Does your carpet stink? After looking around your home for the source of an unpleasant odor, you might notice that it is actually your carpet that stinks. Depending on the source of the odor, such as mold, you may need to have your carpet replaced. However, there might be simpler ways to remove odors from your carpet.
Spray Vinegar
Vinegar can eliminate bad odors. You may not like how vinegar smells, but the smell of vinegar dissipates after it dries. You can use straight vinegar and apply it to the carpet with a spray bottle. Find a portion of the carpet that is not as important and spray the vinegar to test the colorfastness. If the vinegar affects the color of the carpet, you may want to stop using it.
Sprinkle Baking Soda
Baking soda is another common deodorizer that works with carpets. Begin by vacuuming up your carpet first because dirt will interfere with the ability of the baking soda to deodorize your carpet. Make sure that no one will be walking on the area where you sprinkled the baking soda. If you are concerned that people will be walking over the baking soda, sprinkle and apply it to one section at a time. Sprinkle plenty of baking soda over the treated area. Baking soda is harmless, so you could completely cover the carpet. Use a dry brush to scrub it into the carpet. The baking soda should be left for at least a day and it can then be vacuumed up.
Use Dry Steam
If the source of the odor is mold, you will need to kill the mold. One approach is to use dry steam with high heat. This will kill the mold on contact and also clean your carpet. Normally, moisture contributes to mold growth. But dry steam dries so fast that this isn't a problem. Simply run the steam cleaner over the carpet and extract all of the moisture.
Spray Vodka
If you are concerned with bacteria and how it creates odors, put vodka in a spray bottle and spray your carpet. Spray the vodka over an entire area to deodorize it. You can also use vodka on pet urine by spritzing over the stain, allowing the vodka to sit for a few minutes and then absorbing the vodka with a paper towel. Try each of these methods until you are happy with how your carpet smells. If none of them works, you might need to replace your carpet or contact a professional carpet cleaning company like Gallent Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning.
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