Simple Carpet Freshener
Have you been on Pinterest lately and seen some of the great ideas for making your own powdered carpet freshener? I have, and I’ve wanted to try them for some time. Since vacuuming is one of the homemaking jobs I dislike the most, I just didn’t put the extra effort into it.
However, this past weekend, our church really needed some of its carpets deodorized and freshened up. Rather than spend money on a product that is heavily scented with artificial fragrances, and probably containing all sorts of questionable ingredients, I quickly mixed one up with simple ingredients that I had on hand.
Are you ready for the verdict?
I loved it! It worked wonderfully, and really couldn’t have been easier to do.
Most recipes I saw consisted of baking soda, an essential oil, and some contained cornstarch. I never saw a reason for the cornstarch, but my thought was that it helped the mixture flow freely and evenly onto the carpet. I skipped the cornstarch, and added borax.
Why borax? It naturally kills bugs, and that was one of our goals. I wouldn’t use borax in a home with babies that roam the floor, though. While it is a great ingredient for home cleaning, borax is not something that should be used in skincare or where it could be ingested. Since babies put everything in their mouths, I wouldn’t take the chance, even though the powder is vacuumed up. More than likely, some will remain in the carpet fibers, and I wouldn’t it want it getting on the toys that my baby plays with.
I chose three common essential oils: tea tree to disinfect, lavender to gently disinfect and add a nice scent, and peppermint to also repel bugs. The combination was really a delight to my nose, and the carpet was rid of the lingering odor it had before. It wasn’t overly powerful, but smelled really fresh.
Want to give one a try?
Deodorizing Carpet Powder
- 1 c. baking soda
- 10-20 drops essential oils of choice (lemon, sweet orange, and eucalyptus might be other nice options for your home) My favorites come from Mountain Rose Herbs and Tropical Traditions.
- 1/2 c. borax, optional
- Place all ingredients into a glass jar and shake. Depending on the type and brand of essential oils you choose, you may need more or less. Again, if you have littles in the home, choose oils that are safe to use around babies and young children. You can’t go wrong with lavender!
- Scoop powder into an empty Parmesan cheese container, spice shaker with a pour spout, or similar container. You can also drill holes into the lid of a jar. You need the holes to be a decent size, like those on the cheese container top (think the size of the top of your pinky finger), so that the powder can shake out easily.
- Shake the powder over any carpet spot that is needing a boost of freshness. Wait about 15 minutes, then vacuum the powder up and enjoy the lingering clean smells and naturally disinfected carpet!
Have you tried making a homemade carpet powder? What did you think? Did you use different ingredients?
