(That's me trying to be positive and thankful.)
Even though we had them professionally cleaned before we moved in, on a hot day they still smell a little bit like the previous owners pets who liked to pee on them. And since we can't afford to replace them just yet, every few months or so I like to give them a little freshening up.I've used retail carpet powders and febreeze and aside from the cost, these things work just O.K.
But the cheapest and best thing I've found so far is a recipe on the internet for Homemade Carpet Freshener. I've tweaked it a little bit and it goes something like this...
Homemade Carpet Fresh
Process 2 cups of baking soda, 2 cups lavender buds, and 2 cups of rosemary in a food processor or blender. Store in an airtight container. When ready to use, sprinkle on carpets and let set for an hour. Then vacuum up.
This would probably work well with another of your favorite herbal scents also. Don't be afraid to experiment.
10 comments:
Where would I get lavendar buds? That sounds expensive. And is the rosemary dried or fresh? If it's dried, that seems more expensive than just buying Carpet Fresh. Do you have a garden where you grow rosemary?
Is the cost difference worth it? I'm always looking for inexpensive alternatives, but this seems more expensive to me.
I dont have any carpet except in our playroom and it is new, but that sounds like it would be great as a refresher--great post
This sounds great! A tip I got from my MIL is to put the scent in the bag when you replace it. This works great and keeps the build up from getting down in the carpets. Just use about 1/4 cup. Also if your ever going to be gone for a few days just spreading baking soda all over the carpets while your gone does wonders! Yes, I have had carpet issues!! I'm going to have to hit anonymous because I'm computer illiterate and don't know how to "choose an identity" without a blog.
Heather Kay
Very cool. Where would I find the herbs at?
Love your furniture!
Oh...and I'm having a hard time finding washing soda to make my own detergent. I found the other two ingredients (not at the same store) but can't find the soda!
sounds nifty. That gives me a reason to save my lavender buds at the end of summer.
We had vintage carpets in our first home, but only upstairs. Downstairs they had put less expensive new carpet that looked beautiful. 6 months later, I loved the vintage. It cleaned better, even red Kool Aid couldn't defeat it, it fluffed when I vacuumed, and it was so soft to sit on!!
I think your carpet looks great. Also, just a tip, but if you can't afford to replace the carpet and you have noticed that there is a particular area that smells you could replace the pad for very little money. Use a cleaner with bleach on the concrete when you pull it back, just in case it has absorbed there, but most of the time the smell is mostly the pad.
Thanks for the recipe!
Rosemary and lavender can be grown for cheap. If you can't grow it yourself, check in your town for a health food store that might sell herbs in bulk.
This might be a stupid suggestion, but in our old house we had to deal with the same type of carpeting. We finally just pulled it up and threw it out, gave the flooring a good cleaning and couldn't have been happier. Have you ever pulled up the corner to see what's underneath? We then started shopping at Home Depot for their remnants (area rugs.) They take their remaining carpet pieces and seal the ends and sell them for anywhere between $15-40. You have to be so careful with old carpets no matter how much you clean them, they can make you sick.
Cinnamon mixed with baking soda smells heavenly as well...if you like the scent of cinnamon :)
Hi, Thank you so much for your ideas and recipes. One thing I've found for really stinky carpet is just to pour vinegar on it. Just striaght vinegar, and a lot of it. The vinegar smell dissipates and so does the bad smell (usually). You can also sprinkle essential oils all around the carpet after the vinegar has dried up. :)
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