Ask a QuestionHere are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community or ask a new question.
A few days ago our dog got locked in our car overnight by accident when we were bringing in the groceries. While in there, she threw up something in the backseat, looked like a dead bird. I cleaned it and sprayed it many times to no avail. The car smells so bad we can hardly ride in it. Any suggestions?
Jennifer from North Alabama
OdoBan will do the trick...works on skunk smell for dogs, too.
How do you get rid of the smell of sick from a thick rug? My niece was sick all over it and I can't get rid of the stench.
By Alicia from Manchester
Try using baking soda and vinegar and let in foam and rub it in. It may take a couple times of reapplying, but it will come out. Don't make the carpet sopping wet, it will take too long to dry and don't vaccuum until totally dry or the sick smell might get into vac.
Have you tried some kind of enzyme cleaning product? There is probably some decaying organic matter causing the smell.
Febreeze. Mist it 3 or 4 times and voila, it works. It doesn't mask the smell, it gets rid of it.
While you're at it make certain you wear thick waterproof gloves or you might be sick as well after direct contact.
The smell will disapate after a while, regardless, but white vinegar and clear dawn can work wonders in cool water. Try Club Soda as well. It's amazing on some food stains. Good luck and God bless you. : )
How do you get the smell of vomit out of carpet? I have tried shampooing numerous times with no luck, the smell is still there and getting stronger because of the summer heat. Help!
By Natasha
There is a product at the pet store (and probably larger discount dept. stores that have pet departments) called "Nature's Miracle". You wet the smelly area with it and let it dry, and it is supposed to remove odors caused by the residue of animal (human or otherwise) "outputs". I have heard nothing but good things about it. I used it on my dog after she got skunked, and it got out residual odor.
Mix 1/2 vinegar and 1/2 ammonia, rub into the carpet and use a brush to rub it in. Take a clean, damp cloth and rub to get the excess out. To remove stains you can use this formula and use an iron over a damp cloth to help remove stains on the carpet also.
Try a product called Odo-Ban. It is used in nursing homes (among other places). Works really well!
I need tips on how to get vomit smell out of carpet. Any help is appreciated. :)
By Debbie
You could try plain white vinager and water mixed together, will also get rid of pet urine odor anywhere in the house. Wash well with soap suds first and let dry and then use the vinager solution. Works great!
Spraying with Lysol after washing might do the trick; keeping a product called XO on hand will clean and remove any and all odors. No harsh chemicals and can be found on QVC. com under Don Aslett's products. He runs the largest janitorial service and you can make it so you get emails notifying you when he is going to be on.
I'd go to a medical supply store and ask them. There has to be something for sale there, for caretakers who don't work in hospitals, nursing homes, etc., but have the same problem in their homes.
Good luck to you.
Otherwise I'd try an oxi type product, one that removes organic stains and smells, like blood.
ThriftyFun is one of the longest running frugal living communities on the Internet. These are archives of older discussions.
My daughter was sick on our carpet and I can't get rid of the smell. Please help!
By Christine from Port Perry, Ontario, Canada
Bless her heart - I hope she's well now. And bless your heart and I wish you luck! I don't have a tried and true solution, but I was thinking of sprinkling a lot, maybe a box, of baking soda on the spot, letting it stay for a while - you may have to experiment on the time, and then vacuum vigorously.
I know pet stores sell solutions to getting vomit and other nasty smells out of carpet. Maybe they can point you in the right direction.
I think the problem might also lie in your foam backing to your carpet. You know; before they place carpet down, there is a thick foam padding put down first - absolutely cannot think of the correct name right now. You might have to lift the carpet itself and concentrate on getting the smell out of your foam carpet backing; the vomit smell is probably there too. Then after you clean the foam, keep the carpet lifted off the foam and set up a fan to completely dry the foam before you nail down the carpeting again.
Or, you might want to email your carpet manufacturer for advice. I bet they get your question all day long.
I've heard cat litter is good at taking up odors. But in all cases, start with a dry carpet. I'll bet your foam padding is still damp though.
There is another product called Incredible, and I buy it at my Kroger Grocery store in Houston, TX USA. Try your grocery store; maybe they can order it for you. Google it and the manufacturer will likely come up and you can ask them where you can buy it in your area. I've also seen it at Walmart and Target, so you'll probably get lucky. This product removed black crayon eye liner from light beige wool wall to wall carpet in nothing flat. Maybe it will help with the smell in your carpet too.
Good Luck! (02/04/2010)
By metroplex
White vinegar will remove any odor. I keep a spray bottle of vinegar and water in my kitchen for spot cleaning
and I spray anything that has an odor. My spray bottle holds 22 ounces and I use 2 ounces of white vinegar
and then finish filling with tap water. For a strong odor, use more vinegar. (02/04/2010)
By Janus
Baking soda! I've had to use it on carpet, snowsuits, and car seats and it quickly gets rid of the smell. Just sprinkle it on, then use a damp cloth or sponge to make it into a paste to clean the spot, then rinse. (02/05/2010)
By Trix
I usually use cheaper, more natural products like baking soda or vinegar. But if these don't work, you can order a product called Odoban (Sam's has the best price I found, but you can only buy it online, not in the stores). It is a fairly environmentally/family-health friendly product. And an entire gallon was less than $9 (and there was no shipping charge).
We had a cat spray on our fabric-covered recliner and had tried everything. :0) Anyway, I found it to be fantastic and pleasant smelling. (02/05/2010)
By Sherri Lile
I like Odoban very much, but I love Complete, that you can get at Target in the pet section. We had to clean up some nasty messes in our house and it really gets rid of problem scents from the bacteria up. Not just a cover up. And it has a pleasant light citrus scent. I use it for shoes, doggy feet, everything you can imagine. It works! (02/07/2010)
By carla
Believe it or not, try Shower to Shower powder. Keep sprinkling it on and over a few days it will just disappear! This also works on urine smells. (02/10/2010)
By Kathy
My friend came round to my uni at the weekend and he was sick on my floor (possibly due to the stupidly large amount of vodka he drank).
We cleaned up the sick as much as possible and then we bought some bleach to try to destroy the sick and that was still in the carpet.
The smell disappeared for a day or two, but now it is back and as smelly as ever.
How can i permanently remove the sick smell from the carpet and hence my room.
Thanks,
Andy
Try sprinkling fresh coffee grounds over the area, leave overnight, then vacuum as normal. Do not cook the coffee first, it needs to be fresh out of the can or package. Truckers use this in semi trailers that have hauled onions, and it really works. (10/21/2004)
By Dawn
Hi Andy,
Clean area again, (I wouldn't recommend bleach in the future - too harsh, I use plain shaving cream), then use white vinegar for the sour smell. Soak area for a couple of hours, blot up and try again if the sour smell remains. Hope this helps. Pam (10/22/2004)
By Pam
Try sprinkling salt over the area and letting it sit there for a few hours if possible, then vacuum it. Or you could try vinegar to get out the smell. I've heard that vinegar gets rid of cat pee smells, it should work on sick smell too! (10/22/2004)
By Ann Washburn
Sprinkle with baking soda and leave overnight-then vacuum. Tap carpet around the baking soda to get it down in the carpet. (11/04/2004)
By Fran Marie
Buy a bottle of Nature's Miracle from your pet store. It will neutralize the smell. Good luck. (12/11/2004)
By scribstress
I currently have sick ALL OVER my carpet and the stain will not go or the smell, and seeing as the carpet was stained before im hoping to remove it! Baking soda seemed to work the best though.
By P
Bicarbonate of soda works brilliantly for smells. (01/05/2006)
By Claire B
i have a similar problem with sick on our uni sofa. No stain but the smell still lingers. How are you meant to apply the baking soda? With water or just straight?
thanks (02/17/2006)
By melanie
You can use the baking soda either dry, sprinkled on to the spot, let sit a few minutes and vacuum up. It can also be made into a paste with water, brushed lightly with a soft brush (like an old toothbrush),let dry and vacuum.
That being said, I like to use vinegar. Mix about 1 to 1 with water in a spray bottle, spray on the area, and let dry. Repeat until the smell is gone! The main advantage is that vinegar has some antibacterial properties where baking soda doesn't, but the smell of vinegar can be just as bad as the original stink, but you won't be able to smell the vinegar once it's dry! We currently use this method with our daughter who's starting to potty train and occasionally has accidents!
Good luck to you all!
Rebekah (02/17/2006)
By Rebekah
Try buying that Oxyclean stuff (it works wonders with dog pee!) (09/06/2006)
By Jean
Has anybody actually tried vinegar and baking soda?
i might just try both but i need to know now!
(b)Editor's Note:(/b) First put down the baking soda, rub it into the place where it smells. Quite often just baking soda will absorb odors. Add some to the spot then vacuum it up after a few hours. If that doesn't do it, then wipe with a solution of half distilled vinegar and half water. When you add vinegar to the baking soda, it will fizz. (12/05/2006)
Vinegar works great! Spray it right onto area, if you can't spray it use 50/50 with warm water and scrub. (09/13/2007)
By Dan
I have used oxy clean about 3 times in a row to get out smells that have really stuck in carpet. But in between shampooing. I would wait a day or two and let the carpet dry in between washings. Its a hard thing to get rid of. Whether its dog or human stink. Natures Miracle is real good too - I had to use it a couple of times on one room. Be persistent. (10/20/2007)
By Lou
I'm telling ya the only thing to get the smell of sick out of anything is to wash the area well, let completely dry then sprinkle with Bicarbonate - leave overnight and vacuum. This really does work on anything smelly, egg, milk, etc. (10/29/2007)
By Sharon
Best way to clean sick and get rid of the smell is first clean up any chunks that was thrown up, then get an old tea towel or something that is absorbent and soak up the rest of it. Then sprinkle bi-carb over the area, leave for a good few hours then hoover it up. Once you've done that, clean with a good quality carpet cleaner, and clean the area well.
Do not use bleach, you will ruin your carpet. Once the area is dry, get a carpet freshener (like shake n vac) sprinkle over the area leave for 10 mins then hoover up. It can take a day or two to do, but it works. I'm a mum and I've had moments when the kids haven't made it to the toilet on time. And this always works for me and my mum for her pets. (11/10/2007)
By Donna
I sprinkle with baking soda, vacuum after two hours, then rinse with vinegar and suck up excess with a wet/dry vacuum. For stains, make a paste of nappy-san and cover stain liberally. Let sit for a good few hours and then vacuum and rinse with water. (11/27/2007)
By
Brilliant, so glad you people take your time out to advise others, thanks again for the advice. Dave in Devon, England (12/19/2007)
By
Pet Urine: the only real way to remove pet urine odor from carpet permanently is to remove the affected pad, treat the back and front of carpet with a spray made for removing pet urine, and replace pad. I used to work for a company and this actually worked. (12/28/2007)
By Ryan
Thanks to everyone, for all the comments here. My 2 year old has a sickness bug and covered the lounge carpet with sick today and it wreaks, I have scrubbed, scrubbed and scrubbed at it. Now I've just made a 50/50 water/white vinegar solution in a spray bottle and the smell is better within seconds! I sprayed a little rubbed it in, and repeated this about 4 times - it really does work, thanks everyone! P.S. White vinegar descales your kettle really well too (in case anyone didn't know this)! (01/13/2008)
By Corrine
Thank you all, washed carpet several times then used bi-carb, left for 2 days, smell almost gone. Will leave another day then vacuum. (04/07/2008)
By Susan
I have used an equal amount of alcohol (rubbing or Isopropyl) and distilled vinegar. Just pour on the stain or area and let sit for 10-20 minutes. I use a carpet cleaner to suck up the residue and it works like a charm. Here in the States there is a product that contains enzymes which will break down vomit, urine or other organic substances. I think it is called Enzyclean, there are number of cleaners out there. I think the enzymes break down the order causing substance, however you still will need to clean the area after the enzymes are finished removing the odor. (12/07/2008)
My cat was sick over my cream carpet. We scraped up the excess vomit and poured mineral water over it and used a nail scrubber to scrub at the stain. Then we mopped up the water standing on a towel. The stain was completely removed. I am sure that soda water would work the same. Jean (12/13/2008)
By jean
I know its not a very nature friendly way but I cant stand the smell of sick in the house. After my stepson was spectacularly sick on the carpet this weekend we used a product that we previously bought after he had done the same in my car which is Interior1 by Turtle wax it's a (dry clean) upholstery cleaner with added Odor Out. I think we bought it in somewhere like Halfords and it wasn't massively expensive but does seem to work and with out the wet and/or mess of using baking soda. (12/23/2008)
By JJ
Our dog ate a dozen and a half Krispy Kreme donuts and then threw up in our car. Now it smells like vomit and we don't know how to get the smell out of the carpet.
