Cleaning Carpet and Sofa After Vomiting

Updated on April 18, 2008
L.D. asks from Minneapolis, MN
32 answers

A couple of weeks ago my daughter had the stomach flu and managed to vomit on a main area of our carpet. I was able to clean up the vomit but have had no luck with eliminating the odor. Same thing happened on the microfiber taupe color sofa. Neither the carpet or the soft are in "wonderful" condition so it's not the end of the world that it happened...I just want to get rid of the odor so I can enjoy playing on the floor and sitting on the sofa again! A whiff of it is enough to churn my stomach and almost push me to "add to it".
Any suggestions for cleaning products that would eliminate the odor without ruining the color/texture would be greatly appreciated.

2 moms found this helpful

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S.H.

answers from Green Bay on

Hi L.,
One of the best products I use has tea tree oil in it. Great for getting out odors. I ordered it directly from the company I am with.
Best of health,
S.

1 mom found this helpful
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M.F.

answers from Bismarck on

Seems like you can't get through parenthood without this happening! We've used Febreeze & it's worked well for us (for the odor, not any stain).

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A.D.

answers from Janesville-Beloit on

Using plain old baking soda on the area should help with the odor. Just sprinkle it on liberally and leave it for 10-15 minutes, then just vaccuum it up. You could also try some of those carpet powders with baking soda in it, they do the trick for just about any odor. I hope this helps!

A.

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C.C.

answers from Minneapolis on

When my son was toilet training I researched cleaning up urine and the odor was what was concerning to me because I wanted the carpet to be as fresh as new. I ended up using 1 part vinegar to 3 parts warm/hot water. blot urine or vomit, Flood stain with vinegar/water mixture, and immediately soak right back up until you can't get anymore. This alone worked for me, but I also read that after this you can sprinkle baking soda on the area and let sit for 24 hours and then vac

The vinegar solution completely eliminated the urine smell. I hope it works for you!

1 mom found this helpful
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P.A.

answers from Wausau on

L.,
My mom taught me a wonderful cleaning solution of dawn, vinegar, and warm water. It works wonders on getting anything clean and I have never noticed any residual odor either. Another thing you can try is sprinkle some baking soda on it, and rub it in with a brush or a rag. I did that on my mattress after my son peed on it and that took out the odor too. good luck!!!

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T.S.

answers from Minneapolis on

I had a similar issue in January.

A mom on here recommended a product called Kids and Pets. It's in a big yellow and blue bottle. I found it at walmart, in the isle with the home cleaners. Worked for my carpet. Hopefully it will work for you.

K.B.

answers from Milwaukee on

on the carpet you could put down baking soda and let it sit for awhile then vacuum it up. I guess you could also do that for the couch.

I have heard of something called Natures Miracle that works really well... I am going to pick it up soon because we have a cat that 'misses' the litter box and it is suppose to work for cat pee, vomit, any food smell and so on.

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R.V.

answers from Minneapolis on

Any type of enzymatic cleaner will take the ododr out. I have found it at Target and Wal-Mart with the carpert cleaners. You will usually see it as a pet odor remover.
Good luck!
R.

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L.B.

answers from Minneapolis on

Vinegar and water should do the trick. Vinegar is the best way of removing odors, and it's uses are endless!

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K.G.

answers from Omaha on

You need to get the solution of whatever you use down into the pad just like the smell did.

I would soak the area with warm water. let it penetrate down in then use towel to soak up rest. Do this a few times. It will dilute whatever else has managed to get to that level.

I spilt milk on my front fabric seat of car in middle of summer. I did this several times to seat then used a mild fabric freshner spray. Never smelt sour milk and no mildew either.

If you can get ahold of a syringe put whatever solution you will use in it and give the carpet a "shot" get that stuff down into the pad.

No matter how clean you get the carpet the pad will always smell until you get it diluted.

good luck :)

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J.O.

answers from Wausau on

I use a product called OUT! (Pet Stain and Odor Remover). It advertises itself as being effective on "urine, vomit, blood, feces and more!"

What I love about it is it's cheap, I can buy it at Wal-mart in the pet department, and it really does eliminate odors.

Also, good old-fashioned baking soda is great on odors too. You can sprinkle it in the carpet and leave it for several hours then vacuum it up, or make a paste by adding water, apply and scrub, then rinse thoroughly. (Test a small area first.)

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G.H.

answers from Minneapolis on

Hi L.,

"TOTALLY TODDLER" worked great for me!!!!! I LOVE IT!
It got the vomit smell and stain out of my carpet! (The first time I used it- mercifully!) It gets just about anything and everything out. I have used it on lots and have had no problems with it taking tht color out of anything.

I also use it for urine, stains on clothes, husbands ring around the collar. Lots of stuff. It is very inexpensive- I purchased mine at Babies R Us for $10/ gallon.

I hope this helps. I hate the smell of vomit! It works for carsick messes too :)

Blessings to you,
G. H

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J.B.

answers from Milwaukee on

Oxy clean for carpets.

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B.B.

answers from Minneapolis on

Resolve has an upholstry cleaner out now. And microfiber is a good material for getting stains out. Try that, then spray Febreeze on it for the odor. If this doesn't work, you can call Stanley Steemer or COIT to professionally clean them. They can get it out.

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J.M.

answers from Minneapolis on

Try Nature's Miracle available at pet food stores. It is amazing and safe for kids and pets.

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L.W.

answers from La Crosse on

The queen of clean would suggest "odorzout". (I am not the queen.) You can purchase it a local Petsmart or online. It is even suggested for getting that mildew smell out of old towels!

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K.R.

answers from Madison on

you can use one of 2 things....Urine Gone takes out the smell of just about everything or you can use another stuff that you can get in the baby/infant section at walmart/kmart called Totally Toddler...its a prewash/ odor elminiator ...it even kills the smell of formula vomit and works great on pet stains.
I hope this helps

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G.B.

answers from Minneapolis on

You can do a couple of things...the easiest is put baking soda down for at least 15 min, and vaccum up. If you want or have time to grind potporri mix with baking soda again sprinkle over smelly area and vaccum up. The longer you leave the baking soda the more absorbent it will be. Good Luck, after 4 kids I've spent more than my fair share of time cleaning up after projectile and otherwise vomit.

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W.S.

answers from Minneapolis on

I have always had great luck with Woolite carpet cleaning products. They work well on furniture too. The stain cleaner with oxy is amazing. Baking soda may work for the carpet odor too. If the smell persists, you can get a "little green machine" from Target for less than $100 which takes care of small shampooing needs. You may get a lot of use out of that in the upcoming years so it's worth the investment. Good luck!!

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R.K.

answers from Minneapolis on

Any of the methods you have already been given will probably work. Personally, I like to use the Oxi-clean carpet cleaner. For the smell, I would highly suggest Febreze Anti-microbial fabric refresher. It works amazingly well. My husband spilled a dark beer on our couch and let it sit overnight (I was already in bed and he has a no clean up policy :) ) - and the oxi-clean and febreze worked excellent. No hint that the giant stain was ever there and doesn't smell at all. Good luck!

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B.S.

answers from Sioux Falls on

L. (love the name by the way),

I haven't read any of the other responses yet, so I hope I am not repeating anyone. I don't know that there are any products in the store that will do what you ask. Maybe something strong enough such as to remove pet odor. Otherwise, you may have to look into professional cleaning. That would be the sure way I'd think. I hope this helps.

B.

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H.R.

answers from Rapid City on

Try using the Pet odor eliminators found and Walmart or Target, etc. There are two brands that I know of, I recommend the citrus kind over the one with the pink on the bottle. Also, there may be warnings for pre-spot testing to see make sure that the products don't bleach your carpet/sofa. Another product called Kleen-Free Naturally (www.naturalginesis.com - yes that's the correct spelling) is a great product... again, you may have to pre-spot test. Kleen-Free is great for everything from cleaning, to insect protection, to bathing.

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A.D.

answers from Waterloo on

This is just my opinion about what other's have suggested -
-DO NOT USE LYSOL - it has dioxins in it (insecticides like Agent Orange)
-Nature's Miracle works great - however, it actually stained my upstairs carpet & my mattress (it didn't on my basement carpet) - If you choose to use this - I would definitely DO A TEST SPOT!!! You have to let it air dry (no fans on it) - and it will produce a funky odor for a cpl weeks while drying (at least it did when I used it for cat pee). It was so bad I thought it wasn't working - so I called the company, and they told me I had to take the fans out of the room, re-saturate it - & that it is normal for that smell. (It should say that on the bottle!)
-I use a product called Sol-u-Mel. It's great for tough odors (like cat urine, etc.) & stains (including permanent marker, paint, etc.)

HTH! Good luck!

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C.S.

answers from Minneapolis on

I have used baking soda to clean up after the dog. I dumped some on the carpet and waited for it to soak in for a little and then vacuumed it up. My friend had an incident on a plane recently and the flight attendant used club soda to clean it up and she said it worked great! No smell at all after using that.

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A.K.

answers from Minneapolis on

Have you thought about getting the carpet and couch professionally cleaned? I have tried home remedies and store bought products for eliminating the odor of vomit and pet accidents but I could still pick up the smell. I have had good luck with Stanley Steemer.

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L.H.

answers from Milwaukee on

Try a pet stain remover or odor remover. Baking soda may work too.

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R.P.

answers from St. Cloud on

We too had stomach flu at our house and I sprayed lysol on the carpets after cleaning with OxyClean. I've also used "Folex" stain remover to get poop stains out. "Totally Toddler" is a stain remover that used to be sold in Walmart in their baby area, and it removed EVERYTHING and ANYTHING from carpet and clothes. I finally felt good about everything in our home when my DH rented a carpet shampooer from the grocery store for about 30$ and just cleaned the rooms (carpets AND furniture!) we lived in all winter! Hope that helps!

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G.E.

answers from Milwaukee on

Pet Mart and other stores carry enzymatic sprays and liquids to remove pet stains and odors. These also work great on people stains! You will have to spray the cleaner onto the surface and then keep it damp overnight for the enzymes to work. Good Luck!

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K.S.

answers from Minneapolis on

What I use for vomit and also pee accidents is Nature's Miracle. You can find this in a pet store. I initally bought this for my dog but found it also works wonderful for the little ones. Expecially when they have accidents that may seep through to the bed matress. Good luck!!!
K., Mother of 2 kids and a dog.

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G.J.

answers from Minneapolis on

My In-laws have a carpet and furniture cleaning business give them a call-

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L.K.

answers from Minneapolis on

I'd call Coit. ; )

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S.B.

answers from Lincoln on

Hi L.,

Go to a pet store and get a bottle of Nature's Miracle. It is a natural enzyme liquid. Follow the directions on the bottle as it might take a little while, etc. But trust me with kid vomit to pet mistakes it works!! It also works on misc. stain, I spilt coffee and used it, no stain. Good Luck

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