Vomit Smell Out of Carpet

Updated on September 29, 2008
T.M. asks from Saint Louis, MO
27 answers

Last night my 15-month old got sick for the first time and, lucky us, it was all over our carpet. I cleaned it up good (I thought) and sprayed Fabreeze all over it, and it was okay last night, but this morning I noticed that it still smells. Gag! Does anyone have suggestions on how to get this smell out of the carpet? Thank you!

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So What Happened?

Thank you so much for all the great tips! I decided to try the vinegar, water, and baking soda combination since I already had all of those on hand and, I am happy to report, my carpet smells nice and fresh again! Thank goodness! I'll keep all the other tips on hand for future messes.

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S.G.

answers from St. Louis on

I wish I could remember the name of it, but if you go to the store you will be able to locate it. It is a product used to get pet smells and stains out of carpets. If you can find one specifically meant for cats it is even better. I know it sounds strange but it works, good luck!

2 moms found this helpful
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G.N.

answers from St. Louis on

Get a bottle or can of resolve and follow directions on the can or bottle. You can always get the carpet fresh by arm n hammer. You can try vinegar and water.

2 moms found this helpful
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J.G.

answers from Kansas City on

Try Borax--the instructions are on the box. It is really great at getting rid of bad smells. You can buy it at the grocery store.

1 mom found this helpful

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M.P.

answers from Kansas City on

If you don't have a spot cleaner, I would suggest investing in one. I think you can get them for around $80.00. This won't be the last time you get to clean up puke(and many other things in the future), but for right now you can go to your grocery store and rent a rug Dr.. The small ones are like $21.00. You don't need to use their pricy cleaner, I used bissel and it worked fine. Which ever machine you do use I would use boiling water. They say all you need is hot tap water, but I have found that boiling water works so much better and it doesn't hurt the machines.

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M.

answers from Wichita on

Hi T.,

Our whole family caught a stomach virus one winter. Our daughter got the worst of it. At the time, she was only 18 mo and she vomited on the carpet as well. We invested in a spot cleaner (BISSELL SpotBot bought from Wal-Mart). It worked great! It worked so well that we ended up using it to remove some other dirt/mud stains in other spots, and it got them out as well. It's a little pricey, but well worth it.

2 moms found this helpful
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A.M.

answers from Wichita on

I have had this problem and the BEST thing that I have EVER used was a mixture of vinegar (1 c), water (1/2 gal), and baking soda (1/4 c). Disolve the baking soda in warm/hot water, then add vinegar. It will get any smell out of fabric/carpeting. HTH.

2 moms found this helpful
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E.K.

answers from Lawrence on

you might try steam cleaning your carpet-you can rent one from the grocery store or hardware store. the other option is if you can get a hold of a carpet cleaner. i have a bissell carpet cleaner (i think it is called a spot bot) that cleans small spots on carpets.

2 moms found this helpful
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A.S.

answers from St. Louis on

Try pet odor remover. We used it to get the vomit smell out of our recliner, and it worked.
A.

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G.M.

answers from St. Louis on

make sure the spot is dry and then sprinkle some baking soda on it. Let it sit for quite a while, maybe overnight, then vaccume it up.

1 mom found this helpful
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C.B.

answers from St. Louis on

Hi T.,
Pine Sol is great!!! This may seem like a very unusual product to use on carpets and most people would think that it would stain but it doesn't. It works great for any smell and stain-it gets it up, and the pine sol does not leave a stain at all. First soak the area with a dry paper towel. Next, put a few dabs of pine sol onto a paper towel. Dab the carpet with the pine sol until you cannot see a stain. You will probably smell the pine sol for a few hours after, but there is no odor from the original mess. Our dog loves to vomit on our carpets and we use this all of the time. The ammonia in the Pine Sol takes away any smell of his so he does not know where he vomited the next day. (I found this little trick out by accident)! Hope it helps! :)

1 mom found this helpful
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D.H.

answers from St. Louis on

Vinegar water works great! Pour it on and then suck it up with a wet/dry vac. It gets the smell out and it disinfects. You will smell the vinegar for a while, but it goes away. Good Luck :)

1 mom found this helpful
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K.B.

answers from Wichita on

1 part white distilled vinegar with 3 parts water. Dab on carpet... let dry COMPLETELY. Then sprinkle with baking soda and let sit for a little while. Then vaccum.
You could try baking soda first and see if that helps.

1 mom found this helpful
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T.C.

answers from St. Louis on

rent a rug doctor and steam clean the area with a spic and span/tide solution. Good luck! I had the same problem only on my sofa YUCK!

1 mom found this helpful
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M.F.

answers from Kansas City on

T.,

Vinegar water. It is a great disinfect and gets out smells. Go on the web and find the things to clean with vinegar.

Also, baking soda is good. Go on the Web and find things about cleaning with baking soda, too.

If you don't already know. These two items are a must to keep for cleaning in your home.

M.

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J.P.

answers from St. Louis on

Try using Resolves Pet Stain and Odor Remover. It really works well when my dog gets sick. Trust me, that's a horrible smell! Just spray it on the area, use wash cloth or paper towel and kind of rub the area. Then wait a few minutes and go over it with a vacuum. Good luck!

1 mom found this helpful

D.H.

answers from Kansas City on

Vinegar. The little boy I took care of had reflux and vinagar works. Just put it in a cup and with a rag wash the carpet like you would with a cleaner and then let it dry and vacuum. Good luck and God Bless.

1 mom found this helpful

S.H.

answers from Springfield on

try rubbing alcohol mixed with equal part of vinegar with double the water soak the area then sponge out what you can

1 mom found this helpful
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J.S.

answers from St. Louis on

The only thing that works for me (mom of 3 kids) is a carpet cleaner with carpet shampoo AND oxiclean. It's worth it to rent or buy one. Good luck!

1 mom found this helpful
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L.B.

answers from St. Joseph on

Ok, I will admit I have had A LOT of experience with this (I had a projectile vomiter)...I think Oxyclean works the best, but I'm going to tell you NOT to use the granular...here's why...1) the powder NEVER fully dissolves when you put it in the hot water, 2) the powder, if put in your carpet cleaner WILL ruin your carpet cleaner (I know my sister killed 2 of mine doing this), and 3) despite what the advertisement says, it can and sometimes will change the color of whatever you are using it on... Now, with all that said, my recommendation is to go to Target (b/c that's the only place I've found it) and buy the Oxyclean spray pre-treat for the laundry. Instead of using whatever carpet cleaner you would normally use, subsitute the Oxyclean pre-treat spray just like you would use carpet cleaner...THIS will work AND I have never had it change the color of anything. I can't explain it but it works for some reason...If you are lucky enough to have the baby formula of this it's even better but I can't seem to find it anymore. I have used EVERY other carpet cleaner out there (and there are A LOT of them) and none of them have worked 1/2 as good as the Oxyclean. Make sure that you put a fan over the area to dry it and no one walks on it until it is dry or you will get a dark patch in your carpet b/c dirt will stick faster to the wet then to the dry. Good luck!

1 mom found this helpful
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B.H.

answers from Kansas City on

If you got the area clean and all that's left is smell, there's a product called Nature's Miracle. You can get it at PetSmart. You saturate the area with this stuff and let it dry and as it dries it neutralizes the odor. It works great on urine and other bodily excretions. My dog was sick a few years ago and I came home to a living room full of vomit spots, our house smelled better after a day. Luckily I haven't had to deal with any major vomit with my daughter yet (she's the same age as your's).

1 mom found this helpful
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S.O.

answers from St. Louis on

Amonia & Water works well on odors. I have used in on a car seat cover/belts that were vomitted on formula/bananas YUM! You might want to test a spot to make sure it doesn't discolor it though

1 mom found this helpful
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K.L.

answers from St. Louis on

I once bought chiken broth in a cardboard carton which got punctured and leaked onto the floorboard in my car. No amount of shampoo, baking soda, vinigar, or Fabreeze removed the smell of decaying animal from my car. A friend introduced me to Odoban. It worked perfectly with one light application.

I could not find Odoban in grocery or department stores, or even most hardware stores. But, I am told you can find it commonly in the larger chain pet stores. I would call first. You can order it online, but I'm sure you don't want to wait that long.

I doubt Odoban is the most eco-friendly product. You may want to keep kids and pets away from the area where it is used for a bit. Once the problem is solved, I would probably shampoo it up to reduce chemical residues.

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M.G.

answers from Kansas City on

OxyClean. Yes you have to saturate the carpet with it, but it works. It would be best to steam clean after using it, that way you can get all the water up too.

Good luck! M.

1 mom found this helpful
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G.B.

answers from St. Louis on

Try baking soda. Sprinkle it on the spot and let it sit overnight if possible. Vaccuum it up in the morning. You might have to do it more than once, but I found that it works pretty well. Good Luck!!

1 mom found this helpful
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L.B.

answers from Wichita on

Try putting baking soda on the spot(generously) and letting it sit for awhile and then running the sweeper over it. Good Luck.

1 mom found this helpful
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K.J.

answers from Wichita on

Mother's Little Miracle Stain and Odor Remover is the best product for this...if you can find it. It is always sold out online. I used to buy it at a kid's boutique, but they went out of business. Von Maur used to carry it too. Toys R Us carries something similiar to it and works great. I cannot remember the name of it though. Just look for a stain and odor remover in the baby supply section of Toys R Us or Babies R Us.

M.A.

answers from Kansas City on

Hi T.,

Sol U Mel from Melaleuca is great and gets rid of the smell for good. It also cleans and gets rid of any spots that might still be there. I have been a memmber for over 3 years now and love their products!

Good Luck!

Mariana

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