Tuesday, August 20, 2013

DIY 2-Ingredient Carpet Cleaner with Odor Remover

In life there are some things you simply don't want to wake up to:
  1. Freddy Krueger
  2. Alien abduction, especially from the Alien Queen. 
  3. Vomit
Unfortunately, I experienced one of those things this morning, and no, it wasn't alien abduction, but based on the fact that I'm writing about carpet cleaners I bet you knew that. I'm sure that stories about Freddy Krueger would provide you with a much more riveting story line than what really happened: vomit! Lots and lots of vomit. {sad face}

My dog, Hercules, barfed all over my bedroom carpet. To make matters worse, during the "event" I tried dragging him into the bathroom which caused him to leave a trail of puke all across the carpet. Once we were in the bathroom, he (of course) miss the tile and vomit on my white bathroom rug, my scale, my favorite pair of jeans and he barely missed the cat. {sigh}

It was horrible. It was everywhere.

The point of that horrible story is to tell you that I decided that this is the perfect opportunity to demonstrate how awesome my mom's Emergency Carpet Cleaner works! She has a kitty who peed on the guest bed and this got the smell out. Amazing, right?

 If you have children-- don't worry! It can also work for their bodily functions, too. {wink}


I think that picture speaks for itself, right? I took it after a single application of the DIY Carpet Cleaner.

What You Need
  • 3% Hydrogen Peroxide
  • White Vinegar
  • Spray Bottle
DIY Carpet Cleaner and Odor Remover
Simply mix the ingredients into the spray bottle at a 50:50 ratio. You don't need a lot-- just enough to make the carpet damp. 

After you clean up what you can, squirt the mixture directly onto the "contaminated" area. Let it sit for 2-3 minutes and then use a scrub brush to really work it into the carpet. Let it sit for about 30 minutes and then assess the situation to see if you need to reapply.

If you think that the stain hasn't lifted enough, repeat. If you are happy with the results, then use your vacuum to clean up any remaining residue. 

You'll get the best results on fresh accidents and the vinegar really helps to dissolve the smell. Of course, your carpet will smell like vinegar until it dries, but I'll take that smell over the stench of vomit any day! 

My poor pup isn't feeling much better though! Doesn't he looks so sad?!

Sick Puppy!

He FINALLY starting eating some food this afternoon so I hope he holds it down! Poor Hercules!

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Sherri Griffin
Sherri Griffin

Thanks for checking out my blog. I get serious about a few things in life: animals, chemicals, and food. For the rest I can't promise anything so keep the bar low. For more about me check out my "About Me" page! Happy DIYing!

16 comments:

  1. Wonderful post, I love this. Thank you so much for sharing with pictures. Quite the difference (with such a light carpet, too). Hope your Hercules is feeling better!

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    1. Thank you! My mom is a pretty smart lady! :) She has been using this particular cleaner for quite a while and it even worked to get out cat pee! That's pretty serious.

      And thank you for asking about Hercules. He is all better and back to chasing lizards in the backyard! :)

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  2. will this discolor colored carpets?

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    1. Good question, Erin. If you use the typical household 3% Hydrogen Peroxide you should be safe. I've used it on some of my light blue rug and even a sisal rug as well with no problems. My mom uses it also on her navy colors rug and on a bright red dog bed with no problems. However, I would encourage you to do a small test spot in an area that is out of sight just in case because hydrogen peroxide can have a bit of a bleaching effect especially when used in higher concentrations. I wouldn't want you to try it and there be a slight discoloration of your carpets. If you're very worried you can add a bit of water to the hydrogen peroxide to dilute it further. You could use 2 parts water to 1 part 3% Hydrogen Peroxide to create 1% Hydrogen Peroxide. Hope this helps!

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  3. Edwina, I hope you find it useful! :) I think that the best thing about this cleaner vs other cleaners is it's ability to lift scents. My mom has an older cat who urinated on her sofa and the scent is 100% gone! :) Enjoy! Let me know how it works out!

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  4. Thank you so much! I awoke at 4:45am to the sound of my dog puking on our bedroom carpet. I cleaned up the vomit but was too tired to deal with the stain on the rug. I found your DIY on Pinterest and tried it. It worked! Sorry for TMI but our rug is light grey and the vomit was brown. I thought for sure we'd have a permanent stain. I sprayed on the mixture, let it sit for about 15 minutes and scrubbed/blotted with a damp washcloth. It all came out with minimal work.

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    Replies
    1. That's so awesome Joanne! Well, not the part about the vomit, but that it worked and on light grey carpet too! I'm glad to hear it :) I hope your pup is feeling better!

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  5. Can this be used in a carpet cleaner for all over use?

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    1. Courtney, good question! Yes, it can. My mom puts this in her carpet cleaning machine and goes around her house with it. She loves it! She even used it on a red chair where her older cat had an accident-- it took out the urine scent and left the red color intact. It was pretty awesome. ;)

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  6. Thanks a lot for this awesome post. Keep up the good work. I’ll be coming back lots.I agree with most of the points you make within this content.

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  7. I've got an old(er) vomit stain in the corner of my bedroom thanks to my poor old sensitive-tummy kitty, and I've just been dreading trying to clean it because everything else seems to just smear it around. I am looking forward to trying this, thanks so much for the recipe!

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  8. When using this in a carpet cleaner machine, do you add warm water? Or do you only use the hydrogen peroxide/vinegar mixture? I am trying to remove urine smell from my second bedroom carpet.

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    Replies
    1. My mom uses this all the time because she has an older pet who has leakage and it's great to remove urine scent. She does dilute in water and she says she uses the following recipe (but it's just a rough estimate because she never measures) :)

      HOT Water (approx. 1 gallon of water)
      1/4 Tablespoons White Vinegar
      1/4 Cup 3% Peroxide

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  9. Do you know if this will work on old pet stains?

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    Replies
    1. It worked on one of mine that was about a month old.

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