Strip Funky Odors From Your Old Rug With This Common Household Ingredient

One of the worst places to have unpleasant smells lingering in your home is within the fibers of old rugs and carpets because they are so hard to completely remove. Long after spills have been sopped up and dirt has been vacuumed away, fungi and bacteria attracted to the area by proteins and other nutrients present in the original spill can attach themselves deep within the microscopic threads of the pile. 

One way to effectively kill those tiny nuisances and eradicate them from your home is to scrub the area with vinegar. It may seem counterintuitive because vinegar itself is known for its stringent odor, but the acidic content of this common household product will banish those musty, dank, gross smells out of your rugs and help keep your house clean.

Vinegar is one of those almost universally applicable products for home maintenance. It's a powerful cleaner and even a mild disinfectant that's not made out of harsh, synthetic toxic chemicals. Vinegar neutralizes odors by breaking down the source of the odor with the help of its acidic properties and by ensnaring the volatile stench molecules before they can reach our noses. Once these odors are trapped in other molecules, they're canceled out and our brains can no longer identify them from any other smell.

Vinegar works best on odors when it is heated because this is when its acetic acid bonds more easily with stinky molecules. Even though manual scrubbing does create friction, which results in some heat, the easiest and most efficient way to remove smells from your carpet with vinegar is by using a steam cleaner. (Spot cleaning stains is also an effective method for newer stains and smells, but may not work on old, set-in ones.) 

Steam cleaners aren't an everyday appliance, but the Bissell Little Green Machine is a great investment, especially for pet owners. Large, commercial carpet cleaners can also be rented at your local grocery store typically for reasonable rates. If neither is an option for you, put some vinegar in a pot on your stovetop to simmer for an hour, then take it into the room with the offending smell to set nearby overnight.

To use a steam cleaner, substitute undiluted white vinegar for the carpet cleaning solution, using the same amount of vinegar as you would cleanser. Add water to the steam cleaner as directed and follow the operating instructions, running over the smelliest areas with particular care. Once finished, refrain from walking on the carpet or rug until it is fully dry, which could take the better part of a day. The smell of the vinegar will completely fade at this time, too, leaving a freshly cleaned rug.