This Is the Absolute Best Way to Clean Vomit from Carpet (It’s Only 5 Steps!)

I recently got a new puppy, a 4-month-old mini dachshund. She’s adorable but doesn’t understand yet that she can’t eat everything in sight. Last month, she snatched and devoured some little blue flowers my landlord planted in the backyard before I could grab her away from them. Unfortunately, the flowers didn’t agree with her tummy, and she spent the next hour puking them up on the living room rug.

Luckily, we have a washable rug. But if you don’t and need to clean vomit from the carpet in your home — either from a human or an animal — there’s a simple, if not somewhat gross, process to do it. 

• Spoon
• Warm water
• Mild soap
• Clean rag or paper towels
• White vinegar
• Bowl
• Baking soda
• A vacuum

If you can tackle vomit cleanup when the mess is still fresh, that’s better all around. Especially because, as Ronnie Kendrick, founder of Colorado-based CompanyClean, says, “Cleaning vomit from the carpet is no joke, especially if it’s all crusty and dried up.” But the process is pretty much the same either way. Here’s what he says to do.

It sounds gross (because it is), but use a spoon to get the big chunks up. If the vomit is dry, scrape it lightly with the spoon to loosen it, and then scrape up what you can. Kendrick says you can rehydrate it with warm water and mild soap, like Dawn dish soap.

Use a cleaning rag or paper towel to dab at the spot until you get as much out. “Remember, no rubbing!” Kendrick says. “That just makes things worse.”

Make a 1:1 cleaning solution of white vinegar and water in a bowl, and pour it on the stained area. Let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes, then dab it up again. Repeat the process as many times as needed to get it all out.

Once the stain is out, sprinkle some baking soda. Leave it there for a few hours, or as long as overnight. 

Once the carpet is completely dry, vacuum up the baking soda.