• View ecochildsplay’s profile on Facebook
  • View ecochildsplay’s profile on Twitter
  • View ecochildsplay’s profile on Instagram
  • View ecochildsplay’s profile on Pinterest
  • View Jennifer Lance’s profile on LinkedIn
  • View ecochildsplay’s profile on YouTube
  • View ecochildsplay’s profile on Google+

Eco Child's Play

Live a greener, healthier life!

  • Environment
  • Pregnancy
  • Food & Recipes
  • Health News
  • Parenting
  • Green Toys
  • Beauty & Beauty Products
  • Green Home & Cleaning
  • Contact

How to Freshen and Deodorize Your Rugs Naturally

If you have pets in your house or an older carpet (such as in a dorm or apartment), your flooring may need freshening and deodorizing. Although there are many natural carpet fresheners available in health food stores, it is much simpler and cheaper to make your own. Cleaning carpet stains can be easy with your own carpet formula made with ingredients already in your kitchen.

To make your own carpet deodorizer, combine one cup of baking soda with 1/2-cup cornstarch. Next, add your favorite herbal scent or essential oils, and sprinkle on your rug. I prefer to sprinkle lavender flowers from the garden into my homemade carpet freshener, but using eucalyptus or citronella oils will get fleas hopping just before vacuuming. This natural, homemade deodorizer works best when left on your carpet for several hours (optimally overnight). If you do have fleas, be sure to empty the vacuum canister or bag immediately, in order that the fleas do not crawl out of the vacuum and return to your home.

Commercially-made carpet fresheners come with many warnings, and suggest that you use them everytime you vacuum. These products can be irritating (so can essential oils), as well as create unhealthy indoor air. In addition, such products come with warnings to keep the product out of the reach of children and pets. Baking soda and cornstarch are safe to use on all carpets, like the hand woven, naturally dyed tribal rugs in my home, and I find I only need to use it once or twice a year. I wouldn’t think of using a commercial, artificial product on my antiques rugs or around my pets and children.

Making your own cleaning products saves money and creates a greener, natural home. Simple recipes, such as this carpet freshener, make greening the good life simple. This tip also works well to freshen the bottom of trashcans!

  • Twitter
  • Email
  • Pinterest
  • Print
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • More
  • WhatsApp
  • Tumblr
  • Reddit
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Subscribe!

« Yoga Benefits All Children
And the Winner Is Jan Barker! »

Comments

  1. Leila says

    August 31, 2007 at 6:06 pm

    good tip. Baking soda is great for cleaning, isn’t it? In a book I read, it recommended using club soda for cleaning windows. Works great, it’s cheaper and I’m not worried about it being around my daughter.

    Reply
  2. Ami Scott says

    August 31, 2007 at 7:58 pm

    Thanks for the tip! One more recipe to add to my growing arsenal of safe cleaning supplies. Now the kids don’t have such a big excuse to not help! 😀

    Reply
  3. Jennifer says

    September 2, 2007 at 4:49 am

    Thanks for the tip; I knew about the baking soda basic mix for carpets but never thought to add essential oils or lavender. That is a great idea. And sort of one I should have known, I use oils for every other thing I do (duh).

    Reply
  4. Richard says

    February 14, 2008 at 2:20 pm

    I found that the easiest way of freshening my woolen rugs is by simply going over them with a damp cloth moistened in a mixture of 1/2 gallon lukewarm water and 1/2 cup of white vinegar once a month. This does not only take out the smell but brightens the wool colors as well.

    Reply
  5. tokasa says

    July 25, 2009 at 8:32 am

    when mixing baking soda and cornstarch and oil or lavender do I have to combeine them and mix with water or just dry mix?

    after applying them on the rugs do I have to vaccum straight after that or later?

    Reply

Leave a Reply to Richard Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Search Content

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter


About Eco Child’s Play

Our ethos is to provide news, information, and opinions on natural, green parenting to help your family live a greener, healthier life! Additionally, we offer personal consulting services to help you achieve your green living goals.

Jennifer is a vegetarian, yoga teacher, gardener, hiker, teacher, and mother that has been living off-the-grid for over 20 years.

Contact Eco Child’s Play

It’s Time to Quit Plastics and How to do It

Reduce Plastic Waste with re-brush Eco-Friendly Toothbrush

More from the archives!

Valentine’s Day at 40: Money Can’t Buy Me Love

Swine Flu Vaccine in the News

Dairy-Free Pumpkin Pie Recipe Made from Real Pumpkin

Really Fantastic Gluten Free Vegan Manicotti Recipe

Hank D and the Bee: Carbon Sequestration

COVID Back to School: Helping children cope with uncertainty

covid19 pregnancy

Does the Coronavirus Attack the Placenta and cause 2nd Trimester Miscarriages?

Information

  • About & Contact
  • Archive
  • Blog
  • Consulting Services
  • Disclaimer, Disclosure, & Sponsored Posts
  • Privacy Policy
logo
Food Advertising by

Hank D and the Bee: World Peace?

Green Family Values: Natural Baby Beauty Products

Yoga is great for pregnancy!

Green Parent Round Up: Pregnant Yoga Benefits, Pregnancy Lead Exposure, Tonsillectomies and Weight Gain, Autism and Sibling Spacing, H1N1 Vaccine and Narcolepsy

Flame Retardant Whales

A Maze and Marbles

Popular Categories

  • Breastfeeding
  • Health News
  • Natural Childbirth
  • Parenting
  • Education
  • Product Review
  • Green Toys

Get our posts via email

Please stay in touch!

You might also like to read…

Eco-Friendly Plush Toys for Pets

Eco-Conscious Consumers Look to Separate Fact from Fiction As Earth Day Approaches

Power Brain Kids: 12 Easy Lessons to Ignite your Child’s Potential

NO SCHOOL: Biodiesel Supposedly Gels in Minnesota School Buses Canceling Classes

Green your Moving Checklist: Choose RecoPacks

Copyright © 2021 · Divine theme by Restored 316

Copyright © 2021 · Divine Theme On Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.OkNoPrivacy policy