Natural Carpet Powder Deodorizer

One of the mistakes I made back when I lived in a carpeted home [shudder] was purchasing carpet powder deodorizer, all because I liked the idea of the house "smelling clean". Really, I was just paying for chemically scented baking soda. You can just make your own carpet powder using this formula:

1/2 cup of borax
1/2 cup of baking soda
1 teaspoon of cloves and/or cinnamon (cloves help keep our closets moth-free too)

Or, if you've got pets, instead of the spices, use about 20-25 drops of sweet orange oil, which is a natural flea repellent; be sure to mix in the oil into powder mixture thoroughly and never use directly onto your pets.

Sprinkle on carpets using a cheese-shaker or empty baby powder container, and leave for 15-20 minutes before vacuuming. Now you've neutralized musty odours, added a pleasant naturally derived scent, and also possibly rid some unwelcome pests without chemicals or pesticides.

Related link: Natural closet moth-repellent mixture

Comments (8)

I guess the borax is to kill all the bugs that want to eat the other ingredients?

What about lemon oil instead of orange. Are the properties very different? I just like the way lemon smells better than orange.

I use baking soda by itself before I vacuum. Does that do any good?

crafty82,

Baking soda or Borax on their own are wonderful deodorizers. If you have a particularly bad spot (pet urine stain, vomit, etc...) you can pour a vinegar/water mixture (1/2 cup white vinegar to 1 quart warm water) on the spot and rub some baking soda or borax in and let it dry and then vacuum it all up. I did this with an old cat urine spot and it worked great. If the smell/spot is particularly bad or old you may have to reapply a few times. For my cat urine stain I poured enough vinegar/water on it to soak down to the subfloor and it took about 5 days to dry, but in the end the smell was gone!

Monica -

You're a lifesaver. Thank you for that tip.

Could you help me find a cedar powder I read about in a magazine a few months ago? I was at Borders flipping through a high-style home mag and they touted a cedar scented carpet powder. I can't seem to find it anywhere on the Internet. Have you come across it or do you have a recipe for one? I absolutely love the smell of cedar! Thanks.