Today we’re making a quick, all-natural carpet and rug deodorizer.

PROJECT TIME: 15 min. (plus 30 min – 8 hours waiting for deodorizer to do its thing)
PROJECT LEVEL: easy
SUPPLIES: For this DIY at the very least you’ll need baking soda – all of the other ingredients and even the tools are optional but as we make the deodorizer I’ll explain why I still use them when I make this for my own carpets and rugs.

Ingredient List:
– 1c. baking soda
– 1/2c. borax (sodium borate/tetraborate NOT boric acid)
– 1/4c. cornmeal
– 10-15 drops of grapefruit essential oil
– 10-15 drops of lavender essential oil

Tool List:
– mixing bowl
– spoon
– mason jar
– cheesecloth (or 1 sheet of paper and a hole punch)
– scissors

Note: Avoid using aluminum mixing bowls or spoons when putting this together – the baking soda can react with it.

1. ADD BAKING SODA (a natural deodorizing agent) to your mixing bowl.
2. ADD BORAX, which is basically a type of salt that will help boost the deodorizing power of the baking soda. It also has some brightening properties (not whitening like bleach or hydrogen peroxide but it may dull dark colors over multiple uses) so I’d skip this if your carpet or rugs are particularly dark or are made with delicate dyes.
3. ADD CORNMEAL to your mix to keep everything from clumping up. I find it also helps distribute the mix evenly when using a shaker top instead of cheesecloth.
4. ADD ESSENTIAL OILS, I’m using grapefruit and lavender, both for their scent and their natural antimicrobial and antibacterial properties.
5. MIX everything together being sure to break up any clumps.

Now let’s make the jar that we’ll use to sprinkle this onto the carpet with.

LID OPTION 1: SHAKER TOP

1. TRACE the inside lid of your mason jar onto your sheet of paper.
2. CUT the circle out.
3. PUNCH HOLES in the paper and now you have a shaker top for your jar.

LID OPTION 2: CHEESECLOTH

1. CUT a square of cheesecloth that’s large enough to cover the top

(That’s it! This is an easy one.)

DEODORIZE YOUR CARPETS AND RUGS

1. FILL your mason jar with some of the deodorizing mix then place the paper shaker or cheesecloth on top and hold it in place by screwing the jar ring on.
2. VACUUM your carpet or rug to remove any dirt, dust, or loose carpet fibers. This also helps get the fibers standing up so when you pour the deodorizer onto them, it can get further down between them.
3. SPRINKLE the deodorizer mix liberally onto the carpet or rug. Let it sit for at least 30 minutes but longer is better – overnight is great! And don’t let anyone, including pets, trample through the area while you’re treating it.
4. VACUUM it up! And be thorough so you don’t leave any baking soda in the carpet which can eventually start to clump and attract dirt if you’re in a high-humidity area.

If you have any deodorizer leftover, be sure to label it and store it with the inner jar lid on, in a location where kids and pets can’t get to it.

So that’s all there is to it! You can do this a few times a year or whenever you feel like the carpet is starting to smell a little funky.

If you liked this, subscribe to the The Normal Girl Show for new episodes every Monday – this month is all about natural cleaning and home care so be sure to stay tuned! Let me know in the comments, or tweet me, if you give this a try.

Until next time…stay normal!
-Katie