Does Vinegar Kill Odors In Carpet? (Yes! And Here’s How You Use It)

Your carpet not only needs to be cleaned for stains and dust but also odors. If you’ve got pets at your home, it’s highly likely that your carpet can smell due to pet urine. Like all other stains, cleaning your carpet for removing odor is highly necessary as it can degrade and ruin your carpet if not treated.

Using vinegar can help remove foul smell from your carpet. Vinegar is a natural deodorizing agent that engulfs into your carpet, taking off the foul elements and dust, removing their odor in no time. Use a slight amount of vinegar after cleaning your carpet and you’ll not feel the odor anymore. If you want to know how to clean a carpet with vinegar, then click here.

Cleaning agent

Using Vinegar To Kill Odors In Carpet

Carpet cleaning is quite a hassle. There are a number of elements that one needs to consider before actually diving into the cleaning phase. Especially when one is DIYing. Elements such as over-wetting, over-shampooing, etc. need to be monitored so that the results can come in favor, cleaning the carpet without damaging it.

In a similar manner, several methods can be used to cure carpet odor problems. However, using vinegar is the easiest and convenient way to get rid of foul odors coming from your carpet, even after cleaning. All you need to do is to:

  • 1 cup of vinegar
  • 2 cups of warm water

Mix both water and vinegar thoroughly to make a vinegar-based solution. Put this solution in a spray bottle and spray the area that is affected because of pet urine. Let the spray settle for a few hours.

vinegar cleanser recipe

PRO TIP

DON’T OVERSATURATE

While spraying the solution, make sure not to oversaturate the solution. This will not only make the carpet smell of vinegar but also provide molds a place to grow. The greater the humidity, the greater are the chances of mold growth. When sprayed in excessive amounts, it can flow to the bottom, mixing with dirt and allowing mold infestation.

This is one of the methods that you can use to lift odor coming from your carpet. In case you feel a foul smell coming from your carpet after you’ve done cleaning but cannot determine the place, then place bowls of white vinegar around the room.

As vinegar is an excellent deodorizer, it will get to work quickly. Placing the bowls near the carpet will help remove odors from it in no time. Another reason why using vinegar is a great choice for removing odors from the carpet is that it becomes odorless itself once it’s dried. This means you don’t have to worry about taking out

And if you’d like to know more, this post might help:

Clean a Carpet with Vinegar

How to Clean a Carpet with Vinegar. Step by Step!

Does it really work? And if so, when? What should you do when it doesn’t? Can it ruin your carpet? Uncover all the secrets on white vinegar for carpet cleaning.

Methods For Removing Odors In Carpet

Apart from using just vinegar, there are other methods too that you can use to remove odor from your carpet. Let’s take a look:

Using Vodka

Well, you won’t mind even if your drink falls on the carpet, now would you? Vodka is known to kill bacteria and if your carpet is stained with pet odor, then using vodka is a good idea. Vodka is also great for treating stains other than pet urine.

For treating your carpet, make sure to spread a little amount of vodka over the top. After allowing it to settle for about 10-15 minutes, take a paper towel to blot out excessive moisture along with some stain. For the finishing touches, you can also use baking soda to remove the moisture. Give it a vacuum and your carpet will be good to go.

Using Baking Soda Based Deodorizer

Another one of the kitchen essentials that you can use to clean out the foul smell from your carpet is baking soda. Baking soda is one of the goods that has a wide variety of applications. It is also used as a deodorizer to help clean the foul smell from your carpet.

The ingredients that you’ll be needing to get the cleaning done include:

  • Half cup baking soda
  • Half cup borax
  • One teaspoon ground spices (preferably cinnamon)

Using cinnamon is a good way to enrich your carpet with a counter smell that will cover the remaining odor. After getting the ingredients, you need to mix them thoroughly to create a paste like mixture. After the mixture is created, leave and store it in a ventilated place.

Afterward, use this mixture and spread it over the carpet, especially the area where the foul smell is coming a lot from. Leave the mixture spread for about half an hour, then give it a vacuum. With vacuuming, your carpet odor will be filled with those of grounding spices.

Baking Soda Based Deodorizer

Using Solely Baking Soda

Even if you don’t or can’t make baking soda based deodorizer, you can still use baking soda to get rid of pet urine odor or smoke odor from your carpet in no time. The use of baking soda is effective as it not only absorbs excessive moisture but also traps foul odor, making your carpet smell refreshing again.

For the simple procedure, all you need to do is to spread baking soda all over your carpet and leave overnight. In case the smell isn’t gone, you can also repeat the process and leave it overnight to see the results.

For modifying the solution, you can mix baking soda with essential oils. This will help give a new and refreshing smell that will replace the carpet odor. After mixing essential oil, you can spread the baking soda over your carpet again and leave overnight. The result should be no foul odor and only refreshing smell.

Other Benefits Of Vinegar In Household Cleaning

Not only is vinegar effective for removing foul odor from your carpet but it can be used for a variety of other needs too, including:

Kitchen

Vinegar is a great substance for killing germs and can be used on countertops, stovetops, and fridges to minimize germ spread on the surfaces. Apart from that, you can also use vinegar to rinse off your garbage disposal. All you need to do is to pour a cup of vinegar and let it sit for an hour. Flush it, and your disposal won’t give off a foul smell. To innovate further, you can also flush vinegar ice cubes.

Bath

If you’ve got scummy shower doors then vinegar and salt mixture to scrub and restore their shine. In addition, you can also use vinegar to clean your toilets, free up flows, and unclog drains due to its germ killing attribute.

Overall House

The first and foremost benefit of using vinegar is the removal of room odors. All you need to do is to take a bowl full of vinegar and let it sit overnight. The next day your room will be free from foul odors. If you’ve got wooden floors then no need to opt for hefty waxing.

carpet sprinkled with baking soda

All you need to do is to take half cup vinegar and add half gallon warm water to it. Later use this mixture to mop your floors for a fantastic finish. In case you’ve got spills over your carpet, using vinegar is a good choice for you.

Take a 50% water and vinegar solution and apply it to all spilled areas of your carpet. Just remember not to over-wet the areas as it will soak down the padding and can cause wicking later. Just spray little amounts over the spilled area, spots or stains and rinse them off using blotting.

Moreover, vinegar can also be used as a window washer and fabric softener. You need to add a half cup of vinegar with water and make a spray. This will help rinse the dirt off the windows. As for fabrics, you can skip the harsh bleach when you get this solution working out for you.

Vinegar FAQs

Can I Use Vinegar For Pet Care?

Yes, you can use vinegar for your pet care. Mixing one cup of vinegar with one quart water will give you an excellent and inexpensive pet care product. It will help repel fleas and ticks as well as give a natural shine to your dog’s fur.

Can Vinegar Sanitize My Carpet Smell?

Yes, it surely can. Vinegar is excellent when you want to remove the harsh smell from your carpet. All you need to do is put a quarter of vinegar, a quart of water and blot the area with the mess with a washcloth.

unroll the carpet

Can Vinegar Help Litter Box Odors?

Yes, it can. Just put half a cup of vinegar into your empty litter box try and let it sit for about 20 minutes and then rinse it off. It will help remove the foul smell from the box.

Can Vinegar Remove Weeds?

Yes! Vinegar can also be used to remove weeds from your place. Make a water and vinegar mixture and place it in a spray. Use this spray to saturate your roots in walkways to avoid weed from growing.

Is Excessive Vinegar Bad?

Excessive vinegar if used on carpet or rugs can saturate their fibers. This will allow mold to infest them. Make sure to blot out excessive moisture after you’ve done spraying.

Conclusion

Using vinegar to get rid of foul smells from your carpet is a good choice. It’s easy to use and gives effective results in no time. You can also contact the best-carpet-cleaners-near-me to know about more of the effective vinegar uses for your carpet treatment.

Nancy Adams

I am a fan of home decor, I devote all my free time to this activity. One of the most important components of home comfort is carpets & rugs and at the same time, it is one of the poorly covered topics on the Internet. Therefore, I decided to share my experience and knowledge in this niche.

Recent Posts