Are you a new carpet-owner who is terribly afraid of stains and spills and only wishes to keep your carpet smelling and looking good for as long as you can? This post is going to talk about the different ways you can achieve that with very easy-to-follow practices and tips! Most of these tips require very less effort and investment and we hope to help you with maintaining an invigorating living environment for you and your family!
The easiest ways to ensure a healthy and clean smelling carpet is by creating good ventilation and cleaning carpets routinely! Make sure you crank those windows open to increase air circulation and leave fans on to accelerate the process. This will lead to controlled humidity that prevents mold growth, keeping carpets smelling fresh. Regular vacuuming leads to less odorous dirt particles which is key for a pleasant-smelling rug!
Why do carpets need to smell fresh?
Odors in the air can trigger one’s sense of smell and have effects on their mental and physical health. People are differently affected by smells depending on their levels of sensitivity. Exposure to foul odors can result in health effects that range from mere discomfort to slightly more serious physical symptoms. Smell has the ability to influence our sense of taste greatly.
This is why it is very important that our carpets and homes have a generally pleasant smell. Good fragrances can uplift one’s mood and increase productivity considerably. Apart from this, creating a good impression on your guests or anyone else you invite into your space is crucial. The way your carpets and home/office smell conveys a lot about you to others.
Ways to keep your carpet smelling fresh
There are many ways to maintain the clean and refreshing smell of your carpet, ranging from daily hygiene practices to using DIY methods. Follow the below-mentioned tips to make sure your living room always smells wonderful!
1. Create ventilation
Air the place out every once in a while. It is important to have a good ventilation system in place to ensure good air circulation. Even if you have air conditioning, having a fresh breeze of air from outside will help you maintain the smell of your carpets. Letting odors evaporate by leaving your windows open and fans on is necessary to keep your carpets smelling fresh. Prevent odor-collection in your carpet fibres by doing this regularly!
PRO TIP
CROSS-VENTILATION
Create cross-winds if you have windows on opposite walls. Leave one of them open fully and the other one half or lesser, this will provide more effective ventilation.
2. Vacuum regularly and well
Vacuum your carpets thoroughly and deeply once every two days to make sure that the odor-causing dirt particles don’t remain stuck on carpet fibres. This way, you’ll be removing these particles before they become airborne and turn into foul smells. Frequent vacuum cleaning lowers asthma-causing dust mites. Vacuuming regularly is especially important if you are a pet-owner. Pets shed hair and sometimes tend to create a mess on the carpeted floor.
PRO TIP
VACUUM FILTERS
Replace your vacuum filters or bags regularly to make sure the machine works well.
Going over high-traffic areas slowly with a powerful vacuum that has HEPA filters ensures that tiny particles of dust and bacteria don’t get deposited back onto carpet hair. You can also sprinkle a mixture of baking soda and essential oil, spices or herbs on your carpet and leave it on for a suitable time before vacuuming it all off. This will leave your carpets smelling fresh and clean, with a hint of your favourite scent.
WARNING
KEEP YOUR PETS SAFE
The ingestion of baking soda can be dangerous to pets. Keep your furry friends away if you use baking soda to deodorize your carpets.
3. Professionally deep clean 2x a year
Availing professional deep-cleaning services twice a year will eliminate bigger carpet problems like dust mites, mold and fungus growth. This is especially necessary for homes with high-traffic areas, children or pets. Along with regular vacuuming, invest in half-yearly deep-cleaning to maintain the look and smell of your carpets.
There are invisible particles of dirt that get deeply embedded in carpet fibres and can only be eliminated with the help of powerful cleaning machinery. Steam cleaning is one of the best methods recommended by industry experts to deep-clean carpets as it uses a low-moisture cleaning method that dries out quickly.
PRO TIP
CLEANERS
Instead of soap-based cleaners, use water-based cleaners as they are residue-free.
4. Carpet protection
Place rugs or mats in areas of your room with heavy footfall. This will help prevent high damage and collection of dirt and grime into the carpet. As a result, there will be less odor-causing dirt. The advantage of using smaller rugs on your carpet is that you can wash and dry them separately. Maintenance becomes less-complicated and carpets stay clean for longer!
PRO TIP
PREVENT INDENTATIONS
You can also use smaller-sized rugs to place underneath sofa, chair or table legs to prevent deep indentations and damage.
5. Diffuse essential oils with your vacuum
A unique method of making your carpets smell wonderful is to put a few drops of essential oils into your vacuum. The fragrance will blow on to the carpet while you’re cleaning it. You can also sprinkle the essential oil and baking soda mixture on your carpet before vacuuming.
WARNING
USE PET SAFE OILS
For pet owners, it is advised to steer clear from tea-tree oil as it may be toxic to pets. Citric scents are toxic to cats, avoid using those and strong scents like peppermint and cinnamon that are displeasing to dogs.
6. Addresss stains immediately
Keep an emergency spill-cleaning kit with you so that you don’t lose any valuable time in looking for important cleaning agents and tools. The kit can consist of spot remover for stubborn stains, hydrogen peroxide for bloodstains, club soda for wine and beer spills, vinegar for pet spills, dishwasher liquid or shaving cream for most spills and stains and paper or cloth towels.
It is very important to blot out spills as soon as it happens and the longer it remains on your carpet, the more odor remains to linger for a long time. Always gently blot on the spill area, never scrub. Scrubbing lets the carpet absorb more.
7. Do not wear shoes indoors
Make it a habit to take off your shoes before entering your house and tell your family members and guests to do the same! Wearing outdoor shoes on carpets can 1. Bring in unknown germs and bacteria that can cause health problems and make your carpets smell bad; 2. Create a rough tread on your carpets that will wear it out sooner than expected. Leave your shoes outside and clean your feet properly before walking on carpets.
8. Clean and train your pets well
Pets sometimes go outdoors and play around in dirt and mud. They also sometimes frolic around in their own excreta because of their lack of hygiene. As pet owners, it is our duty to keep them clean by bathing them regularly and training them well. Teach your pets to urinate and defecate in specifically designated areas, far away from your carpets. Brush their hair, clean their feet and trim their nails to prevent your prized carpets from getting dirty and smelling bad!
PRO TIP
PET TRAINING
Reward your pets when they follow the rules and verbally punish them when they don’t. This will create an invisible boundary for your pet that he or she will never cross, leaving your carpets pee-free and pleasant-smelling!
9. Use a dehumidifier and fans to remove moisture
Invest in a good dehumidifier to maintain the level of indoor humidity in your home. During the summertime, humidity rises to an all-time high which can create a hot, steamy and suffocating environment inside your house. Apart from it making you feel irritated and sweaty, high humidity increases the level of moisture in your house, which gives birth to mold and mildew.
Growth of mold affects sensitive individuals with breathing problems and other health issues. It also makes carpet smell musty and wet. To prevent this from happening, use a dehumidifier that will balance the level of indoor humidity. You can also place floor fans to stop dust mites, mold and pests from growing on your carpet and keep your carpet smelling fresh and clean!
PRO TIP
MUSTY SMELL
Spritz a mixture of white vinegar and water to remove the musty smell caused by mold.
Do not smoke indoors
This one’s a commonly-known tip! It is best to smoke outdoors and not in a carpeted room because cigarette smoke particles often stick to surfaces of clothing and carpeting. Smoking inside a room doesn’t allow the smoke to evaporate properly. Odor is collected in your carpet fibres until eliminated and the smell of old cigarette smoke resides. This smell is unpleasant and dangerous for a lot of people with breathing issues and triggers.
The bad odor of smoke multiplies when combined with other smells that will only create a worse environment for you to live and work in.
Ways to fix bad-smelling carpets
If your carpets have already started to smell unclean, here are some ways you can fix that:
Method 1: Visit your kitchen – baking soda, vinegar, vodka, apple/onion, club soda
Our kitchens have more DIY solutions than you know! Baking soda is a versatile powder that can be used to eliminate strong odors from carpets, especially of smoke! Sprinkle a cup of baking soda on top of the carpet and leave it on for a while before vacuuming over it!
Use a diluted solution of vinegar and water to either spray or blot on to the smelly areas on the carpet to absorb unpleasant smells caused by mold and mildew. You can let the solution air dry and it will dry colourless and odorless, leaving you with a fresh and clean smelling carpet!
Cheap vodka is a great replacement for disinfecting liquid. Spritz some alcohol on top of the carpet and let it sit for a few minutes. Blot away excess moisture and get to vacuuming! You will be left with pet-odor-free carpets!
Slices of apples or onions are useful in removing musty underground odors. This is a solution for carpet owners with moldy carpets in the basement. Leave it overnight to feel a difference!
Club soda helps in eliminating strong pet odors like feces, urine and vomit. Pour soda on heavily-impacted areas and wait until the liquid stops fizzing. You should then blot it out and repeat the process if needed. Let them air dry and you now have fantastic-smelling carpets!
Method 2: Use cleaning solutions – enzyme neutralizer or carpet shampoo
Now that we have covered the easy-to-access, cheaper DIY options, here come the others! Purchase an enzyme neutralizer from any pet or home-improvement store and follow the instructions given on it to a T for the best pet-odor-removal results!
If your carpet smells despite all the DIY-ing, go the usual way and rent or buy a carpet-cleaning machine. Pair its powerful cleaning ability with a strong and effective carpet shampoo!
Conclusion
Carpets are a huge investment for homeowners and we understand the burden of maintaining and keeping carpets in good condition for the entirety of its life. They become a part of your home’s identity as flooring is what you and your loved ones stand, sit, play, sleep on and more! This is why it is very important to make sure your carpet smells wonderful and looks great throughout the year. A good-smelling carpet communicates everything about you!
In this post, we have covered a list of ways to maintain your carpets and keep them fresh for longer and methods to eliminate foul smells from your carpet in case of accidents! With all your newfound carpet maintenance and deodorization knowledge, take care of your prized possessions, you know where to go if you need any help with them!