This is embarrassingly simple and I hope it isn’t wasting your time or insulting your intelligence, but my goodness is it stupid easy (and cheap) to make your own powdered deodorizer for your carpet.
You know the kind… that orange box of white powder made by the same people who make that orange box of white powder you’ve had in your fridge for 9 years… 💪 🔨
Ok so maybe you don’t have carpet. Maybe you don’t have indoor pets or toddlers who make smelly messes on your carpet. Maybe you don’t use this product at all and don’t give a crap, that’s fine. But you probably do have at least one rug somewhere in your home, right? An upholstered couch? Come on, you’ve got a mattress, yes? And maybe you have at least one smelly friend who really never fully leaves your space after he’s gone… (and if you don’t then you’re the smelly friend. sorry that’s just nose math.)
Either way, I feel like we can all use a deodorizing element in our homes. I’ll say it again, your mattress absolutely needs this. And yes, you can vacuum a mattress. Anything upholstered that can soak up smells will benefit from this here simple solution, you don’t have to have an actual spill to need this. And this time of year with many a butt on your couch, you’re gonna want to remember this and thank me in the new year when you realize you do not still smell your unshowered buddy who crashed where you are now sipping your coffee.
So you’ve probably heard we aren’t supposed to be using fragranced things. In general, most of those products have a ton of chemicals. But I don’t enjoy not having a fragrance in my home. I just really like things smelling nice. And I’m extremely sensitive to… unkempt smells, like – let’s say – unwashed hair or clothing. I’m like a bloodhound with smells and especially the unsavory ones. It’s a superpower whose mission I haven’t yet figured out. So, naturally, I’m a big fan of things smelling nice.
Most of the fragranced products out there made to help with these matters are full of chemicals, and as much as I do love a lot of them, I try to limit my chemical intake as much as possible. And being an avid essential oil fan (I have ALL the ones), I make as many good smelly things I can for our home with my collection.
And one of them is this Carpet Deodorizer!
Are you ready for the recipe? Grab a pen, this is intense.
Ready?
Ok.
You will need…
Baking Soda (you doin’ ok so far?)
and
Essential Oils.
Whew! We’re done. All done. You did great.
Yeah that’s it, man. Baking soda is the main ingredient in the store bought deodorizers. You’ve got baking soda + fragrance + declumping agents on the back of those boxes. And baking soda is a master deodorizer… it’s why we keep it in our fridges. It’s why there’s a box hiding underneath my cats’ litter box. It’s why we can use it to clean hard surfaces. It’s fantastic, that baking soda. It’s what I use (along with white vinegar) to soak my produce when I come home from the store and what I use (with lemon juice) get the fish smell out of my plastic cutting boards. It’s like a magic sponge. And it’s non toxic.
Win Win!
So all you’re basically doing here is mixing baking soda with your chosen essential oils, a little bit at a time in a jar- using a fork for de-clumping – shaking it all up and then sprinkling it wherever you need it to later be vacuumed up along with whatever smells were there before. If you don’t have a massive jar collection like me, that’s cool. (Buy a little pack of 4 on amazon here : https://amzn.to/3iPPi14 ) Or just use any container you have. And I have screw-on ventilated lids for my jars that are meant for putting straws in, but I use one here to shake it out onto the carpet. If you want those, you can get them here : https://amzn.to/3BqQDC0 .
The only tricky part about this, really, is choosing your oils. If you’re doing this with pets in the house, you have to make sure you don’t use any that are toxic to your little friend. There are lists online and some are very contradictory, so if you’re at all concerned, please please contact your vet. I am purposefully not recommending any specific oil here so you’re not allowed to yell bad things at me.
Again, this is far too much worded content for how simple this is, and yet, here you are still reading and here I am still typing. I also have spent the better part of the last hour trying to upload the video that goes along with this post and have been told by the powers that be that I will not be succeeding in that task. So, you’ll have to check out the reel on my instagram for such a video to walk you through, again, how incredibly easy this is and how incredibly unnecessary a video is.
DIY Carpet Deodorizer
You will need :
- Standard pint size regular mouth mason jar (buy 4 / $14 on amazon here : https://amzn.to/3iPPi14 ) (And feel free to sub a different container if you prefer.)
- Ventilated screw-on lids, if using (buy a 16 pack on amazon here : https://amzn.to/3BqQDC0 )
- Baking soda, about 2 cups total per batch (buy in bulk – 5 lbs. / $15 on amazon here : https://amzn.to/3HsH0Xo )
- Essential oils of choice, and approved by your vet if you’re a pet owner.
Easy instructions :
In a mason jar or other preferred container you can shake and also ‘pour’ from onto your desired surface, add :
about 1/3 cup of baking soda, use a fork to break up any clumps.
Drop in :
your desired (and approved!) essential oil/s – about 7-8 drops.
Stir again with the fork, making sure to scrape the sides of the jar to get any oils that may be stuck there.
Add again :
about 1/3 cup of baking soda, breaking up clumps again with a fork.
Drop in :
your desired (and approved!) essential oil/s – about 7-8 drops…
Repeat the steps, always stirring in between, until the jar is full.
Cover jar with lid.
Shake the jar very well to ensure even mixing.
Place pouring lid over the jar if using.
Shake over any carpet / rug / upholstered surface in need of deodorizing.
Let sit at least 15 minutes.
Vacuum it all up and enjoy the deodorization and scent of choice 😉
…
that’s it for today! thanks for reading, ya’ll. much love x
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