How to fight that foul smell in your old carpet (5 easy tricks)

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MYRUGS, MYRUGS.IN MYRUGS.IN Nursery/kid’s room
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Through their colours, textures and designs, carpets have a way of adding a touch of warmth, elegance or sophistication to any room. Although they contribute greatly to the décor of any room and can be found in almost every urban household, carpets are not exactly easy to maintain. While regular dusting and vacuuming takes care of the daily dirt and grime, what do you do when there are accidental spills of coffee, milk, juice, etc on the carpet? Add to that odours from cooking and pets, and you could really have a smelly carpet.

Carpets are like sponges which suck bad odours like a sponge and build a strong smell over time. The common mistake while cleaning up such spills is to overscrub the part where the juice might have dropped. These not only damages the carpet fibres but also accumulation of water in the carpet, leading to a really weird smell. While you plan the much-needed deep cleaning, here are some instant and easy ways to put out those horrible carpet odours.

Fight against bad smells

There are several types of bad smells that may come from your carpet. It can be smoke, mould, old stains, food stains and much more. And the stink usually tends to accumulate over time until it becomes unbearable. So try and prevent dirtying your carpet as much as possible. And follow our smart tips to vanquish unpleasant smells.

Use baking soda

Baking soda can do wonders to eliminate the bad smell coming from your carpet. All you would need to do is sprinkle the baking soda on the area that smells and allow it to sit for about 15 minutes prior to vacuuming. Baking soda helps to absorb the moisture and also traps the unpleasant fumes. However, the vacuum cleaner might not suck in all the particles properly. Check for the cleaning instructions before proceeding. A modern twist to this is to sprinkle a few drops of essential oils in the baking soda. Mix well and perform the same cleaning procedure as mentioned above. You will be amazed with the pleasant smell that your carpet will give off.

While baking soda can reduce the effect of the odours, it might not eliminate them completely. The odour is bound to return from time to time if you are not careful. Also, baking soda is the ultimate solution for removing smoke odours from your carpet!

Use a steam cleaner filled with white vinegar

Vinegar is a great substance for natural carpet deodorizing. Use your nasal power to detect where the bad smell from the carpet is coming. Then clean the area with soapy water and an antibacterial detergent.  Once done with cleaning, fill a bowl with ½ cup of water and ½ cup of vinegar and rub over the area you just cleaned. Vinegar has amazing stain fighting properties and will deodorize your carpet in no time! White vinegar is the best variety. It kills the harmful bacteria and removes the odour of tar and resin.

Here is how you can also use vinegar to remove mould odours. Firstly, place windows or fans in the room to allow carpets to dry completely since this will help prevent mould. Despite doing this, if the mould occurs, use a wet dry vacuum to suck up the excess moisture from the carpet. Mix 2 cups of water, ½ cup baking soda and 2 cups distilled white vinegar. Apply this solution with a sponge or brush to the carpet. Ensure not to soak the carpet completely. Open the windows or make use of portable fans to quickly dry the carpet and hang it in the sun. Odour free carpet is ready! Note how this beautiful white rug has been delicately maintained in a nursery over years. The carpet was supplied by Myrugs.in, an online shop in Jaipur.

Salt can be very effective

Salt works great for absorbing urine accidents, especially if you have small kids or pets at home. When you are potty training your child or your pet pees accidentally on the carpet, do not fret. We have a solution for it. Immediately pour salt over the top and watch the moisture on top of the salt pile. 

Keep adding more salt until it remains dry on top. Leave this on for 10-15 minutes and then vacuum up the salt. All the moisture in the carpet gets drawn in and the bad odour is eliminated immediately. This salt trick works like a charm and is convenient to implement too.

The benefits of soap

Soap is a common substance for removing dirt and odours from carpets. Mix a cup of warm water with half a teaspoon of mild liquid soap like the dish washing liquid or fabric detergent. Apply this on the carpet and blot using a carpet towel. Repeat this process until the stains are removed. Finally rinse the area with a solution of vinegar and water. Soapy water that is made with the help of dishwashing liquid can also remove blood stains and red wine stains.

The fastest way: Use a deodorizer

Applying the right kind of deodorizer can make your rugs smell fresh and clean in no time. Deodorizers are specially formulated to deal with tough odours that result due to mould formation or smoke in the room.

You can also make your own deodorizer in simple steps. Mix half a cup of baking soda, borax and one teaspoon of ground spices such as cinnamon and store in a dry ventilated place. Sprinkle the mixture and leave it on the carpet for half an hour. This deodorizer is very helpful in removing pet related smells.

When cleaning carpet stains, ensure that you do not scrub it too hard as the carpet fibres tend to get destroyed in the process. To clean tough stains like coffee or tea, use a cup of water mixed with ammonia. Before applying any cleaning solution, test it on a hidden spot and see if it works. Only then, apply it on your carpet. In case the stains do not respond to any of the treatments listed above, then seek help from professional carpet cleaners. Check out another ideabook for inspirations - Choosing the right carpet for your home.

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