Blog How To Eliminate Odors From Your Carpet

Our Guide on How To Get Rid of Carpet Odors & Other Foul Smells Around the House

It's time to Stop The Stink!

Sour milk, mildew, pet urine – whatever the culprit, whenever bad odors waft up from your carpets, they can befoul the whole house.

You've decided you definitely need a more effective odor remover for carpet and rug fabrics. You've looked up how to remove odors from carpet, and you're ready to do something about that nasty smell. So how do you get bad smells out of carpets?

Time to Stop The Stink… and Zerorez® is best carpet cleaning company in the Washington DC and Northern Virginia area to ask for professional tips on the most effective odor remover for carpet and rug fabrics. Zerorez® knows how to remove odors from carpet naturally.

What's That Smell? Identifying the Root Causes of Carpet Odors

To be a truly effective carpet odor remover, it helps to know what you're dealing with.

There are three main causes of carpet odor:

Contaminants: Carpets filter and collect tiny bits of food, soil, pollen, pet dander, fecal matter and other pollutants as they float through the air. They accumulate on fibers or in the backing, and start to smell.

Moisture: Carpets could become damaged or rot beyond repair if a flood, liquid spill, excess dampness, persistent high humidity, over-wetting or under-rinsing during cleaning are not quickly treated. Mold may result – and mold smells.

Residue: For decades, and to this day, most professional carpet cleaning companies use harsh soaps and heavy chemicals, leaving behind a crunchy residue that might have a stench of its own.

Zerorez® Revolutionary Disinfection Services Make Carpets Look Like New

Residue is never an issue with Zerorez®.

Our name even says so: Zero Residue.

That's because of the power of our patented zr water® cleaning solution, a completely eco-friendly chemical-free Platinum-rated way to clean carpets and hard surfaces that never leaves a crunchy, filmy residue… because it's only water – the safest carpet pet odor remover.

Because we use no soaps, dyes, detergents, perfumes, or chemical-loaded deodorizers, Zerorez® DC promises no more crunchy carpet and a longer-lasting clean. But what about all the time in between your Zerorez® carpet cleaning appointments?

Try Our Top Tricks on How to Get Rid of Bad Carpet Odor

Since 2015, Zerorez® DC has become the premier professional carpet deodorizer in the entire DC Metro region, from Frederick MD all the way to Fredericksburg, VA.

We've served thousands of residential and commercial customers across NoVA, DC and Maryland in that time. And we're sharing these most effective ways to remove carpet odors – and any other foul scents you might catch wafting around the house – exclusively with you.

1. Clean up accidents within the first 24 hours.

The owner of Zerorez® DC, Luis Padilla's top tip about caring for your carpets – and especially how to get rid of carpet odor from pets – is to get to accidents or stains within the first 24 hours. Luis says, "the biggest difference between a spot and a stain is 24 hours."

For our fellow pet parents that means if your furry family member has an accident on the rug or carpet, you have 24 to 48 hours before the yellow sets in. You can start saving your carpets by being your own DIY carpet pet-odor remover.

What is the best thing to absorb odors? Rinse the area with warm water (the safest pet odor remover for carpet) and run a vacuum or shop vac over it. This will prevent odors, discoloration and the growth of bacteria.

If you're too late, it's probably a problem for the professionals. Zerorez® DC offers the best carpet deodorizer for pets, in two treatment levels:

Level I – Basic Bio Treatment: For mild to moderate contamination on a floor's surface or carpet fibers.
Level II – Deep Pad Extraction: For moderate to severe seepage affecting carpet backing or carpet pad.

2. Try baking soda.

Another trick for carpet odor removal: baking soda.

The benefits of deodorizing smelly carpets with baking soda are abundant.

It's easy.
It's dry, so no worries about damage to the carpet if you use more than you need.
Those fluffy white bits sink deep into the carpet and deodorize everything, from fibers to the floor base.

Try this on suspected stains and odors:

1) Blanket a section of carpet with a mat of baking soda.

2) Let it sit overnight.

3) Vacuum it up.

3. Try vinegar.

Baking soda should do the trick. If it doesn't, a few sprays of diluted white vinegar might. You can blend equal amounts of vinegar and water into a spray bottle and spray the stains or smelly parts. Let it soak for 20 minutes, then dab dry – remember rubbing can spread the stain.

And for pet owners? A particularly good tip for carpet pet odor removal? Vinegar.

4. Try vacuuming. A lot.

Prevent odors from building up in the first place. Vacuum often, at least once a week – even more in high-traffic areas.

And not just those dirt-snagging carpets. Run a vacuum over your rugs and hardwood floors at least weekly too. Your floorboards, your baseboards, and your allergies will thank you.

The EPA says, "it cannot be over-emphasized that proper cleaning and maintenance is a critical component of any flooring system." Keep the vacuum cleaner humming to keep your carpets looking and smelling fresh.

5. Avoid products containing bleach.

Don't use bleach or bleach-based cleaners to remove carpet odors. You could discolor or stain the carpet, and you'd just be adding another powerful smell!

When in doubt, plain hot water works just fine to dilute odor-causing stains and spots. Don't be afraid to use a lot either – just remember to blot it all up quick!

Or call Zerorez® DC, because zr water® works even better.

Still Smelling It? Call Zerorez® DC to Be Your Carpet Odor Eliminator

"Carpet cleaning and odor removal is one of the most unique challenges in the cleaning industry," says Tim Poskin, chairman of the Simon Institute, a cleaning industry think tank.

"Carpet is the only three-dimensional surface we clean on a daily basis."

He's right. The question of how to remove odors from carpet isn't always easy. Foul smells can come from just about anywhere.

That's why Zerorez® DC is your total surface cleaner. Because we believe A Clean Home Is a Healthy Home™, our cleaning team cleans just about every surface in your home. That means disinfecting kitchen countertops, furniture upholstery, shower tiles, light switches, door handles, and all your floors – carpet, hardwood, stone, marble, granite, hardwood, mosaic tile or Persian rugs.

Plus, the fact that our patented ZR3 process kills germs and bacteria for up to 90 days after treatment means Zerorez® DC gets carpets, rugs, and hard surfaces cleaner for longer than any competing professional carpet cleaning companies.

The Three-Step ZR3 Process: How to Remove Odors from Carpet (Naturally)

Here's the Zerorez® way to stop the stink:

We put down a non-toxic food-grade enzyme that doesn't hide odor-causing particles and germs – it destroys them.
We deep-clean the carpet with our exclusive zr water® solution.
We use our patented zr wand™ extraction tool to suck up all the dirt and the water, leaving behind nothing to harm you, your family or your pets… and nothing left to smell!

Start Spring Off Fresh With our Spring Cleaning Special!

How'd you like to enjoy that fresh, odor-free feeling all over the house this spring?

How'd you like to get 3 rooms cleaned, plus a hallway free, for just $129?

Now's your chance. Give us a call, send us an email, or book your appointment online and be sure to mention code "MAR2021."

Stop the stink with these odor-beating tips from Zerorez® DC – and follow us on Facebook for more helpful cleaning tips!

Locally owned and operated Zerorez® DC and Fredericksburg – "The Right Way To Clean" in the Washington, DC Metropolitan Area, Maryland (including Frederick, Aspen Hill and Beltsville), and the Northern Virginia Region (including Dulles, Clifton, Aquia Harbour, Bristow, Gainesville, Aldie, Fairfax Station, West Springfield and Winchester) since 2015.