Baking soda is one of the oldest and still effective remedies for removing stains from carpet and upholstery. When you sprinkle baking soda on a stain, you rest assured that at the very least, you can prevent the corrosive substance from permeating rancid odours into the surrounding air.
With this in mind, how can you use baking soda to get stains out of a carpet?
Baking soda works on stains by acting as a drying agent and a whitening solution. Since stains are primarily caused by liquids, it can help to remove the stain and neutralise any odours. It is best to allow the baking soda to set into a carpet and avoid scrubbing the substance into the stain.
Since there is no denying the power of baking soda in stain removal and prevention, we will explore exactly how this household product responds to stains.
Read on to find out more about its relationship to stain removal in carpets.
What Makes Baking Soda Such a Popular Carpet Stain Remover?
Sodium bicarbonate is an alkaline substance that can be used for many household issues and even health-related remedies. This white powder uses neutralisation as its primary mechanism of action for a variety of different issues.
Most stains are strongly composed of acidic substances in one way or another. Wine, grease, even pet urine is highly acidic, which means that baking soda is effective at breaking down that acidity. Since baking soda is commonly used as an antacid in humans, you do not have to worry about any toxicity when using it as a stain remover.
There are two primary ways in which baking soda works against carpet stains and dirt. The first way is through neutralisation. Since baking soda is alkaline and stains are mostly acidic in nature, the alkalinity of it acts as a buffer to absorb and cancel out the staining properties of the acidic substance.
Secondly, baking soda can also work wonders against stains that can cause odours. Odours are also caused by the strong acidity and presence of corrosive chemicals in a substance. The baking soda works by absorbing the odours completely.
It’s a fairly simple process, and this is what makes baking soda such a handy tool for stain removal. It should be understood that baking soda is generally only a good solution for fresh stains. The longer a stain has set into carpet fibres, the effectiveness of baking soda becomes diminished.
Does Vinegar and Baking Soda Remove Old Stains From Carpet?
Much like baking soda, vinegar is also effective at cleaning stains. A vinegar mixture is always a popular tool used for cleaning and this is due to the high levels of acetic acid that are found in vinegar. The acetic acid in vinegar acts as an antagonist against the chemicals that cause stains.
When you combine the neutralising properties of baking soda with the stain-attacking power of white vinegar, you have a fairly effective organic stain remover. The best part about vinegar and baking soda combined as a cleaning agent is the ability of the combination to remove stubborn, old stains.
If you would like to try this method to remove old stains, be sure to have this handy checklist on hand to ensure you have everything you will need:
- Warm water
- Paper towel
- Vacuum
- Baking soda
- Vinegar
- Spray bottle
To get stains out of carpet with baking soda and vinegar, make sure you apply an even amount of baking soda and vinegar to a spray bottle. You will also need warm water to ensure that the mixture is not too overpowering.
Make sure to saturate the old stain with the mixture. This is important since older stains are very stubborn and set deep into the carpet fibres. Once you have allowed the mixture to absorb into the stain for at least 30 minutes, you can then begin to scrub the stain.
You have to strike a delicate balance with this because you do need to use force to remove the stain, but not too much force to strip the carpet fibres. After the scrubbing process, which you should do until you can visibly see the stain start to lift, sprinkle baking soda on top of the scrubbed stain and allow it to sit on the stain overnight.
The next day, you can vacuum up all of the particles and check to see if the stain was able to lift. Sometimes this works, sometimes it doesn’t. If the old stain is simply not budging, your best bet is to call a professional carpet cleaning service to address the stain.
Got bad stains in your carpet? Our carpet cleaners can help! Contact us for professional carpet cleaning and get rid of those stains!
How Long Should You Leave Baking Soda on Carpet?
Using baking soda on carpet stains is a popular solution, yet there is a divide in the opinion on how long you should leave the it on a stain. Generally, this method works best on spots when the baking soda is allowed to set into the carpet fibres for hours at a time.
The longer you allow the baking soda to absorb into the fibres, the more the method can allow the it to neutralise the stain. This can move along a lot quicker if you use vinegar and baking soda together, but baking soda on the stain by itself on the stain can be effective.
Allow the baking soda to neutralise a stain overnight. 8 hours is beneficial but 12 hours is ideal. This solution works best to get smells out of the carpet, which you can then vacuum up and see and smell a noticeable difference.
What Is the Best Homemade Carpet Cleaning Solution?
A simple and effective carpet cleaning solution is one of the best solutions for cleaning a spot on the carpet or even stubborn stains. Such solutions are not feasible for cleaning your entire carpet but there is no denying how effective homemade carpet cleaning solutions can be for stains.
Vinegar and baking soda are still the best solutions when it comes to a carpet stain or odours. All you have to do is combine the two substances with warm water and you have a highly effective homemade remedy for carpet cleaning.
How Do You Clean Badly Stained Carpet?
For stains that are too difficult to remove, you will likely need the help of a professional carpet cleaning service. Bad stains are best understood as not only stains that are hard to remove but also stains that have badly damaged the carpet fibres, and most likely return after standard cleaning.
In this case, hot water extraction is one of the most effective techniques to use against bad stains. This process can remove spots as severe as pet stains or as stubborn as red wine or grease spots. This is due to the hot water that is combined with high pressure and a powerful cleaner.
The process involves hot water and detergent that is blasted into a carpet at very high pressure. Once the three components work to break up dirt particles and stains, the hose sucks up the remaining dirty water and leaves the carpet thoroughly cleaned.
A stain remover is typically also used before the hot water extraction process to help break up the stubbornness of the stain. This professional service works incredibly well as a stain removal solution.
Additionally, steam cleaning has also been proven to be successful in removing incredibly stubborn stains, yet this process lacks the overall power of hot water extraction.
Q: Does baking soda discolour carpet?
Using baking soda to remove a stain on your carpet is generally safe. You do not have to worry about the color of your carpet changing or any sort of white stain left behind from baking soda. Since it’s a neutraliser, there is no need to worry about a stain. However, baking soda can leave behind a film of white dust that will need to be vacuumed up.
Q: Does white vinegar discolour carpet?
White vinegar can be a common concern for those worried about discolouration on carpets. This is only a concern if you have a carpet made of very delicate fibres, such as silk. If this is the case, it is recommended not to use vinegar to treat stains on these kinds of carpets. The acidic compounds in vinegar can damage the color threads inside of the fabric.
Q: Does baking soda take dog urine smell out of carpet?
Baking soda is one of the best products to use when it comes to removing smells out of virtually any kind of fabric. The substance works by breaking down and neutralising the strong chemicals inside of urine. When using baking soda to remove the smell of urine from the carpet, it is recommended not to scrub the baking soda into the urine.
Blot the urine with a paper towel to remove as much of the waste as possible. You can then sprinkle the baking soda over the spot and allow the substance to break down the odour overnight. Simply vacuum up the remaining baking soda and waste the next day.
Conclusion
We realise that carpet stains are incredibly unpleasant, which is why we also provide knowledgeable and understanding customer service to listen to your needs and target our approach to what will completely eliminate the problem.
Following all of the above tips will help to neutralise these stains and smells, yet you will need a strong and effective cleaning service to restore your carpet to its original state. We make it our goal to never leave a job until your carpet is thoroughly cleaned and sanitised.
Contact us today to talk to a carpet cleaning professional to get your carpet back to its original state and to let us show you how dedicated we are to handling all of your carpet and upholstery cleaning needs.
