We highly recommend learning how to clean carpets with baking soda to avoid the temptation to buy chemical-filled, artificially-scented powder products that line the cleaning aisle shelves.
It pays to know how to deep clean carpets as well as how to remove makeup stains from carpets because they have to endure a lot of wear over the course of their lifespan. Carpets need to be well maintained to get the best from them, to ensure you don't have to replace your carpets unnecessarily.
Baking soda cleans, freshens and deodorises carpet whilst being kind to the environment and your bank balance – what’s not to love?
How to clean carpet with baking soda
Baking soda aka bicarbonate of soda "is the perfect green cleaning product to help freshen and remove odours from the carpets and rugs around your home,” explains Bunmi Scott, the founder of It's All About Eco.
Bunmi’s favourite way to use baking soda to clean carpet is to “simply mix some drops of my favourite essential oils with some bicarbonate of soda in a jar. Shake bicarbonate of soda and the oils together, ensuring that you’re left with a powdery mix and that there are no lumps or clumps.”
Here's what you'll need to clean carpets with baking soda:
- Baking soda: We used Amazon's choice 'Clean and Natural Bicarbonate of Soda'
- Sieve or shaker
- Vacuum
- Essential oils (optional)
- Plant mister filled with water (for heavy stains only)
Before we get into the method for how to clean the carpet with baking soda, a top tip is to always test a patch of carpet in an inconspicuous area before proceeding with the rest of the floor.
The following method is ideal to freshen a carpet up and remove mild stains or odours.
1. Sprinkle baking soda over the carpet
Bunmi advises that the first step in the process of how to clean a carpet with baking soda is to “simply sprinkle the mixture of the bicarbonate of soda and essential oils all over your carpets." As well as being good for cleaning it's ideal for making your house smell fabulous,
There are lots of essential oils to choose from, so pick the scent that resonates with you for the best results.
Bunmi shares a top tip to ensure even coverage: “I like to use a sieve with small holes to make sure that I don’t miss any parts.” We recommend Amazon's Stainless Steel Extra Fine Quinoa Sieve for ultra-filteration.
Bunmi Scott is the founder of It's All About Eco, an e-commerce business specialising in eco-friendly lifestyle essentials and green cleaning products. Bunmi frequently shares her advice and easy-to-follow tutorials on how to live an eco-friendly lifestyle on her popular Instagram account.
2. Allow time for the cleaning magic
Leave the baking soda to do its job. If you are in a hurry, you can wait for as little as 15-30 minutes before moving on to the next step, but Bunmi advises to “leave the bicarbonate of soda on the carpet for as long as possible to let it work its magic,” adding, “I often leave it overnight.”
This is a great opportunity to move on to another cleaning job, cleaning a mattress with baking soda perhaps. Nothing like giving your house a really good deep clean once you feel motivated to start cleaning.
3. Vacuum the carpet
“The next step is to vacuum every trace of baking soda up,” advises Bunmi. “The bicarbonate of soda will help to lift stains whilst freshening your carpets up all at the same time,” she adds. There's no doubt that this stage is the most satisfying.
Vacuuming the baking soda up to reveal a clean and fresh-smelling carpet is a rewarding feeling, much the same as wiping away layers of dirt and grease to reveal a shining good-as-new oven when you clean an oven with baking soda.
We recommend using one of the best vacuums to ensure every last speck of baking soda is lifted from the carpet fibres.
4. Repeat or add water
If you have a persistent carpet stain to clean you could repeat the above steps or you could opt to dampen the baking soda with a plant mister filled with water before leaving it to work.
The key is not to use too much water as you don’t want to soak the carpet, but adding a little water can increase the effectiveness of the baking soda’s cleaning action. Allow to dry out before vacuuming as before.
I’ve been testing all the baking soda cleaning hacks, everything from ovens to washing machines and showers to sinks and the results have blown my mind.
Not every surface around your home will benefit from baking soda being applied to it, so make sure you check out what not to clean with baking soda before you dive in, but carpets definitely don't feature on that list.
FAQ
How long do you leave baking soda on a carpet to clean it?
The answer to how long to leave the baking soda on a carpet to clean it will depend on how dirty the carpet you are cleaning is and how much time you have available.
Our professional cleaning expert, Bunmi advises that for optimum results you can leave the baking soda on the carpet overnight, but if the carpet isn’t suffering from any bad odours and isn’t stained, 15-30 minutes will usually suffice.
What do you mix with baking soda to clean a carpet?
There’s no need to mix anything into the baking soda for cleaning carpets if you don’t want to, it will work perfectly well on its own. However, you could choose to add some essential oils to the baking soda powder before it is applied to the carpet. Essential oils will add a fragrance to the carpet, an easy method of scent-scaping your home.
Does sprinkling baking soda on the carpet do anything?
In short, yes. Sprinkling baking soda onto carpets might seem too easy, but it’s all you need to do for the baking soda to start working its magic and absorbing and neutralising odours and stains. It’s advisable to use a shaker or sieve to sprinkle evenly over the carpet and avoid missing patches or wasting the baking soda through over-application.
How does bicarbonate of soda and vinegar clean carpets?
Vinegar is acidic and can be used as a natural disinfectant on badly soiled carpets or those with a strong odour as it kills bacteria and cuts through grease and grime. Whilst baking soda is excellent at absorbing and neutralising, its effects can be supercharged when combined with a quick spray of cleaning white vinegar.
The method you should adopt is to pour a little vinegar over the affected area, and then sprinkle the baking soda over the patch of white vinegar. Leave for a few hours or overnight (during which time any vinegar odour will disappear) and the baking soda will start to dry out. Vacuum the carpet for impressive cleaning results.
This method is more effective when cleaning stains, for instance when trying to clean blood out of a carpet.