Thursday, March 10, 2011

All Natural Carpet Powder

I have a dog and kids and my carpets can get a little funky sometimes.
You know what I'm talking about, right?
If you are thinking: 
No Amy, my carpet is steam cleaned every other day and there is no funk anywhere in my house. You are disgusting and I will never read your blog again!!  
Then I apologize, and politely ask you to kick rocks. ;)

If you are human and need a natural way to freshen your carpets, read on!

I used to use those commercial carpet powders that you sprinkle on the carpet and then vacuum. I loved how they freshened the carpet, but I didn't like the chemicals.

Baking soda is a natural deodorizer, so I decided to make my own carpet powder.

What you need:
1. Baking soda
2. Essential Oil of your choice
3. Cheese Shaker
4. Jar with a lid for mixing

Place Baking soda in the lidded jar, add several drops of essential oil(I like mine kinda strong), put the lid on and shake it up. Then scoop it into the cheese shaker and sprinkle on your carpets. I let it sit overnight and then vacuum.

The baking soda absorbs odor and the essential oil leaves a nice scent on the carpet.  

This is my cheese shaker. I got it at the Dollar Tree.
See those holes? They make sprinkling the powder over the carpet so so so easy!
No lumps, just nicely distributed powder. 

I chose to use Lavender because I LOVE it, but you can use whatever you like.

Here is my mixing jar; It used to hold bath salts.


I made this for my carpets, but really I use it anywhere I use baking soda.
Today I used it to scrub the kitchen sink and it smelled wonderful as I scrubbed


Linking up with these parties.

31 comments:

mE aNd mY tℎrIfTy IdEas said...

Lovin this post!

Jenna said...

Oh, what a good idea! Thanks, I need to try this.

Unknown said...

SO smart. We live in a rental with older carpet and so we've inherited some smells... as well as adding our own. Plus, this will give me more incentive to vacuum more often since it will smell nice!

Heidi Lucille said...

Dude!! I'm so trying this out.
Ps. You rock!

Dragonfliez Made said...

That is such a great idea. 3 kids, 3 cats... not good for the carpet!

Little City Farm said...

Love this idea. Definitely going to try it. We have 2 dogs and 3 cats,...we need this! lol. Thanks for sharing.

Gwen @ Gwenny Penny said...

Great idea, Amy! I don't have any carpet in my house, but this might be a good thing to sprinkle in my diaper pail:)

Unknown said...

I do this too. Only vanilla is my scent of choice. You shaker is much nicer than mine - I use an old plastic container.

I also sprinkle a little at the bottom of the trash cans after I put the bags in.

http://kidscatsclutterandklutz.blogspot.com

leah mari said...

i always loved those powders but never use them or that very reason. great idea!!!

Mama Hen and the Chicks said...

I love your idea of sprinkling the soda with the cheese shaker! I use soda too, but it has a tendency to come out in chunks. There is a great site that tells how to clean harder spots using soda, hydrogen peroxide, and vinegar. I have tried it and it works.
See:
http://www.dogchatforum.com/dog_urine_odor.htm

Lindy@Itsy Bitsy Paper said...

One word...Brilliant. I am so going to mix up some of this deodorizer-not for me of course because my carpets are perfect but I'm sure I can think of someone that could use it :) Thanks for sharing
http://itsybitsypaper.blogspot.com

Are You A Mom said...

Hello,
Love your blog, I will be trying this tomorrow!!!...I am now following you, Please stop by and say hi and follow me too...Areyouamom.com
Thanks,
Maureen

Lindsey said...

Love this idea, I am always in need of freshening up our carpets. With a 3 year old running around, I'm always trying to clean something out of the carpet! Thanks for the tip!

Hipster Hostess: Arika said...

What a great idea...my husband is always trying to spray some kind of freshener all over our house, and I am always worried about what is in it...I will be trying this idea soon! Thanks for sharing!

Liz said...

Wonderful idea! And yeah, I got the funkiest carpet in town.

Katrina said...

Twenty Mule Team Borox will do the job too

Megan {The Brick Bungalow} said...

I just saw this on Sassy Sites and now I'm going to have to make it! I definitely need to buy some essential oils, as so many cleaning supplies (that I want to make) have them. I am trying not to use any chemicals in my house but it's hard... and a slow process, as I finish up what I do have (I'm into the no chemical thing but also into the saving money and not throwing away full bottles of supplies... so as I work on replacing them when they're empty, they are getting replaced with healthy, natural ways!). Thanks so much for sharing this tip! Do you have any others?

Jenn @ Peas and Crayons said...

Ohmygosh I am totally making this!!! Thank you so much for this fabulous idea! I hate the idea of spinkling chemicals on the carpets so I have just gone without - but this is PERFECT!!!

xoXOxo
Jenn @ Peas & Crayons

Michelle @ Delicate Construction said...

Before I had the hard would floors I would make this stuff by the gallon! I loved it! Great recipe! I am visiting from Tatertots and Jello and you know I am a follower!
Have a great weekend!
Michelle
www.delicateconstruction.blogspot.com

Jennifer Beard said...

This is a great idea! My carpets generally need freshening in between deep cleanings. Thanks for the idea!
Jennifer B.
http://jsbeard.blogspot.com/

Amy said...

This is a fabulous idea. I would to start making all home made cleaners... One day. I need to go get some essential oil and I am going to give this one a try. Thanks for the idea. I am a new follower. Come over and see me sometime on my blog. Www.thelittlebeansprout.blogspot.com

Thanks, Amy

Megan said...

This is a great idea. I have two dogs and it can get a little stinky!

megan
craftycpa.blogspot.com

That Crazy Ajumma said...

This is a fabulous idea!
I love those carpet fresheners too but, with a family full of allergies and asthma, they are an irritant.
I shall, try this idea...thanks!

Lindy@Itsy Bitsy Paper said...

Hi! I just posted this great "recipe" over on my blog. I left a link to your blog.
www.itsybitsypaperblog.com

Anonymous said...

Great idea to put the essential oils in! I've used plain baking soda before and that works great. I'm going to add the oils.

I have several of those cheese shakers. A thrift store I was at had an entire basket of brand new ones for 25 cents. So I bought them all. I have issues. lol.

Kemmei said...

I've mixed mine with cinnamon- it makes my house smell delicious!

April said...

Great idea! I love baking soda! I sprinkle some in the bottom of my trash bag everytime I put a new one and I got my own homemade odor blocking trash bags....I hate the smell of the store bought ones!

Unknown said...

i do this too! i add sea salt to mine because i read that it does something ionic to attract gross particles..no idea if it works but my floor seems fine.
tattgiff at centurytel.net

Ashley said...

Great idea! Where did you get the essential oil from?

Anonymous said...

My husband always sneezed when I used the commercial powders. I have been using this stuff, and it's great. Thanks for sharing!

Unknown said...

What an awesome idea! I always worry about the toxins in most types of cleaners, not the mention the chemicals found in some carpets themselves. I love the industrial flooring in the kitchen in my restaurant, but for those of us who can't warm up to the idea of using it at home, monitoring the cleanliness and "health" of your carpet is the next best option :)

The most important thing she’d learned over the years was that there was no way to be a perfect mother and a million ways to be a good one."
~Jill Churchill