 (bless him) vomited all over my carpet earlier this week.
First steps
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.
How to get the smell out?
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.
Do-It-Yourself cleaners are not that hard-to-make, expensive or ineffective options we used to know. While these options are not available in a wide range of fruit or flower fragrances, they will leave your house smelling fresh and clean.
Advantages of Making Your Own Cleaning Supplies
People may not want to take the time to make their own cleaners, fearing that household items may not disinfect or polish as well as a commercial brand. Another concern may be that buying large amounts of the basic ingredients would cost more than buying one container of an all-purpose cleaner.
By not including artificial fragrances or heavy perfumes, you are not only providing some relief to people with allergies, but you’re reducing the amount of hazardous chemicals that are released into the air and water.
DIY Natural Powder Cleanser
Making an abrasive powder cleaner that would be used in the same way powder cleansers would be used to scrub out sinks, tubs and ovens doesn’t have to be toxic. The only two ingredients include Borax and baking soda, in equal measures.
Borax is also known as sodium borate and can be bought in most hardware stores, usually where cleaners and water softeners can be found. Borax is panned from evaporated bodies of water, and the resulting mineral is used as a water softener or detergent.
How To Make Eco-Friendly Scouring Cleanser
This scouring cleanser can be used in the same way abrasive cleansing powder would be used. You can mix a large batch in a mixing bowl and when thoroughly combined, transfer to your container of choice.
Get a solid jar with a screw top lid that fits.
Punch holes in the lid with a nail and a hammer; these holes will make the dispenser in your lid.
Mix together equal parts of Borax and baking soda
The “Parts” can be any number of cups, litres or even grams – the proportions are always 50/50.
How to Use Scouring Cleanser
To use the cleaner, moisten the surface you want to clean with a little water, and sprinkle the cleanser on the surface. Scrub with a damp sponge or cleaning rag. It can even be used as a toilet cleanser: Pour some of the cleanser into the bowl, and scrub with a toilet brush – let it sit for five minutes before flushing.
The next article in this series focuses on eco-friendly window cleansers and alternatives to VOC-laden cleaning products. Spring-cleaning can mean getting dirt and VOCs out of your house.
What a great tip. I’ve been looking for something to freshen up our rugs! Thanks!
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!
Keep working ,remarkable job!
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.
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 🙂
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.
Where do you get your ingredients?
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
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.
I had the same problem as others with the baking soda making a crust on my carpet and now its a round white crusty stain of baking soda that never comes out. I have a terrific vaccum so that is not the issue. How does one remove the baking soda? I used it for black cat vomit to get the stain out? It got the color of the stain but the baking soda has that hard crusty surface, help!
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!
Excited to try this!! Where do I find the oils to use??
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
Thank you for gettin
Thank you for getting back to me!! I can’t wait to try this 🙂
Awesome! I can’t wait to try it, and by the way… I’m quite impressed that your house has a “signature scent”. Thanks!:)
I have a Dyson also and agreed, it is the BEST vacuum ever! Love the idea with baking soda and essential oils! Thank you!
Thank you, thank you, thank you…! It’s aussie (I know the ingredients!) and it’s natural…! Yippeeee, I’m a new convert to natural remedies, so this is perfect and wow! Couldn’t believe it worked a treat! Thank you! Valerie, you’re my new hero! Lol! 🙂
I worked with a professional carpet cleaner and he said that people make the biggest mistake by using dish soap and water. Alot of times it sets stains in. The best thing is blot the junk up first, then use cool water and a white rag and blot, blot, blot. When dry and still smell, I think it is a good idea about the carpet freshner. If there is still a stain after cool water, then maybe the dish soap.
I had 2 older cats who have passed away at ages 21 & 23 yrs. Old when one one of the cats got a kidney infection she lost urine control on the recliner and carpet, I called our carpet professional and he told me that the best thing to do is get a gallon of cheap white vinegar pour all over the chair and area on carpet let set for 5 minutes then take towel start bringing up and repeat if necessary.. Took out the urine odor works on dog accidents also. We then go over area with carpet cleaner . That carpet cleaner profes. Saved us a lot of money. We bot a good carpet cleaner and use the vinegar when needed and clean the rugs every week or so in the areas were the old dog has gone , and there is no odor.
This is my story. I moved to a new place and the landlord told me they had just had the carpeting shampooed, I believed her since the carpeting upstairs was still a bit damp. Of course within a week my dog had to have an accident in the living room. I sprayed it with vinegar and sprinkled baking soda and let it dry. I then vacuumed it all up. Not only did it take care of the dog spot but it brought up what the professional cleaning did not. I am working on doing all the carpeting like this to get that old dirt out. It’s amazing the difference. I have been told that shampooing carpeting just pushes the dirt down and I didn’t believe it, I do now.
It should be noted that vinegar, while a good natural stain remover, is actually the WORST thing you can use for removing pet stains. Vinegar has an acidic base, which makes it good for breaking down visible stains. However that acidic base shares some properties and compounds found in urine. Urine and Vinegar have a similar pH level. Animals urinate based on scent. This holds true for both cats and dogs. Cats use a litter box based on the odor. Dogs sniff out an area to find where they have gone before and will continue to go in that spot. Because vinegar has a pH balance similar to urine, cats and dogs are both likely to mistake the smell of vinegar for that of urine. In turn they are likely to go to the bathroom in that spot again. Countless people run into the issue of their pet going in a spot they cleaned, and they can not figure out why their pet won’t stop going there. Often they blame it on housebreaking or behavior issues, but the fact is, it is the smell drawing them to that spot. This can also be verified by visiting the Human Society’s website. It also holds true for ammonia as well as vinegar. You are best off using a cleaner like Genesis 950 which not only removes the stains, but also removes the odor that can cause future issues. http://www.genesis950.com
i have a cat that continuly uses the same spot on my carpet as his litter box and I have 4 litter boxes in the house I have tried the viniger dint work im shampooing my carpet every other day and smell just will not go away imnow using some carpet cleaner for pet staines with this enzyme stuff but the smell still remains and he still uses that spot my sister suggested putting a litter box in that spot but I don’t want litter in my carpet wouled that evion work ?
One of the things I’ve done is, before you apply the baking soda, soak the spot in white vinegar. Dab it if you want, then sprinkle the soda mixture on top. Now,it takes about 2 days for it to dry, but when it does you can use a scrub brush to loosen the soda on top. Pick up any big chunks and then vaccum. It will leave a stain, but that comes up with your regular carpet cleaner.
Whoever said that family was easy? Lol
After All the soda Is dried and you’ve vacuumed up all that YA can,,, run a steam cleaner over it! That will moisten the rest of the baking soda and dissolve what was left of it plus it steam cleans the carpet too,,, I’ve used distilled vinegar and baking soda for YEARS NOW to clean every thing in my house!!!
Mix a little of that together and after all the fizz dies down, it’s a great spot remover on carpets too and won’t fade or discolor your carpet! And if you don’t have a little hand held steamer,,, invest in one! You can pick them up just about anywhere any more and they’re great for taking stains out!
I loved my Dyson too until I saw a rainbow demo in my home. I vacuumed the floor before the person came & the rainbow changed the color of my 7 year old carpet. Also I’m an allergy sufferer & this vaccum is endorsed by the big asthma associations here in the us. It put out purified air.
I’ve never really had luck with Vinegar and/or Baking Soda! The stain always comes back up! We have a large blackish stain on our carpet and little pale yellow ones in several places. We always put Vinegar on a stain as soon as it happens and blot it all up, then we use a Vinegar water mixture fine spray and scrub. Then our smaller carpet shampooer. At first it seems gone but it always comes back and looks black. We rent and it’s an old carpet. I never want to have carpets again!