I've been talking a lot about green cleaning lately and this DIY Carpet Deodorizer is a great example of simple non-toxic solution using Bicarb Soda and Essential Oils.
If you have kids or pets, you want to know that what you use in your home is safe, and I can tell you most off the shelf carpet powders are a chemical cocktail. For me, they give me a weird feeling on my lips and make my mouth go dry (and no, I'm not eating the stuff!) and a headache begins.
You may not get a reaction like this, but for those store bough deodorisers it is not uncommon to experience skin irritations with contact and these chemicals also become airborne in the home potentially causing issues for asthmatics.
If you take a look at any Safety Data Sheet (or MSDS as they used to be known as) they will state the product should not come into contact with skin, you should not breath in any of the dust and some brands state they are carcinogenic.
If you want to know more, you can look these up with a simple google search, and it's safe to say, these ingredients are generally not good for our homes, our families nor the workers that are making this stuff.
I'm going to be showing you a far CHEAPER and SAFER option to deodorise carpets that you can easily do yourself.
I have almost always had wooden floor boards at home, but always made use of rugs. With many visitors, pets and kids anything can happen and they begin to smell a bit funky or stale. I really don't want to smell weird things at home and certainly don't want my visitors to be hit with it as soon as they enter the front door. Throwing out rugs is definitely something I want to avoid!
One of the great things about this recipe is that it can also be used on mattresses, fabric lounges, rugs and other items as well as help to soak up spills and accidents. It is completely safe and vacuumed up the same day.
And Yes...you can walk on it with bare feet and it may even make your feet smell nicer too!
This will not really clean your carpet but will absorb smells and spills instead of just masking underlying odours (which can usually still be detected by sensitive noses!)
I have repurposed a food jar just for this, although I could do with making a proper label, this one is peeling off! I also wrote on the label how many drops of essential oils so that if it gets used up, anyone in the house can replenish it.
How to Make Your Carpet Deodoriser
Using approx. 2 Cups of Bicarb Soda
Fill a glass jar 3/4 full of bicarb soda
Add 10-20 drops of essential oils
Top up the jar and shake
It's best left to sit in the jar for 24 hours to get the essential oil scent right through, but it can be used instantly if you're desperate. If making one cup of powder, just use 5-10 drops of oils.
Sprinkle over carpet and leave for a few hours or overnight.
(NB: How long you leave it is entirely up to you. It works in as little as 20 minutes, but I always give a lot longer and prefer overnight when possible)
We are still housetraining our puppy, and occasionally our cat leaves a hideous surprise that absolutely stinks and makes me want to move house, so in the picture you can see I used quite a lot on our hallway runner this time. If you are just wanting to refresh carpets or rugs, use much less than this, a light sprinkle is plenty.
In case it wasn't obvious.... you must remove and clean up any pet accidents first! Then apply powder to remove lingering odours.
My favourite Essential Oils to use for this are:
Lavender
Lemon and Peppermint
Bergamot & Lime
Basically use what smells nice to you, and make sure you do use a glass jar as some oils can break down plastics over time.
Be sure that you are using proper essential oils and not synthetic fragrances.
If you don't have oils? Don't let that stop you, bicarb alone will still do a great job of combatting odours.
I always find any area frequented by pets and kids worse.
Seldom used areas just need an occasional freshen up and I swap between Lavender (for calming) or a blend of Bergamot and Lime (for a yummy fresh citrusy aroma).