How to Get a Smell Out of Carpet
Short answer
A smelly carpet is almost always something soaked into it: pet urine, vomit, a spilled drink, or damp. Find the spot with your nose or a blacklight, treat organic stains with an enzyme cleaner, rinse and extract the area with a carpet cleaner, then dry it within a day. Sprinkle baking soda overnight and vacuum to deodorize what's left. If the pad underneath is soaked or moldy, it has to be replaced.
Quick steps
- Find the spot: get down and sniff, or use a UV blacklight in the dark for urine.
- Blot up anything wet with paper towels. Don't rub.
- Soak urine, vomit, and food spots with an enzyme cleaner and leave it as long as the label says.
- Rinse and extract the area with a carpet cleaner, then dry it within 24 hours with fans.
- Sprinkle baking soda over the dry carpet, leave it overnight, and vacuum it up.
Need supplies? Jump to what to buy
What’s making it smell?
Carpet is a big sponge with a pad underneath. Whatever soaks into it stays there until you remove it. The kind of smell tells you what to look for:
| Smell | Usual cause | What fixes it |
|---|---|---|
| Sharp, like ammonia | Pet or human urine | Enzyme cleaner, then extraction |
| Sour | Vomit, milk, food, or drink spills | Enzyme cleaner, then extraction |
| Musty, earthy | Carpet or pad that got wet and stayed wet | Drying, and replacing moldy pad |
| Stale, like smoke | Smoke residue in the fibers | Shampoo and extraction |
| Chemical, new | New carpet, pad, and glue | Ventilation and time |
1. Find the spot
Get down on your hands and knees and sniff. Smells are strongest right at the source. For urine, wait until dark and shine a UV blacklight across the floor: dried urine glows yellow-green. Mark each spot with painter’s tape.
Check along walls, behind furniture, and near doors, where pets tend to go.
2. Blot what’s still wet
Press paper towels or an old towel onto a fresh spill and stand on it to soak up as much as you can. Don’t rub. Rubbing pushes the liquid deeper and spreads it.
3. Treat organic stains with an enzyme cleaner
Urine, vomit, food, and blood are organic. An enzyme cleaner contains enzymes that break down what causes the smell instead of covering it. The Humane Society recommends enzyme cleaners for pet accidents.
Use enough to soak as deep as the stain went, which for urine often means into the pad. Leave it as long as the label says, usually 10 minutes to an hour, and don’t rinse early.
Avoid ammonia cleaners on urine spots; they smell like urine to a pet and can draw it back to the same place.
4. Rinse and extract
Cleaning products and dissolved residue need to come back out of the carpet, or they attract dirt and smell again. Go over the area with a portable carpet cleaner or a wet-vac: spray clean, cool water, then suck it back up. Repeat until the water comes out clear.
For a whole room that smells, rent a carpet cleaning machine or hire a professional hot-water extraction.
5. Dry it fast
The EPA’s advice for anything that gets wet indoors is to dry it within 24 to 48 hours, before mold can start. Point fans at the spot, run a dehumidifier or the AC, and lift the carpet edge if you can to let air under it. Don’t put furniture back until it’s dry.
6. Deodorize with baking soda
Once the carpet is completely dry, sprinkle baking soda over it, work it in lightly with a broom, and leave it overnight. Vacuum slowly. Baking soda neutralizes acidic smells like sweat and sour food, so it’s good for a general stale smell, but it won’t fix a urine-soaked pad.
When the pad is the problem
If a spot still smells after two enzyme treatments, the urine or water has reached the pad or the subfloor. Pull up a corner of the carpet and look. A dark, stiff, or moldy pad has to be cut out and replaced. Clean the subfloor underneath with enzyme cleaner, let it dry, and seal it with an odor-blocking primer before new pad goes down.
The EPA says porous materials like carpet and pad that have gone moldy may need to be thrown away. Carpet that was soaked by sewage or floodwater should be replaced, not cleaned.
New carpet smell
New carpet, its pad, and the adhesive give off volatile organic compounds (VOCs) for days or weeks after installation. Keep the room well ventilated, with windows open and fans blowing out, for the first few days. The smell fades on its own.
For pet smells beyond the carpet, see how to get rid of cat urine smell in carpet and how to get rid of dog smell in the house.
What to buy
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Enzyme pet odor cleaner
Rocco & Roxie Enzyme Stain & Odor Eliminator, 32 oz
Urine, vomit, and other organic stains in carpet, upholstery, and car seats. The enzymes break down what causes the smell instead of covering it.
Good to know: Test on a hidden spot first and keep pets away until it has dried. It needs time to work, so don't rinse it off early.
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UV blacklight flashlight
Vansky 51 LED UV Blacklight Flashlight
Finding old, dried urine spots you can smell but can't see. Dried urine usually glows under UV light in a dark room.
Good to know: Other things glow too, such as some detergents and spills. Confirm with your nose before treating.
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Portable carpet and upholstery spot cleaner
BISSELL Little Green Multi-Purpose Portable Carpet Cleaner, 1400B
Rinsing urine, vomit, sweat, and spilled drinks out of carpet, couch cushions, mattresses, and car seats, then pulling the dirty water back out so the smell leaves with it.
Good to know: Check the couch's cleaning code first: only use it on W or W/S fabric. Use cool water on urine, and let enzyme cleaner sit before you extract it.
Check price on AmazonCommon questions
Does baking soda really deodorize carpet?
It helps with mild, sour smells like sweat, food, and stale air, because it neutralizes acids. It won't fix urine or mildew deep in the pad. Clean the source first, then use baking soda for what's left.
How long should baking soda sit on carpet?
At least a few hours, and overnight is better. Keep pets and kids off it, then vacuum slowly in two directions. Empty the vacuum or change the bag afterward, since fine powder can clog it.
Why does my carpet smell worse after cleaning it?
Either it was left too wet and started to mildew, or water reactivated old urine in the pad. Dry it with fans within 24 hours. If it smells like urine, the pad needs an enzyme treatment or replacing.
Does vinegar get rid of carpet smell?
A mix of one part white vinegar to two parts water works as a rinse and on fresh spills. For urine, an enzyme cleaner works better, and don't use vinegar and an enzyme cleaner together, since the acid can stop the enzymes working.
Can I steam clean a urine smell out of carpet?
Not with high heat. Hot steam can set protein stains and urine odor. Use cool or lukewarm water and an enzyme cleaner, then extract.
How do I get rid of new carpet smell?
New carpet, pad, and glue give off chemicals (VOCs) for the first few days to weeks. Open windows, run fans blowing out, and keep the heat moderate. The EPA recommends good ventilation whenever products release VOCs.