Stained, Smelly Carpet

Updated on March 28, 2008
L.H. asks from West Jordan, UT
15 answers

Does anyone have any tips on how to clean the stain and odor out of carpet after it's been thrown up on? I've tried baking soda for the smell and it didn't work.

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So What Happened?

I tried Janie's homemade miracle stain remover. It works great! My son has the stomach flu and it's been a sanity saver these past three days. Baking soda doesn't vacuum up from my carpet very well. This miracle stuff takes away the stain AND the smell. I definitely recommend it to everyone!

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C.C.

answers from Salt Lake City on

HI I have an amzing carpet cleaner and you can get some through me I have a new puppy and a little boy who likes to pee on the carpet. It takes the smell and stain( even old stains away) you can only get it through my business. let me know its great!

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J.

answers from Eugene on

L.,
My Mom gave me a spray bottle of her "miracle stain remover" when my son was born 4-1/2 yrs ago (one part rubbing alcohol, 3 parts water and a small squirt (possibly a 1/4 tsp.) of liquid dish soap. Spay it on till it's not soaked but thoroughly wet; use a small scrub brush on the stain and then blot it up with paper towels. Use the spray (with or without scrubbing) and blotting until the stain is gone. When the carpet is dry, just vaccume. This is also an awesome stain remover for clothes.....just spray when the stain occurs (or even when you find it before putting it in the washer). It won't hurt to spray it and leave it a couple of days in the hamper either. I used (and still use!!) this religously when my son was a baby on all of his clothes, spit-up rags (and you know how smelly and stained they can get!!), bedding, etc. and there are absolutely NO stains on any of his baby things!! I also use it on the carpet when the cats and dogs get sick or have accidents. I pre-mix enough to put into a 1/2 gallon jug and then just fill the spray bottle when I run low. Give it a try and let me know how it works.
J.

9 moms found this helpful
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T.J.

answers from Portland on

I have a great answer for you... 2 dogs and 2 kids to back it up! If your carpet is colorfast, use some oxyclean to get any discoloration out of it. Once you have put on the oxyclean, while the carpet is still wet, go after the smell. To knock out the smell, use white vinegar mixed with water (1 part vinegar to 3 parts water). The vinegar might make the oxyclean foam up a bit, but don't worry about that, it vacuums right up. For some reason, the acid in the vinegar neutralizes the protein in the throw up. Make sure you pour enough on to saturate the carpet pad, where alot of the smell hides out. After a while (maybe 15 - 30 minutes or so), you can soak up the extra liquid with a towel by standing on it. I tried literally everything, including expensive store products, and nothing worked well. Your house will smell like vinegar for a few hours while your carpet dries, but then it vanishes. I came across this on the internet somewhere a few years ago and swear by it. Good Luck!

PS... This works on any organic stain/smell including urine and other toddler messes!

1 mom found this helpful
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K.M.

answers from Eugene on

the cure?? hehe I found one that works. but the trick is to get the kids out of the house while you do it.

Pre treat (quick treatment) with mixture of
1 gallon warm (not hot) water
1 cup ammonia
1 cup liquid laundry detergent
(safeway brand works as good as tide)

Scrub in to area with carpet brush, then apply towel and press to absorb, allow to dry

this is excellent on stains/ smells

I use on my couch and as a pretreatment before shampooing carpets.

G O O D L U C K ! !

1 mom found this helpful
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A.S.

answers from Salt Lake City on

I dont know if it works for throw up, but it sure worked for everything else on my carpet. Its called AWESOME, and it really is AWESOME!!! you can buy it at a dollar store, like all a dollar or family dollar... I love it and use it all the time. Everytime I clean my carpets I use awesome and it works wonders. Its even gotten grape juice stains out of my carpet and wine out of my brother in laws pants, so I would try it. You cant go wrong its a dollar. Its in a squirt bottle thats see through and its a yellow colored liquid. I hope that it works for you, and if not maybe you can use it for something else cause its really awesome!!! LOL

1 mom found this helpful
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M.B.

answers from Missoula on

My dad told me about a product that you can buy at Home Depot it is called Capture and it takes out stains and smells. Try it and let me know how it works. I have bought some, but haven't used it yet.

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B.

answers from Cheyenne on

Hi L., I understand the stain and smell thing as a mother of two little boys with a cream colored carpet! I have tried a number of things, and so far have found that mixing a bucked of warm water and oxyclean works extremely well. Unfortunately a little elbow grease is also involved but it is so worth it in the end! I scrubbed like mad, let it dry, and vaccumed and it has always worked really well. I also like spot shot, which I also end up scrubbing. This past weekend however, I made a wonderful purchase of the Bissel Little Green Machine. It is a mini carpet shampooer specially designed for small areas (such as vomit spots)It is so easy to use and very worth the money! I think it was about $40 or so and I LOVE it already! Hope this helps!

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M.W.

answers from Boise on

Hi L.,

I would totally recommend a product that Pet Smart and Petco would sell...and it is called "Nature's Miracle." I didn't actually use it on a mess from my son, but have used it on spots where our puppy had made "messes" and have used it on spots where she had thrown up once or twice and it works so well. It has a clean, antiseptic smell and really seems to work on getting not only the stain but the smell out as well. It is relatively cheap too.

Good Luck!

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S.B.

answers from Lincoln on

If it's just the smell you're concerned with, I'd try "urine gone"...It removes the smell from pet accidents, I've tried it myself, and it's worked pretty well.

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M.L.

answers from Eugene on

Vinegar and water
Oyxclean works well too Check the laundry detergent section of your favorite store

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F.H.

answers from Portland on

There is a citrus spray for pet odors that actually works really well. Go to Pet Smart and they should be able to point you in the right direction. Also, Febreeze works wonders.

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M.E.

answers from Pocatello on

Febreze works great for the odor, safe on dry-clean only carpets, too.

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M.J.

answers from Las Vegas on

Spot Shot works on everything. It's in a blue can with an orange top. You can probably find it at any grocery or drug store. It should definitely get the stain out.

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H.C.

answers from Las Vegas on

I'm not sure about the stain, although I've heard Oxyclean works well. But for the smell, someone else mentioned "urine gone." I used something similar that I bought at the pet store. I just can't remember the name, but it is for all organic smells (pee, poop, vomit, food). It comes in a normal shampoo-bottle looking bottle. I used it in the living room after my son had a major illness and was puking EVERYWHERE. I thought I would have to get new furniture, but the smell is completely gone. You just soak the area(s) and let it dry naturally. It is the drying process that removes the smell so it takes up to a week. I also dropped some smelly food in my trunk and it got into the upholstery. I used this stuff and the smell went away, even though I waited almost a week before finding the stuff.

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L.B.

answers from Anchorage on

hi L., i would suggest calling a carpet cleaning company and exsplain to them the smell most carpet cleaning people are really helpful into what to do. i would try that first. because you don't want to try and mask the smell it could turn out to be worse good luck.

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