How to Use Baking Soda to Clean Your Carpet

Reading Time: 4 minutes

Dirty feet, food leftovers, spills, dust, and other unwanted substances accidentally ruin our favorite carpets, no matter how careful or tidy we are. Yet, the key to carpet cleaning chores is to master quick and easy steps to get rid of stains using cheap home products that are constantly available.

As it happens, baking soda stands out from a long list of choices and doesn’t seem to be going out of style anytime soon. Plus, figuring out how to use baking soda to clean your carpet at home, school, or office isn’t all that challenging.

So, grab some baking soda and work cleaning magic on even the most stubborn carpet stains now!

How Baking Soda Gets Stains Out of Carpet Fibers

Baking soda has specific chemical properties that make it an excellent cleaning product, mainly due to its slight alkalinity. This mild basicity allows dirt, other particles, and grease to combine with water and makes it easier for the stains to be washed away when rinsed or vacuumed.

In addition, baking soda was shown to exhibit some antibacterial properties, so it’s an all-around good household cleaning agent.

How Long to Leave Baking Soda on Carpet Fibers

Ideally, it would be best to leave baking soda on the carpet until the stain is disintegrated and can be easily removed without much scrubbing. If you don’t leave it long enough, it might not eliminate all residue. Meanwhile, if you leave it too long, it could leave behind a visible stain itself.

For non-greasy spills, it usually takes 10-15 minutes and up to one whole day for tougher, greasy stains.

How to Get Stains Out of a Carpet With Baking Soda

Generally, two main stain types could ruin a carpet’s aesthetic: greasy and non-greasy. Greasy stains include face creams, oil, and others. They are harder to clean since they are oil-based and thus don’t mix with water easily.

On the other hand, examples of non-grease stains are coffee, juices, watercolors, and others. As its name suggests, this type is primarily water-based and is easier to clean than the former. Either way, here’s how to clean carpet stains with baking soda in a few steps:

1. Prep the Stained Area

Before you sprinkle the baking soda, use a vacuum to remove the dust, fur, hair, and other particles. For greasy stains, you can use a cloth or any absorbent paper to remove the surface grease stains. Carefully rub the paper inward to avoid spreading the stain to unaffected areas.

2. Spread Baking Soda

Once you are ready with prepping, put baking soda as needed on the stained spot. You can also use a brush or a toothbrush to penetrate the carpet fibers. This applies especially to deeper stains since brushing will help disintegrate outer bonds, making it easier for chemical reactions to work their magic.

3. Consider Spraying Water

For non-greasy stains, you can sprinkle some warm water to help dissolve the particles. You can either use a spray bottle or a dampened cloth to do this.

4. Let It Sit Before Vacuuming

For non-greasy stains, it’s better to let the soda sit for 15 minutes. On the other hand, you can leave it overnight or for up to 24 hours for greasy stains. Once the waiting period is over, you can use a vacuum cleaner to suck up the remaining baking soda and debris.

5. Scale Up to Dish Soap

Some stains might have stayed so long that they require more effort to clean. So, if the stain isn’t removed by now, you can try these additional steps:

• Using a sponge or cloth, lightly apply dish soap or dishwashing liquid to the remaining stain.
• Use a separate damp cloth to rinse the dish soap.
• Put the baking soda in the stained area again.
• Leave it for at least three hours or as deemed necessary.
• Use a vacuum cleaner to clear the spot the next day.

How to Get Rid of Carpet Odor With Baking Soda

Aside from keeping our carpets neat, baking soda can also remove unwanted scents. This effect is due to its neutralizing nature that chemically reacts with foul odors, which are mostly acidic.
With these simple tricks, we assure you of a dashing and good-smelling home:

• Sprinkle a sufficient amount of baking soda on the entire carpet.
• Gently spread using your fingers or with a brush.
• Let it stay overnight.
• Use a vacuum cleaner to remove excess baking soda after.

It has been proven effective against several common musty and foul odors on carpets, such as pet smell, feet smell, and even stains with lingering scents. Do this regularly to keep the odors from soaking deep into the carpet.

How to Remove Baking Soda From Carpet Fibers

When cleaning carpets and rugs with baking soda, the vacuum might leave some residue. Or you might even forget the vacuuming step altogether, which could cause a stain or a slight discoloration.
Here’s how you can get rid of stuck baking soda in cases like this:

• Measure approximately three-fourths of water with one-fourth of vinegar in a clean bowl.
• Mix thoroughly using a spoon or stirrer.
• Use a cloth or sponge and soak it in the mixture.
• Dab the cloth or sponge to the stain until it disappears.
• Set aside and leave it to dry.

Conclusion

Baking soda doesn’t only serve a purpose in the kitchen, but its versatility is also highlighted as a cleaning product and deodorizing agent for carpets. There are many opinions on which is the best household cleaner, but baking soda is hard to beat in terms of price, efficiency, and availability.

Not only is it a standard household product, but its ease of use is a bonus. You sprinkle, vacuum, and repeat! So, the next time you are tempted to go for expensive carpet detergents, go to your kitchen first and check for ingredients that might answer your problem.