How to Remove Vomit Smell From Carpet

Carpet stains are common in a busy household, particularly when children and pets are present. At some point, rather than waste energy fighting an uphill battle, many of us simply learn to live with the occasional strange mark on the rug. When removing a stain takes several attempts, it’s sometimes easier to cover it with an end table and return to it later, if at all. Once a spot or stain on the carpet is hidden, it’s easy to forget about it. However, when dealing with vomit stains, you must contend with more than just unsightly blemishes on the floor.

The stench of a vomit stain, visible or not, is enough to make anyone sick as soon as they walk into the room. There’s no avoiding or postponing it. The smell of vomit is as unpleasant as it is undeniable. It’s common knowledge that a single instance of vomiting can linger in the air for days, and with multiple incidents over a period of time, there’s no telling how long the odor will remain potent. To restore the pleasant aroma of your home, we’ll show how to get vomit smell out of the carpet in this post.

Why Does Vomit Have Such A Disgusting Smell?

Vomit is a slurry of digested foods and the various gastric acids that break it down. This is a lethal combination of aggressive, fast-setting, and stinky stains on new carpets. Vomit that contains hydrochloric acid and bile will discolor and wear down the carpet fibers. They will emit a strong, unpleasant odor when they come up with dissolved food chunks.

Have you ever thought about why vomit smells like cheese? The mixture contains butyric acid. Beneficial bacteria in your digestive tract convert dietary fiber into butyric acid, a short-chain fatty acid with numerous health benefits. While your stomach produces the majority of the butyric acid in your diet, it is also found in butter, parmesan cheese, and vegetable oils. As a result, the vomit smells strongly of sour dairy.

How to Remove Fresh Vomit From The Carpet

The first rule for cleaning stains on any absorbent surface, from pet pee on the carpet to spilled wine on the sofa, is to soak up the stain as soon as possible. Vomit is usually torrential and voluminous, sinking through the carpet fibers and penetrating the foam underlayment.

Vomit contains relatively weak gastric acids that will not damage carpeting immediately. They can, however, degrade and discolor the fibers over time. Removing the stain and vomit odors will become difficult, if not impossible, in some cases, necessitating carpet replacement.

Proven Solutions to Remove Vomit Smell from the Carpet

Vomit, like blood and excrement, is a potential biohazard. To protect your health, you must take more precautions than you would for everyday food or drink spills. When someone pukes on the carpet, they may have a contagious illness such as viral gastroenteritis—a common stomach bug. It’s best to wear a mask and rubber gloves when cleaning up the mess.

The following are some tips and tricks for removing vomit smell from the carpet:

Remove Any Vomit As Soon As Possible

To apply a full-fledged fix, responding quickly to fresh vomit on the carpet is critical. Scoop and sop up most of the mess until you can thoroughly clean it.

With a delicate scraper, remove as much viscous vomit liquid as possible. To remove the debris, use a plastic scraper, rubber spatula, dustpan, stiff piece of cardboard, or anything else that will not damage the carpet. While you work, keep a plastic bag nearby to hold the scooped goop.

Sprinkle Baking Soda

After scraping and blotting up the majority of the vomit stain, apply baking soda to the affected area. When acidic odors interact with it, their pH approaches neutral, and the smell is removed. By neutralizing low-pH hydrochloric acid and butyric acid, baking soda can remove vomit odors from carpets.

Add enough baking soda to cover the stain completely. Allow at least 15 minutes to sit or overnight if the mess is particularly large. When the timer goes off, vacuum the baking soda out of the carpet to reveal a clean one.

Use Vomit Stain Removal with Vinegar

After scrubbing the stain with baking soda, a spray cleaner removes any remaining vomit. There are numerous homemade and commercial carpet deodorizers to try, but distilled white vinegar is a good place to begin.

Vinegar’s acetic acid decomposes vomit stains and kills bacteria that cause odor, so the smell of vomit won’t return. Adding a little dish soap or laundry detergent can make an even stronger vinegar solution.

Hydrogen Peroxide

Hydrogen peroxide, a mild bleaching agent, can oxidize odors. After conducting a spot test to ensure the carpet’s colorfastness, use it on the carpet by mixing it with a little dish soap and water in a spray bottle. After 30-60 minutes, blot dry and clean as usual. Wash the area down with cold water to remove any trace of soap.

Utilize an Enzyme Cleaner

If the vinegar solution doesn’t work, you may need to use a more targeted solution — an enzyme cleaner. Enzymatic or bio-enzymatic cleaners use enzymes and bacteria to break down stain particles, which are then converted to water and CO2.

The enzyme cleaner you might use for pet messes is often the best option for cleaning vomit in absorbent materials. These solutions break down vomit, blood, urine, and feces to remove stains from mattresses, furniture, and carpets.

Allow for Breathing Space

After removing the stains, open the windows and allow the sun to dry the area and eliminate any lingering odors. The bright sunlight deodorizes, and opening windows allows air to circulate. A fan can also help move the odor and dry the carpet faster. Run the vacuum cleaner over the area once it is completely dry.

Final Thoughts

Vomit can leave an unpleasant odor that will linger in your carpets if they’re not properly cleaned. The longer you leave stains or odors in your carpets, the harder they will be to remove. The best way to handle vomit stains and odors is to act quickly, so they do not have time to set into the carpet.

Choose your carpet cleaning tools and products wisely as well; this will ensure that your carpets remain clean and odor-free. Some carpets are more sensitive than others, and there are specific cleaning solutions that can be used for specific materials. A professional can tell you which products work best on your carpet and how long they should be left before rinsing with water.