How to Get Rid of Vomit Smells
Vomiting is one of the ways your gastrointestinal system gets rid of the “bad stuff.” Normally, it is a short-lived symptom; but the consequences of vomit should be quite apparent to even the most feeble minded.
When you have children, pets, and/or a significant other that suffers from bouts of vertigo/morning sickness, vomit is an unpleasant reality that you may have to clean up now and then. It’s important that you clean up immediately to avoid staining and to quickly disperse the unpleasant odor. For more information regarding this topic, just read and follow the simple tips below.
Vomit Smell Removal
– Remove the vomit from the carpet or other surfaces; this should always be the first step. Try to do this without spreading the mess around and be sure to wipe up any solids so that only the wet spot remains. Also, if nauseous, be sure to open up the windows for fresh air to let the fumes out, lest you donate your own two cents into the pile of semi-digested goop.
– Sponge the spot stained by the vomit with cool water. Then add half a cup of salt to two quarts of water and use this to further sponge the area and rinse with plain water.
If this does not work, soak the stain for 30 minutes with cool water. Blot the area again with a sponge and some diluted dish detergent until the stain is gone.
– Heavily sprinkle pet carpet deodorizer on the area and let sit for a short time. The just vacuum it up! You may have to do this a couple of times; if so, let the second “dose” sit for a while longer or even rub the deodorizer in with a damp rag. Let it dry and vacuum again. That should do it.
– There’s just something about vinegar when it comes to stains and odors, isn’t there? Vinegar (a weak acid) is a great way to clean, disinfect and deodorize surfaces, including those victimized by vomit.
Of course, vinegar doesn’t smell much better than vomit (one would say they smell almost the same), but the smell of vinegar eventually diminishes, while vomit smells don’t. It’s the lesser of two evils if you will.
– If vomit has penetrated the actual cushion of your couch or carpet, you may have a harder time getting rid of the smell, but keep trying. You may have to saturate a cushion in vinegar water to get to the center to neutralize this smell.
Afterward, let the cushion air dry outside in the warm sun for a few days. Then, just to be sure it’s dry all the way through, put the cover back on and tumble dry it at the laundromat with fabric softener sheets. The combined heat of the sun and the laundromat should help kill the vomit odors that the vinegar water didn’t neutralize.
– Another thought; after you’ve thoroughly gotten rid of the vomit smell, try child-proofing your couches. If the cushions have zippered covers, take all of the cushions out, and wrap the cushions in large plastic bags, tape tight as possible. Then put the cushions back in their cases.
Not only will you have waterproofed your cushions, but it the plastic-wrapped cushions is easily cleaned and maintained. Conversely, once you buy new cushions, never take them out of their vacuum-tight plastic packaging.
– Steam cleaning will help remove vomit smells. If soap and water don’t work, try renting a powerful steam cleaner with a hand-held attachment. Whatever you do, don’t use harsh chemicals and make sure you do your best to dry the area you’ve cleaned.
– Here’s an ensemble method using a whole bunch of cleaning agents: try spraying the affected area with a mixture of vinegar, Pine-Sol, and a scented liquid soap. Let it dry thoroughly, and then use some Febreze spray to finish the job. It’s undoubtedly hard to work through all that, but it beats trying to run out to buy new furniture.
– Pour a generous amount of baking soda over the area and let it soak in. This will help get rid of the vomit odor; sodium bicarbonate is a great absorbent powder. Then vacuum up the baking soda residue completely.
Once that’s done, set a towel over the damp area, press down on the towel and leave it until the area dries completely. If the stench persists, either consult a cleaning professional or repeat this method until the stench is gone.
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