My friend suggested I sprinkle baking soda onto my car's carpet and leave it overnight, than vacuum next day to remove any odor. Does this really work? Seems like it'll be a huge mess. Any insight appreciated

 

It shouldn't be a big mess if you use a decent vacuum to get it out. However, I don't know if just sprinkling it and leaving it for a day will get smells out, but I do know people who open some and just leave the box under their seat fashioned in a way that it won't easily spill.

Best way to get smells out anyway is usually to shampoo/extract the carpet.

 

i used this hot foam thingy at the local car wash, and it got most of the smell out (spilt some food not too long ago). so i was hoping the baking soda will get the rest out.

 

Baking soda should help absorb odors, just don't go nuts when you put it on the carpet. It should come up fine, providing you have a good vacumn.

In fact there is/was a product out called Carpet Fresh that was baking soda with an aroma. I used that on my old Accord. Worked pretty well.

 

how much do i need to put on the carpet to be effective?

 

I don't know the exact amount, but a light to medium sprinkle over the entire area. It shouldn't be like a blanket of snow, though.

I would sprinkle it on and wait a few hours, or overnight and then vacumn.

 

why not just buy arm and hammer carpet deodorizer. It smells nice and it is basically the same stuff.

 

yeah, think i'll just grab a box of that. baking soda is baking soda right? thanks for the replies fellas.

 

try the new febreeze stuff, it is supposed to work really well at getting odors out of stuff. (not the original febreeze, there is a new one).

 

yeah I use car fabreeze in my 93 maxima. If you don't mind the smell of fabreeze (my wife hates it) it works wonders.

 

can baking soda be used to clean carpet ?

 

i'm not sure about it being a cleaner, but i know it absorbs odor.

 

For whatever powdered product you use, keep in mind that carpet cleaners us baking soda as the main ingredient. Though I don't know your particular situation, you will want to make sure the area is dry on which you will apply to powder to mask/absorb the odors, otherwise you could have a gooey mess that will encrust when dry. Also, some of the carpet cleaning products can have a VERY STRONG odor/scent. You may want to go with just the unscented (and inexpensive) good 'ole, plain 'ole baking soda before trying a carpet cleaner that might leave an overbearding scent. When I have used carpet cleaner powder in my apt. the scent is so strong it is almost nauseating. Then it gets in the vacuum cleaner and is overbearing from the vacuum cleaner bag.

To make sure you get as much of the powder vacuumed up as possible, you may want to take it to a car wash and pay the coin for the machines with a more powerful draw than your home vacuum, or if you have a good shop vacuum that should suffice.

Good luck.