Unpleasant vomit particles effortlessly stick to the carpet and emit a foul odor. If this is not tended to immediately, the stain and scent will be harder to remove just like coffee or red wine (red wine on carpet) spills.
You will need to use a specific natural cleaner to eliminate them.
Fortunately, in this guide, we’ve listed several ways you can get rid of the vomit smell from your carpet and have enumerated the steps for you to clean it properly and efficiently.
Can you get the smell of vomit out of a carpet?
Given that you use the right cleaning solutions, like baking soda and white vinegar, you can certainly remove the unpleasant vomit smell from your carpet.
As such, you can keep your old carpet even if it had been vomited on by someone. So you don’t have to drop by the carpet store and pay a handsome price for a new one.
What neutralizes the smell of vomit?
Aside from using commercial cleaners and steam cleaners, vomit smells on your carpet can be eliminated with natural cleaners like baking soda, cornstarch, and white vinegar. And did you know vodka can help too?
1. Baking Soda or Cornstarch
Baking soda or cornstarch is an excellent and safe deodorizer for all sorts of unpleasant scents, including vomit.
For this, you just need to scatter several tablespoons of either of these cleaners on the bad-smelling part of the carpet.
Then you just leave them alone for 10 to 12 hours or the entire night, allowing them to absorb the odors.
After that, the vomit smell should have thoroughly gone away. So just vacuum up the remaining particles of the baking soda or cornstarch, and it’s done.
2. White Vinegar
You can use a white vinegar solution to take out unfriendly vomit smells.
Just mix equal parts of white vinegar and water in a spray bottle. Spritz away at the vomit-affected area of the carpet until the odor dissolves.
But there’s a minor disadvantage to using white vinegar. It has a sharp and distinct scent that can linger for a while in the room.
3. Borax
Borax can remove strong vomit smells on a carpet. You just have to combine equal parts of borax and baking soda and sprinkle the mixture over the smelly carpet parts.
Let it sit in for an hour before vacuuming up the residues.
4. Vodka
Vodka has a high alcohol content and no scent at all. That makes it a great cleaning solution for stains, grease, fungi, bacteria, and vomit.
To clean your vomit-soaked carpet using vodka, pour a bit onto the carpet’s bad-smelling part and dab it with a clean cloth to remove the excess liquid.
Add some baking soda to assist with the vodka’s deodorizing effect, let it sit for a while, and vacuum up the remaining particles.
5. Commercial Cleaner
Can I use a commercial deodorizer to remove vomit odor from a carpet?
If you don’t have time to concoct natural cleaners, you can use a commercial carpet deodorizer to get rid of the vomit smell from your precious carpet.
This is also very effective, and we suggest picking one consisting of natural ingredients so it will not damage or stain your carpet nor harm your family or your pets.
So what you have to do is to take 1 to 2 tablespoons of this powder and sprinkle it on the fetid carpet area.
Leave the powder to do its work and absorb the odor overnight. In the morning, check whether the smell is still present or not.
If it is, apply more carpet deodorizer on that portion of the carpet. If not, you can vacuum up the remaining powder.
6. Steam Cleaner
Does steam cleaning your carpet get rid of its vomit smell?
For deep vomit stains and bad-smelling odor on your carpet, you might need something with a little more firepower—like a steam cleaner.
Operating at high heat, the machine can not only remove all traces of vomit from your carpet but also protect your home from germs and bacteria.
Although you’d have to pay a certain amount for it, steam cleaning equipment might be the solution to finally getting rid of the vomit smell on your carpet.
Before you start, you’re going to have to rent this machine at your local home supply center or building.
Now load white vinegar or laundry detergent into the steam cleaner. Then apply it on the spilled area of your carpet to neutralize its odors.
Then carefully run the steam cleaner over the affected carpet area to deep-clean it.
Why does vomit smell so strongly and unpleasantly?
Vomit smells very bad and strong because it comes from a person’s stomach. Inside the stomach, there are fatty acids and bile.
Whereas fatty acids are responsible for storing energy and maintaining the metabolic and hormonal functions of an individual, bile melts fatty acids away, the undigested ones of which smell worse.
Thus, if a person throws up, it expels some of the ingested particles that were touched by bile. That’s why vomit odors linger in the air and aren’t easy to remove.
How to Clean Vomit from Your Carpet
Follow the steps indicated below to properly clean vomit on your carpet:
- Wear a pair of gloves or plastic to protect your hand.
- Get as much vomit out of the carpet as you can by using a dry rag, towel, or mop.
- Apply a commercial cleaning solution or a natural cleaner like baking soda.
- Let it sit for more than several hours or overnight.
- If necessary, reclean the vomit or pungent-smelling part of the carpet by repeating steps 3 to 4.
- Vacuum the remaining residues for a spotless and fresh carpet.
How to Clean Dried Vomit from Your Carpet
If the vomit has already dried on your carpet, here’s how you can clean it:
- Wear a pair of gloves or plastic to protect your hand.
- You can rub scented oil on the top of your lip to mask the vomit smell which can sting your nose.
- Loosen the stain by putting warm water on it until it fades away and the solid matter comes out.
- Apply a commercial cleaning solution or natural cleaner like baking soda.
- Let it sit for more than several hours or overnight.
- If necessary, reclean the vomit or pungent-smelling part of the carpet by repeating steps 3 to 4.
- Vacuum the remaining residues for a spotless and fresh carpet.
Will vomit smell eventually go away?
Unfortunately, the vomit smell won’t go away on its own. You will have to treat the stain and surrounding air to completely eliminate the lingering stench.
If you apply baking soda, cornstarch, or a borax solution to the carpet, the unpleasant odor should dissipate in a day or two.
When do I call on a pro cleaner to remove the vomit on my carpet?
You can get a professional cleaner to clean up vomit from your carpet as soon as someone has thrown up on the fabric.
They are experts and know what must be done to treat and completely remove the vomit stains and smells.
Best of all, it won’t take a long time to do, and while they’re at it, you can also have them clean other carpets around your house for clean and healthy air at your home.
Don’t wait for the vomit smell to go away. It will keep your family and your visitors from having a pleasant time at home.
