Spray the water and vinegar solution on the stain and leave to dissolve for 30 minutes. Use the piece of cloth to blot the area gently until the stain gets absorbed into the fabric. If the stain is a little bit tough, scrub gently.
You'll probably need to let it sit overnight, but the key is to wait until the vinegar has completely dried. As it dries, the smell of the vinegar should dissipate.
The short answer is that you should not use vinegar for carpet cleaning. There is truth to the idea you can use vinegar as a natural disinfectant for cleaning but it cannot remove dirt or soil from a surface or from carpet.
All you have to do is pour white vinegar into the steam cleaner where you'd usually pour the cleaning solution, and then run the machine as normal. Once the carpet is dry, your room will smell just as good as if you'd used harsh carpet cleaning chemicals. No rinsing is necessary after you're done with the job!
Trust us on this; the vinegar will not remove stains that are embedded in your carpet and may, in fact, harm your carpet fibers. You'll end up with the same dirt you had before, but with the added problem of color fading and changes in carpet texture.
Pour a generous amount of white vinegar into a spray bottle. Spray the white vinegar onto the carpet. Don't worry – the smell will disappear (and it will actually absorb any other bad odors you're trying to eliminate). Let it dry completely, and then repeat the process over again, as needed.
There's no set time that the vinegar smell will linger. It depends on the air flow in the space. However, vinegar actively looks for things to bind to. In most cases, it won't take more than 5-15 minutes for the smell to go away.
As a natural deodorizing agent, vinegar freshens carpets by removing stale odors from age, food, and pet accidents, as well as any mustiness left from excess liquid of any kind.
Add baking soda to your vinegar cleaning solution.
Not only does baking soda have some seriously formidable cleaning power in its own right, but it also does an excellent job of neutralizing odor—which makes it the perfect partner in crime for vinegar.
Combine a DIY solution of 1 part white vinegar + 3 parts water. Scrub your carpet using a soft bristle scrub brush and your vinegar solution to disinfect any problem areas that might be smelly or unsightly.
Spraying vinegar and warm water into a carpet is also a great way to remove its stiffness. We recommend mixing ⅔ cup of hot water with ⅓ of white vinegar. Spray and scrub gently until you start seeing results!
Spritz Wet Carpet Smells Away With Vinegar
Mix half a cup of white vinegar with half a cup of water in a spray bottle. Lightly mist any carpet that stinks after getting wet.
Don't worry about the odor; it's never long lasting since vinegar evaporates once it dries. If you're really sensitive to the scent, you can also mix-in a few drops of essentials oil for a fresh boost of fragrance.
How long will a bowl of vinegar absorb odors for? You can leave a bowl of vinegar out in the kitchen for several hours and it will help to get rid of smells.
Soak the Stain in Vinegar
Pour enough white vinegar into a small bowl to submerge the stain area of the clothes. Allow the stain to sit and soak for 30 minutes.
For carpet, mix 1 cup of white vinegar and 2 cups of warm water, then add in 2 teaspoons of baking soda for an odor-neutralizing spray. For urine on hard floor surfaces, you can eliminate odors by spraying white vinegar on the spot, then rinse clean. Add baking soda for any remaining smells, then wipe clean.
Avoid cleaning chemicals such as ammonia or vinegar. Strong chemical odors may encourage your pet to reinforce the urine scent mark in that area. Your job will be more difficult if urine has soaked down into the padding underneath your carpet. In some cases, you may need to replace portions of carpet and padding.
Almost Indefinite Shelf Life
Vinegar is a fermented product and has an “almost indefinite” shelf life according to the Vinegar Institute [1]. “Because of its acid nature, vinegar is self-preserving and does not need refrigeration. White distilled vinegar will remain virtually unchanged over an extended period of time.
The only difference between cleaning vinegar and the distilled white vinegar is their levels of acidity. White vinegar is usually 95 percent water and 5 percent acid. By contrast, cleaning vinegar contains up to six percent acid and is around 20 percent stronger than regular white vinegar.
The acetic acid in vinegar neutralizes alkaline odors, which means it can help get rid of cooking smells cheaply and easily. Some people make a diluted solution of vinegar and keep it in a spray bottle to mist around the room. This covers a lot of area at once for a quicker fix.
Cleaning the area thoroughly with vinegar first and then applying an enzyme treatment will break down and evaporate the uric acid and your home will be free of cat odors. Vinegar and enzyme cleaners work on all surfaces: hardwood floors, carpets, mattresses.
While vinegar is a magical cleaner that you can use on almost any surface, its strong odor can make cleaning a little bit of a challenge. Of course, over time, the smell will dissipate, but you shouldn't have to wait around for the smell to fade.
Applying white vinegar is the best and most efficient method of removing damp smell from carpet. Mix two cups of water and one cup of white vinegar, then pour it all in a spray bottle. Spray the vinegar solution onto the surface and lightly scrub the treated area.