You can pour baking soda on a wet or dry carpet. On dry surfaces, it will absorb odors. On wet surfaces, baking soda absorbs moisture and odors. Let it sit for at least 30 minutes or overnight for an overly wet area.
Sprinkle a generous amount of baking soda on the smelly carpet and let it sit as long as possible, ideally overnight, so it can absorb as much of the odor as it can.
Baking soda, unlike most commercial air fresheners, doesn't mask odors, “it absorbs them," says Mary Marlowe Leverette, a home economist and blogger. Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate in a convenient box) neutralizes stubborn acidic odors -- like those from sour milk -- as well as other funky smells lurking in your home.
There's a simple solution for fumigating the smoke smell from your carpet without having to tear the place apart. Pour baking soda into a colander and sprinkle it over the affected areas. Baking soda is a natural absorbent, so it should effectively gobble up that smoke smell.
Removing Gas and Oil Smells
If you have clothing with gasoline, oil, or other mechanical smells, you can use baking soda to effectively remove the odors. Place smelly clothes in a bag with a baking soda and water mixture. Leave the bag sealed for a day or two before washing.
Add about 25 drops of your favorite essential oil to 2 tablespoons of baking soda and stir to combine. Lemon and lavender are great choices, but eucalyptus is my favorite because of the refreshing scent. Pour the baking soda and essential oil mix into the water and stir. Then funnel the water into your spray bottle.
You can pour baking soda on a wet or dry carpet. On dry surfaces, it will absorb odors. On wet surfaces, baking soda absorbs moisture and odors. Let it sit for at least 30 minutes or overnight for an overly wet area.
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.
Some essential oil scents that work great are lavender, lemon, tea tree, rosemary and eucalyptus—but you can buy or blend whatever scent you like. (The baking soda is doing the heavy deodorizing here, so the oils are really just for the aesthetics of smell.)
Of course, our favorite way to make your house smell positively amazing is to cook something that fills your home with an appetizing aroma. Stews, braises, and meals in the slow cooker are some of our favorites, but bread, cookies, and cakes — not to mention roast chicken! — will also do the trick.
When this alkaline powder comes into direct contact with smells, it can make a difference. We recently tested different approaches to removing garlic and onion smells from a cutting board (July/August 2007) and found scrubbing with a paste of 1 tablespoon baking soda and 1 teaspoon water to be the most effective.
If you or someone in your home is sensitive to any scents, you can still use baking soda to freshen the air. Simply sprinkle a few tablespoons into small, uncovered bowls and place them around the house where they can't easily be tipped over or attract curious children and pets.
How Long Do You Leave Baking Soda on Carpet? When cleaning your carpet with baking soda, let it sit for at least 15 minutes. The longer the baking soda stays on the rug, the more odor, dirt, and oil it will absorb, for a more thorough clean. Try leaving baking soda on the carpet overnight and vacuuming in the morning.
What Is the Hardest Smell to Get Out of Carpet? So many chemical cleaners exist, and there are still odors that are hard to get out of the carpet. These are usually strong smells, such as pet urine, and cigarette smoke, as well as mold and mildew.
Allow the baking soda to neutralise a stain overnight. 8 hours is beneficial but 12 hours is ideal. This solution works best to get smells out of the carpet, which you can then vacuum up and see and smell a noticeable difference.
How can I get baking soda paste out of a carpet? Try letting it dry completely, then using a stiff brush, brush it rather firmly to loosen the dried residue, then vacuum. If that doesn't work, then try diluting it with plain, warm water, then blot it up. Then after it's completely dry, vacuum again.
'Leave a bowl of vinegar out overnight,' advises Saskia Gregson-Williams, cookbook author and founder of Naturally Sassy. 'In the morning, the vinegar will have absorbed all the unsavory smells and your kitchen will be as fresh as a daisy. '
use scented candles and diffusers
Reed diffusers are ideal for keeping your house smelling nice because they release fragrance gradually and continually. The reeds absorb the scented oil, which then evaporates into the air. You can ensure a stronger scent by using more reeds or turning the reeds more regularly.
A weird smell in a house can come from numerous sources, including appliances, furniture, carpets, fabrics or issues like mold or mildew. Occasionally, odors may be caused by sewer gas, natural gas leaks or animals that have died between walls, in attics or under decks.
Citrus helps sell houses. That's because people associate citrus smells with concepts like “fresh” and “clean,” and it means that even a subtle citrus scent can make a big difference with prospective buyers. Clean scents, like the scent of freshly washed laundry, are among buyers' favorites, too.