How to Clean Carpet Stains With Baking Soda: a Step-by-step Guide

If you were asked to name one house item that best tells family stories, that would be a carpet for sure! Created to add comfort and style to our lives, carpets are just trouble magnets! Luckily carpet troubleshooting is easy. Whether you have spilled red wine, your kid dropped a plate with a pizza slice, your pet had an accident, or your carpet just smells like a teenager’s socks, all of these messes can be easily addressed with only one cleaning tool! In this guide, I will tell you how to clean carpet stains with baking soda, a simple ingredient we all have in our kitchens.

Bonus: in the end, find tips on refreshing and deep cleaning your carpet with baking soda because… believe it or not, baking soda is a really versatile carpet care tool! 

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How to use baking soda to clean carpet? Understanding the magic

Having a carpet stain remover at hand is always a good thing, but messy carpet accidents happen without asking if you have one. That is why it is always worth having an alternative cleaning method, like for example, a baking soda carpet cleaner recipe, since baking soda is always available.  

All housewives know baking soda. We use it to make our pancakes fluffy, but not all of us know about how to clean carpet stains with baking soda.

• Baking soda is alkaline which makes it a perfect acid neutralizer when we have to get red wine stains out of clothes or carpets. It also has drying, whitening, and deodorizing properties, which means if you have a stain on your carpet (which is usually caused by a liquid spilled), baking soda can absorb the matter and remove the odor it leaves. 
• Sprinkling baking soda on carpet before vacuuming helps deal with both greasy (food messes) and non-greasy stains (mud, wine, or Coke). Keep reading to find out how to clean carpet stains with baking soda in both cases because the approach is slightly different.    
• Baking soda as a carpet stain remover works best on fresh stains, so always address carpet stains as fast as possible. 
• If you have heard about the natural scrubbing properties of baking soda, it’s not the case. If you have a stained carpet, NEVER TRY TO SCRUB it away with baking soda (or any other cleaner). Rubbing the stain makes it spread and set, and it will be much harder to remove later. If you have fresh carpet stains, always work carefully, blotting the stain with a clean dry cloth instead of scrubbing.

How to clean carpet stains with baking soda?

First, identify what caused the stain. Is this substance greasy or not? Depending on this, choose one of the methods of how to get stains out of carpet with baking soda:

Cleaning carpet stains with baking soda: non-greasy

If your child spilled Coke (or another bright soda) or your pet had an accident on the carpet, here’s how to clean carpet stains with baking soda and water:

1. First, slightly blot the stain with a clean dry cloth. If there’s dust or debris, you can also vacuum the carpet (without pressing the stain) to prepare the area.
2. Sprinkle a generous amount of baking soda on the stain. 
3. Cover the stain completely with a warm damp cloth or bedsheet if the stain is large. If you have no opportunity to cover, at least mist the surface with hot water. 
4. Leave the covered stain this way for three to five hours or better overnight. Baking soda works magic in patient hands. 
5. Carefully vacuum the stained area following the pile direction to remove baking soda. 
6. If the stain is still there, repeat.

If these steps didn’t help you to get rid of stains or if the stains are old, try commercial carpet cleaning solutions like Resolve or Wine Away.

How to clean carpet stains with baking soda: greasy messes

1. Act fast. Carefully collect and remove greasy food from the carpet by using the edge of a knife or a credit card.
2. Slightly blot the stain to remove the remaining grease. Do not rub the stain!
3. Sprinkle a generous amount of baking soda on the stain.
4. Leave baking soda on the stain this way for three to five hours or better overnight.
5. Vacuum the stained area and check. 
6. If the stain is still there, apply a few drops of dish soap, dampen a clean towel with water, and blot the stain (rinsing the towel and blotting until foam is gone). Do not rub! 
7. Dry the stain. 
8. Sprinkle baking soda on the stain. 
9. Vacuum after 3-5 hours.

How long to let baking soda sit on carpet?

For stain removal, the longer the better. If you have time, leave baking soda on carpet before vacuuming for three hours or better overnight. Baking soda works best on stains when you trust it and give it time to work.

If you want to use baking soda for regular carpet cleaning and refreshing (more about it below), leaving baking soda on carpet before vacuuming it for 15-30 minutes would be enough.

Easy baking soda carpet cleaner recipe for regular carpet cleaning and refreshing

In hot summer we usually walk on our carpets barefooted, and it means that they absorb all the sweat and dirt from our feet. That is why it is a good idea to get our carpets refreshed regularly, even if they are stain-free. 

Baking soda is a perfect solution to keep foul odors at bay and refresh the colors of your carpets. This simple baking soda carpet cleaner recipe involves sprinkling baking soda on carpet before vacuuming (make sure the carpet is dry!). Yes, this simple. And you can use it for your weekly carpet vacuuming. 

Here’s how to clean and refresh your carpets with baking soda:

1. Sprinkle a generous amount of baking soda all over your rugs and carpets (on dry carpets only!). Use more baking soda on high-traffic areas.
2. Leave it to work for at least 15-20 minutes. 
3. Vacuum your carpets as you usually do.

This simple weekly carpet care ritual will help you keep your beloved carpets looking new for longer!

How to deep clean carpet with baking soda

Deep cleaning your carpet is a must once every six months because it’s the period during which dust, dirt, dander, and mites set so deeply in the carpet’s fibers that regular vacuuming cannot suck them out. Deep cleaning is when you apply a product that helps loosen accumulated dirt to disinfect, clean, and deodorize your carpet. Luckily, baking soda is up for the task, again!  

Here’s how to deep clean your carpets and rugs:

• Mix baking soda and salt (any) in even proportion. Prepare a scrub brush and a spray bottle filled with warm water. If you want, you may add some carpet shampoo to the water. 
• Sprinkle the soda-salt mixture all over the carpet. 
• Spray water over the carpet to make it really wet.
• Scrub the carpet with a brush working in perpendicular directions to lift the carpet’s fibers. As you see the loosened dirt coming up, remove it with a clean wet cloth.
• Leave the carpet to air dry. 
• Vacuum as usual to remove all the remaining baking soda. 

Benefits of sprinkling baking soda on carpet

• Odor elimination. Baking soda is a natural deodorizer, effectively neutralizing unpleasant smells.
• Stain removal. It can help lift stains when combined with water and a bit of elbow grease.
• Gentle cleaning. Safe for use around pets and children, baking soda is a non-toxic cleaning solution.
• Cost-effective. It’s an affordable and readily available cleaning agent.

Potential drawbacks of using baking soda for cleaning carpet stains

• Limited effectiveness on tough stains. For stubborn stains, a stronger cleaning solution may be necessary.
• Residue. If not vacuumed thoroughly, baking soda residue can attract dirt.
• May not remove deep-set dirt. For heavily soiled carpets, professional carpet cleaners or pro cleaning services might be required.

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