Cleaning your house involves various tasks, including cleaning the carpet. Vacuuming can be very tiring, especially if you have young children and pets. Pets shed hair onto your carpet, and children can bring dirt from outdoor play into the house.
A major issue with having pets and sometimes children can vomit on your carpet. If your children are not feeling well, they may throw up on your carpet. Pets like cats can also vomit on your floor. Cleaning the vomit ensures that it does not dry and stain your carpet.
In addition, if you leave vomit on your carpet, it will make your home smell very bad. Below is a comprehensive guide to cleaning vomit off your carpet quickly and successfully.
Cleaning human vomit from your carpet
If you have a party and one of your guests vomits on your carpet, removing it can be challenging, especially when spread over a large area. Sick children can also vomit on your carpet. The smell can ruin the air in your home and make it impossible to get comfortable in the house. Follow these easy steps to clean vomit off the carpet.
- Begin by putting on protective clothing such as gloves and opening the windows. Opening the windows improves ventilation in the room.
- Next, scrape or wipe off the solid matter with paper towels or cloth, then put them in a sealed bag and in the garbage.
- Sprinkle the area with absorbent material such as salt, carpet deodorizer, or baking powder, and let it sit for 15 minutes. That will help soak up the vomit from your carpet fibers.
- After that, vacuum up the deodorizer, baking powder, or salt. Do this carefully so you do not leave any absorbent material you used on the carpet. Next, treat the area with a carpet cleaner or carpet stain remover. Ensure that you follow the manufacturer’s instructions and keep your windows open for ventilation. Test the cleaning product on a small carpet area before using it. If the product does not damage the carpet, you can use it on the rest of the stain.
- Next, blot out the vomit stain using a damp cloth instead of scrubbing it, as that will push the vomit deeper into the carpet fibers.
- Finally, let the area air dry overnight.
Cleaning the smell of vomit from your carpet
After cleaning the carpet, as mentioned above, you may notice a persistent vomit smell in the room and carpet. Even if the room is well-ventilated, the human vomit smell on a carpet will persist, making your home uninhabitable. Follow these steps to clean your carpet.
- Instead of allowing the carpet to airdry, sprinkle the area with the absorbent material you used earlier again and wait for another 15 minutes.
- Next, vacuum the area and treat it with a commercial carpet stain remover a second time.
- Use a damp cloth and blot away the stain carefully. Do not scrub it, as the vomit will soak further into the carpet.
- Using a steam cleaner, deep clean the stained section of your carpet. Steam can kill bacteria and other microorganisms that can cause bad odors. That said, ensure that you are careful when steam cleaning, as very high temperatures, can melt some types of carpet fibers.
- Next, disinfect the area to kill all microorganisms that may cause bad smells.
- Finally, spray the area with carpet deodorant or mix a few drops of essential oils in water and spray it on the smelly area. You can use tea tree, citrus, or lavender essential oils.
You can also mix vinegar in water as it is a natural deodorizer to clean your carpet. Using this solution will ensure that your carpet does not smell bad. Follow these steps to create a vinegar-cleaning solution for your carpet.
- Mix one part of white vinegar with two parts of warm water. For example, mix one cup of white vinegar with two cups of water.
- Next, add three drops of dishwashing soap and mix it thoroughly.
- Use the solutions to clean your carpet immediately, and your carpet will be odor-free, sanitized, and clean. Please do not store it.
How to clean pet vomit off your floor
If you own dogs or cats, they may vomit on your carpet. It could be due to illness or eating something that hurt your pet’s stomach. In addition, your cat or dog vomit can dry onto your floor, as you may not see it if the animal vomits under the furniture. Follow these guidelines to clean both dry and fresh pet vomit.
Cleaning fresh pet vomit
- Start by putting on gloves to protect your hands.
- Use tissue paper to wipe off the vomit from the carpet just as you would dog poop. You can use several paper towels to remove the solid bits from your carpet but ensure that you do not press the towels onto the carpet as the vomit will soak further into the fibers.
- Mix hydrogen peroxide and water in a ratio of 1 to 1.
- Add a few drops of dishwashing fluid and mix thoroughly.
- Apply the solution to the stain until the carpet is wet.
- Allow it to sit for 30 minutes, then gently clean the area with a moist cloth.
- Air dry the excess fluid and apply some baking soda to the area.
- After it dries, vacuum it, and you will have a clean carpet.
You can also use commercial carpet cleaning products, vinegar, club soda, or steam to clean the carpet.
Cleaning dried pet vomit
Cleaning dried vomit on your carpet is similar to cleaning moist vomit. Follow these steps to clean up dried-up vomit.
- Use warm water to moisten the dried vomit, ensuring you do not use too much and oversaturate the area. Use enough to make it easy to remove the vomit.
- Next, use a damp paper towel or a cloth to clean off the moist vomit.
- After that, clean the stain as you would a fresh one. Follow the steps outlined above.
If you notice that the dried cat vomit on the carpet smells even after cleaning, you can use the following products to help remove the smell.
- White vinegar
- Mix water and vinegar in equal parts and put the mixture in a spray bottle.
- Spray the contents on the stains until the area is moist but do not oversaturate it.
- Vinegar is a natural deodorizer, and the bad smell will be gone when the area dries. You can use apple cider vinegar which has a more pleasant smell.
- Baking soda
- Cover the area with baking soda.
- Allow it to rest overnight, and then vacuum.
- You can mix natural-colored essential oils in the baking soda to improve the smell. However, ensure that the oil you use is not toxic to pets.
- Borax
You can also use borax to remove the human vomit smell on the carpet.
- To do that, mix borax and baking soda in equal parts and sprinkle the mixture on the area.
- Wait for an hour and then vacuum.
- Vodka
Cheap vodka is an excellent cleaning solution. Follow these steps to use vodka to remove the smell of vomit.
Check this too: How to Get Wax Out of Carpet
- Put the vodka in a spray bottle, spray it onto the area, and wait 15 minutes.
- Next, use a paper towel to blot out any moisture that remains.
- Allow the area to air dry, sprinkle baking soda on it, and leave for an hour.
- Finally, vacuum the area.
Vomit on your carpet can make your home smell and leave ugly stains. Removing vomit from your carpet immediately after you notice it is crucial. Vomit odor can be as bad as vomit as it hangs in the air and makes your house smell very bad. Use the above tips to clean vomit off your carpet.