Top 7 Ways To Remove An Odour From Your Carpet
Does your sofa smell, your rug reek or your carpet just plain stinks. Odours can be caused by a whole host of different reasons. Some of these include: pet accidents, lingering smoke, food and drink spillages or damp. Here are our top 7 ways to remove and odour from your carpet or furniture the natural way.
1) Baking Soda
Baking soda is a top recommendation and used often by professional carpet cleaners. Baking soda absorbs moisture and neutralises smells by trapping them. It works especially well for fusty or musky odours. To apply sprinkle a generous amount onto your carpet or sofa. Spread the baking soda with your fingers or use a carpet brush to work it into the fibres. Leave to settle into the carpet overnight then vacuum thoroughly. If the smell still persists then you may need to repeat this process.
2) White Wine Vinegar
White wine vinegar is one of the best natural air fresheners as it is cheap, safe to apply and has antibacterial properties. Unlike most household cleaning products it is biodegradable therefore is a good eco solution. The vinegar works to actively combat odours and germs. To apply pour the vinegar into a spray bottle and lightly mist the areas where the smells are most prominent. Leave to settle for a few hours then vacuum. You can repeat this process if necessary. If you feel the smell of white wine vinegar is too pungent you can dilute with water but it may not be as effective.
3) Essential Oils
Essential oils are a great natural solution to an air freshener and can eliminate germs and bacteria. They also work to purify the air leaving your room smelling fresh. Some of the essential oil scents include: lemon, eucalyptus, orange, lavender or my personal favourite peppermint. To apply place 10-20 drops into a spray bottle of white wine vinegar and mist the areas where the odour is present. Alternatively place 10-20 drops into a bowl of baking soda and mix well. Work the baking soda deep into the carpet pile then vacuum thoroughly. This method allows you to work deep into the offending area.
4) Coffee Granules
Wake up and smell the coffee. That’s right, coffee granules are a great method of removing a bad smell, that’s if you don’t mind your room smelling like a Starbucks. Coffee lets off a strong smell that can mask and even remove bad odours, especially fusty or musky smells. Simply place some coffee grinds or granules into a container and place next to the affected area overnight. Alternatively if you would like to get really creative then you can place the ground up granules into a DIY candle during the wax melting process. This infuses the room with a coffee scent but I’d really only recommend to the hardcore coffee lovers.
5) Open A Window
It may seem like I am stating the obvious here but according to the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), the air pollutants in your home are commonly 2 to 5 times higher than the air quality outdoors. Opening a window and letting fresh air circulate around your room could be the easy solution that you are looking for the cleanse the atmosphere and get rid of the smells. If you have a rug, duvet or cushions that are particularly fusty then leaving this outside on a sunny day is useful as the air and sun combined act as a natural disinfectant.
6) Onions
The very thought of this next step may bring a tear to your eye. An onion cut in half is the perfect solution to rid your room of a musky smell. The onion acts like a magnet for bad odours by absorbing them and in the process loses it’s own smell, leaving the room smelling fresh. Simply leave the onion segments to settle for a day or two and with time the smell should be gone or at least drastically reduced. Just make sure that you don’t watch The Notebook at the same time or else you will dry your eyes of tears.
7) Indoor Plants
NASA conducted a two year study on the benefits of indoor plants. They concluded that as well as removing the carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen house plants also remove chemical toxins effectively purifying the air. They remove chemicals such as Formaldehyde, Benzene, Trichloroethylene, Xylene And Toulene and Ammonia. Snake Plants, Boston Ferns and Peace Lily are 3 of the most effective plants for clearing the air and are relatively easy to maintain.
In conclusion grabbing the nearest shop bought air freshener may seem like the quickest and easiest solution. Often you are left masking the smell and prolonged use of such chemical based products could have an effect to your health. The best way to fight the effects of a bad stench in your home is the natural method. If you follow our “Top 7 Ways To Remove an Odour From Your Carpet” but the smell still persists then it would be advisable to contact your local professional carpet cleaner. Kleen Dri use a safe, natural method of cleaning carpets that uses a compound that is 100% plant based to clean and deodorise the area. Check out how our amazing system works.