http://www.care2.com/greenliving/baking-soda-for-carpet-odors.html
Wonders of Baking Soda for Carpet Odors
Warm weather brings out all kinds of smells that have been lurking in our carpets: Pet mistakes, that well-worn sneaker odor. It can all add up to a less-than-fresh-smelling home.
Fortunately, there is a simple and non-toxic solution. Find out how to deodorize your carpets safely and effectively with baking soda!
Baking soda “adsorbs” odors, which means it takes odors from the air. It neutralizes acid-based odors in water.
Liberally sprinkle baking soda on the carpet. Let set overnight, or as long as possible (the longer it sets the better it works). Sweep up the larger amounts of baking soda, and vacuum up the rest. (Note that your vacuum cleaner bag will get full and heavy.) Redo the process if you still smell odors you wish to remove. Baking soda works like magic, it sometimes just takes time and making sure you are using enough baking soda.
Caution: While damp baking soda works really well for many odors, damp baking soda can also get stuck onto the carpet fibers and be difficult to clean. If you live in a very humid climate you might substitute a light spray of white distilled vinegar for the baking soda.
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add your comment »an elderly person had an "accident" on the carpet and one spot on the mattress....not urine....Will baking soda help get this foul odor up or do you have other tips?
BTP
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Does anybody knows if dogs will be allergic to baking soda? I know baking soda works, but I am afraid of using it since my dog is allergic to everything.
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Could someone please explain clearly what is it that you actually need to do, is it just to sprinkle some baking soda on to area and hoover it up in the morning, is that correct the vinegar and soap bit I am abit confused with?
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I was skeptical, but so far it took away the odor!! Not completely though. I used a combination of the distilled vinegar w/dish soap, peroxide diluted with water then some baking soda sprinkled over the top. I can still smell some of the urine. I am going to give it another good dose of baking soda since I probably didnt use enough. I wonder if it just masks the smell or actually gets rid of the bacteria? Does anyone happen to know? Thanks.
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great tip, thanks!
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This works! If you have really tough odors, you might want to amp up the deodorizing by using the baking soda along with some vinegar, dish soap, and hydrogen peroxide. There's a helpful recipe at How to Clean Cat Urine or How to Clean Dog Urine, depending on what you're dealing with.
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This works for real! I have three chihuahuas that pee everywhere, and this is the only thing that works! Thank goodness for baking soda!
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Isnt there a baking soda specifically made for carpet cleaning, or does plain baking soday enough?
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This is a graet tip!! Thanks so much for sharing it with us.--Annie
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Sifting the baking soda through a wire mesh sifter will help to spread it more evenly and eliminate clumps in the soda.
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