While having dogs and cats in the house can be a great delight, their odors can build up on your carpet due to urine, dander, or feces. If left untreated for a long time, these areas can grow harmful bacteria that might negatively affect your health. Fortunately, it’s not difficult to remove pet smells. All you need is a little bit of effort, time, and the right tools to clean. In this post, we’ll show you a step-by-step guide to using baking soda and vinegar on carpet to remove odor.
Step 1:
Clean up the affected area of your carpet by remov
ing any remaining urine with a paper towel. If it is a dry spot, then you can use clean water to wet the area and then dab it with the paper towel.
Step 2:
Spread a dish detergent on the affected area. This substance is commonly used for spot cleaning pet urine incidents. After that, blot the fabric with a soapy towel and clean up the pet’s urine.
Step 3:
While your carpet is still damp, coat the urine spot with a layer of baking soda and let it sit overnight. The mixture of soap and baking soda might need a few hours to combine and work effectively. If you are cleaning a small area, make sure to cover it with some paper towels during the process.
Step 4:
While baking soda is still on the fabric, spray vinegar on the dry urine spot. You might notice foam when vinegar and baking soda start to combine and react, which will help to remove the pet smell.
If the odor still lingers, consider applying hydrogen peroxide to the affected area. However, make sure to test in a hidden area of your carpet first to see if it would discolor the fabric.
Step 5:
Let the white vinegar sit for about 5 minutes and monitor it during the treatment. Make sure to keep your children and pets away from the area. For hydrogen peroxide, you should wait from 10 to 15 minutes.
Step 6:
Soak up your cleaning agent with a soft cloth to wipe away baking soda and dry the area. Once the fabric has been dried, smell your carpet to see if the odor remains. If yes, then you should keep cleaning with a steam cleaner. In the worst case when the pad of your carpet is soaked with urine, it is necessary to replace with a new one.
Step 7:
If your carpet builds up a lot of set-in pet smells, then Mr. Carpo & Vac Carpet Cleaning recommends that carpet cleaning products might be a better solution. You can purchase a commercial smell removing cleaner or mix your own one with water and white vinegar. Spread the cleaner over the whole carpet and allow it to dry. You might need to perform this steps several times to remove the odor completely. Also, an enzymatic cleaner would be helpful in deactivating the odor-causing bacteria. All you need to do is soaking of the fabric in your cleaning, then allow it to dry.
Having pets inside of your home is fun, but them having accidents inside isn’t. Their urine, dander and feces can ultimately build bacteria as time goes on, which can create odors in your home. To get rid of these odors can be as simple as applying some home remedies with things that you already have in your kitchen. This article went over how to clean and use vinegar on carpet to remove odor. Good luck!