Can I Get Rid Of Carpet Odors Using Shaving Cream?

Nowadays, carpets are more than just a necessity — they're instrumental in a home's decor and are used to anchor the varied design elements in a room. So, it's inconvenient when accidental spills, pet bladder issues, and dirty footwear make a mess of your precious area rug and make it smell awful. A quick internet search will give you a slew of options to clean and deodorize your carpet, including the trendy bathroom staple hack involving shaving foam. But does this hack actually work? While the good news is most professionals believe that shaving cream will give you perfectly clean carpets, the bad news is there's no evidence that shows it'll take care of the accompanying odors, too.

In fact, most cleaning professionals suggest using baking soda to deodorize your carpets once they're clean. Simply put, when you notice suspicious stains on your area rug, jump into action and use shaving cream to prevent them from marring the fabric before using a deodorizing agent like baking soda to get rid of the odors.

It's understandable why many think shaving cream will eliminate foul odors from your carpet. The fresh and subtle scent of the foam might make you think it'd win against foul smells. But, unfortunately, that's not really the case. That being said, the whipped, soapy foam might help mask certain odors if they're not too strong. In any case, it won't remove the offending smells completely — so, the best course of action is to clean the area rug with this bathroom staple, remove the residual product, and then treat the carpet with baking soda once the stains are gone.

Simply apply a liberal amount of baking soda on the carpet and leave it undisturbed overnight or for 10 minutes if the stench isn't too bad. This abrasive powder will absorb the odor-causing particles and neutralize them. After the time is up, vacuum the area to remove the powder and fluff your carpet's fibers. Or prepare a DIY carpet deodorizer combining 2 cups of baking soda with 10 drops of your preferred essential oil and 1 to 2 tablespoons of food-grade diatomaceous earth (or borax) in a shaker bottle. The application and removal process remains the same. Alternatively, you can employ a used tea bag on your smelly carpet, because they are great for absorbing odor.