Natural Home Remedies to Remove Odours in Rugs

We all want to be enveloped by a fragrant scent when we step into the house. Unfortunately, sometimes a foul smell smacks your senses as you step through the door. Often the first instinct is to find out where the stinky scent is coming from and start devising ways to get rid of it. Most smells originate from fabrics in the room. It could be the upholstery or rugs that absorb smoke, pet odours, food smells, and perfumes.

While you can find commercial products for removing fabric odours, they are chemical treatments that can harm your pets or ruin your rugs. Luckily, home remedies are effective in dealing with most foul scents, and they leave your house smelling fresh. Let us dive into the natural remedies for odours.

Baking Soda

Bicarbonate soda is an essential ingredient for baking and is a must-have pantry item. What most people do not know is that it is a great cleaning product. It is a natural ingredient with remarkable odour-neutralising abilities. Since it can absorb strong odours, it is useful in maintaining a fresh scented house. How do you use bicarbonate soda on fabrics?

If the bad smell has seeped into your rugs or upholstered furniture, sprinkle baking soda on the surfaces liberally. Leave it to settle for a few hours or the whole day if you want to eradicate the bad odours. It will work its magic, and when you vacuum the rugs, they will be fresh with no lingering smell. Alternatively, you can add water into the bicarbonate soda to form a paste and apply it on the carpets. Leave the paste to dry on the rugs and vacuum. If you want to treat smells originating from stuffed upholstery, apply the baking soda on the foam, and leave it overnight.

Baking soda is effective in removing odours since it is a mild base. Therefore, it will balance out the strong scents from acidic elements or strong bases. Being a naturally occurring substance, it lacks toxicity making it safe to use as a surface cleaner. Besides, if your pet or kids sniff it on the furniture, it will not cause any harm. Besides eradicating odours, you can mix bicarbonate with water and make an all-purpose cleaning solution that will leave your house smelling fresh. You can add some fragrance to baking soda before applying it on your rug. To make the best bicarbonate soda deodoriser, add a few drops of essential oils, and shake it well.

Vodka

Vodka is a popular cocktail ingredient; chances are you have it in your bar. However, did you know that vodka could eliminate bad smells? A spritz of the liquor can get rid of bacteria and eradicate foul and musty odours from your home. You can spread the alcohol on various fabrics using a spray bottle. Use the vodka without adding water, and let it do the trick. You also do not need to worry about the lingering alcohol smell; as the fabric dries, the alcohol smell evaporates.

A spritz of vodka is the best odour-removal solution for musty fabrics, rugs spotted with pet-urine, and foul-smelling surfaces. Pet urine leaves an unpleasant smell on the carpets. Even if they do not stain it, you should remove the odours to maintain the rug's pristine condition. Spraying vodka on the spotted rug will refresh the fabric, remove stains, and disinfect the surface.

Coffee Grounds

Coffee grounds, like baking sodas, can neutralise smells. You need fresh or brewed coffee grounds for the best results. Despite being expensive compared to baking soda, coffee grounds do more than eliminating a strong smell. Coffee has a strong aroma, which makes it perfect for masking bad odours.

When you notice a musty smell on your fabrics or rug, scatter the coffee grounds around the affected area. The grounds will trap, absorb, or mask the odour leaving your fabrics fresh. If you grind the coffee grounds into a fine powder, you can sprinkle it on the carpet and leave it to settle for 24 hours before vacuuming. When dealing with upholstery, you can spread the coffee grounds on the fabrics before cleaning. Alternatively, you can fill coffee grounds in sachets and tuck them inside cushions or fabric stuffing. Leave the sachets for some time, and they will continually remove any lingering smells in the fabrics.

Vinegar

Vinegar is a popular household cooking ingredient with versatile uses. The naturally occurring substance can eliminate an array of odours from your home, ranging from cigarette smoke to pet smells. Simply leaving a cup of vinegar sitting around is enough to eradicate any nasty smells in a room. You can pour it on your foul-smelling rug to soak up any spills on the surface, remove foul odours, and prevent stains.

Vinegar is most effective in dealing with pet odours or urine. Saturate the carpet with vinegar and leave it to work its magic. You can clean the rug with a steam cleaner to remove the vinegar or leave the rug to dry, and the smell will fade. Vinegar is also an excellent ingredient for making an air freshener. You can mix it with water to create a deodoriser and spray it around the room using a spray bottle. Since it is natural, you will not have to worry about your kid or pet breathing in toxic chemicals.

Use Apples

Apples are the most accessible home remedies for odours. If you have any apples that have been sitting on the counter for long, utilise them to freshen the room. Cut the apples in halves and set them on the smelly rug or near musty fabrics. The fruits will soak up the foul smell for up to six hours, reducing unpleasant scents.

Homemade Diffusers

A mixture of essential oils and vinegar makes fantastic homemade diffusers. You can place them strategically in a room, and they will absorb musty smells and pet odours. Diffusers work around the clock, and the odours will not seep into the rugs. You can choose the essential oils of your choice to get a custom fragrance. Apart from freshening the air, most essential oils have antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal properties. Therefore, they will purify the air and improve its quality.

Make Natural Air Fresheners

Most air fresheners available in the market are made of chemicals instead of natural ingredients. If you want to avoid the toxins, you can make a homemade air freshener to keep your fabrics smelling fresh. Natural ingredients like flower extracts and essential oils will leave your rugs with a pleasant smell. Add a few drops of essential oils to water in a spray bottle and spritz it around the living room or on your rugs and fabrics. You can also use sachets to eliminate unpleasant odours. While tucking dried lavender buds in fabrics may sound old-fashioned, you will appreciate the floral fragrance.

Getting rid of fabric odours is a walk in the park with the above home remedies. However, it is vital to deal with the source of the unpleasant smell. For instance, train your dogs and clean spills on the rugs immediately, and your house will smell fresh.

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