Everyone wants a clean home and that includes having clean carpets. Many people may not realize carpets can hold a lot of odors, especially if they are not cleaned often. When it comes to removing odors from a carpet, there are many different options and techniques to choose from. We are here to help you find the best ways to remove orders from your carpets.
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Removing Light Odors from Your Carpet
When it comes to removing odors from carpets most people want to use the easiest method, just for their own convenience, which is perfectly fine! Here are some of the most cost-efficient and easiest ways to remove light odors from your carpet.
Carpet Deodorizing Sprays and Powders
One of the best ways to remove light odors from your carpet is to use a carpet cleaning spray or powder. These sprays are very common and there is a wide variety for you to choose from. Some of the best carpet deodorizing sprays and powders include Glade Carpet and Room Refresher, Carpet Miracle Carpet Deodorizer, and Capture Carpet Deodorizer.
These sprays and powders are very simple to use. You simply spray or shake them onto your carpet and let them sit there and work their magic. For the sprays, you can use a rag to help absorb the excess liquid. With the powders, you simply vacuum them up after letting them sit for the designated time.
White Vinegar Solution
Another one of the best ways to remove odor from a carpet is to use a white vinegar solution. Typically, this solution is one part vinegar and one part water. You simply mix the solution together, spray it on your carpet, and let it sit. While your carpet will smell like vinegar at first, the smell will go away once the carpet dries, and you will be left with no odor in your carpet.
The nice thing about this remedy is most people always have vinegar already in their home, so there is no extra cost.
Removing Strong Odors from Your Carpet
There are times when all the simple remedies for removing odor won’t work because the odor is too strong. In cases like this, you will probably need to spend a little more money and effort to remove the odor, but it is still doable.
Carpet Cleaners
While it is often people’s last resort, carpet cleaners are one of the best ways to remove strong odors from carpets. Carpet cleaners use a three-step strategy: lay down the cleaning solution, scrub the carpet, and extract the dirty water.
The best part of this cleaning strategy is the carpet cleaner includes devices to do all three steps. Typically, there will be a hose attachment which is used to spray the cleaning solution onto the carpet. There will also be a brush attachment, either on a separate hose or attached to the suction part of the cleaner, where you can scrub at the tough stain on your carpet. Finally, you use the suction feature of the cleaner to remove all the dirty water and extra cleaning solution from your carpet.
Carpet cleaners work wonders when treating strong carpet odors and stains since they work the cleaning products deeply into the carpet and then have strong enough suction to remove all the dirt trapped in the carpet.
Removing Pet Hair from Your Carpet
Moving when you have pets can often lead to the issue of having to clean a carpet full of pet hair. Removing pet hair from your carpet is one of the best ways to get rid of carpet odor. Pet hair can hold a lot of odors trapped in the hair fibers, which in turn makes your carpet smell. It can be hard to get rid of pet hair on the carpet, so here are a few tips and tricks to get you started.
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Vacuum
While it isn’t always the case, the majority of pet hair can be removed from a carpet by vacuuming. This is especially true if you have thin carpets, where the pet hair tends to just sit on top of the carpet.
One thing to remember when vacuuming pet hair is to empty your vacuums collection tank. Pet hair can add up quickly, and if you don’t empty the collection tank your vacuum will simply stop picking up the hair. This is because the tank is full, and it simply cannot hold anything more.
The Baking Soda Method
There are certain types of carpets that seem to hold pet hair stronger than others. This can make it very hard to get all the hair out of the carpet by just vacuuming it. The solution to this problem is a simple household item most people own, baking soda.
Pet hair is often stuck in carpets due to static electricity between the hair and the carpet fibers. By sprinkling a little bit of baking soda on your carpet and letting it sit for 10-15 minutes, you are allowing the baking soda to neutralize the electric charge between the hair and the carpet. After you let it sit all you have to do is vacuum your floor again and this time the pet hair should be picked up easily by the vacuum, along with the baking soda.
Another plus to using the baking soda method is that baking soda is good at absorbing smells. This makes the method one of the best ways of removing both pet hair and its odors from your carpet.
Carpet Rake
There are times when pet hair can be so embedded in your carpet that vacuuming just won’t help, even if you try the baking soda method. In cases like this, your best option is to buy a carpet rake. A carpet rake is exactly what it sounds like. It’s a type of indoor rake you use on your carpet to remove stubborn pet hair.
Carpet rakes come in a variety of different sizes, materials, and price ranges. It is all up to personal preference on what you choose to get for your home. Pet websites such as Rover can help you get an idea of what type of carpet rake will work best for you.
Removing Smelly Stains from Your Carpet
Another one of the best ways to remove odor from your carpet is to remove the stains that have collected on your carpet over time. While not all stains smell immediately, over time they often start to smell due to growing mold. Removing these stains as soon as possible will help to remove the odor from your carpet.
Removing Urine Stains
When you’re moving with animals such as dogs, it can be hard to stick to a routine right away. This can sometimes cause the animals to have accidents in the house. The best way to remove urine stains from your carpet is to treat the stain right after the accident occurs. To do this you want to soak up as much of the urine as you can with paper towels or rags. Afterward, you can simply wash the area with soap and water or use a carpet cleaning spray.
If you were unable to catch the stain right away, you most likely have to deal with the stain and a bad odor coming from your carpet. One of the easiest ways to treat this is to use a urine remover spray. These sprays are made just for this purpose. They will help to break down the stain and to eliminate the odors. For most of these cleaners, you will spray the area and let it sit for around 20 minutes before using a towel to blot the excess product from the carpet.
Removing Food Stains
Removing food stains is very similar to removing urine stains. You want to treat the stain as soon as it happens. To prevent it from smelling, remove as much food from the carpet as possible.
In cases where you didn’t catch the stain right away, you are most likely going to have to deal with a very strong odor. This odor is most likely due to mold spores in your carpet where the stain is. In cases like this, you may want to try out the vinegar method which can help remove the stain and the strong odor.
Conclusion
Cleaning your house can be a long process with a lot of things to remember to do. Tasks such as cleaning your carpet can be a lot of work. By using some of the best methods for removing strong odors from your carpet, you can get your carpet clean in the easiest way possible. This will save you time and effort.
Jessica is a students at the University of Northern Iowa. She is majoring in English Education with a creative writing minor. In her free time she loves to read books of every genre, write short stories, and spend time with friends. In the future she hopes to share her love for reading and writing with her future students.
