How to get chemical smells out of carpet
Chemical spills like nail polish remover leave behind a stubborn, lingering odor that survives professional carpet cleaning and home remedies like baking soda and vinegar. This leaves the room reeking for days despite the carpet looking completely clean, preventing people from getting rid of the persistent fumes.
What the numbers show
Counted from the threads quoted below. How we count
- People have been saying this in most months since September 2026.
- This comes up 17.2× more often in r/CleaningTips than across the site as a whole.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
How to get chemical smells out of carpet
- 1Airing out the roomDid this help you?
- 2Cleaning with baking soda and vinegarDid this help you?
- 3Sprinkling bicarbonate of soda on the carpet, letting it sit, and vacuuming it upDid this help you?
- 4Using air freshenersDid this help you?
- 5Replacing the carpet paddingDid this help you?
- 6getting a dehumidifier for the basementDid this help you?
- 7performing deep cleans to remove settled dust and danderDid this help you?
- 8Carpet cleaningDid this help you?
- 9Spending hundreds of dollars on specialized odor removal productsDid this help you?
- 10Removing the carpet entirelyDid this help you?
- 11Pouring vinegar down the pipesDid this help you?
- 12Running hot water to fill a dry P trapDid this help you?
- 13Pouring bleach down the sinkDid this help you?
- 14Using enzymatic cleaners like Natures Miracle or Odo Ban for pet urineDid this help you?
- 15Painting wallsDid this help you?
- 16Gutting the basementDid this help you?
- 17Cleaning hardwood floorsDid this help you?
- 18Planning to clean air ductsDid this help you?
- 19Considering or renting an ozone machineDid this help you?
- 20Running air purifiersDid this help you?
- 21Checking drains for sewer gasDid this help you?
- 22Getting carpets professionally cleanedDid this help you?
- 23Sprinkling baking soda and vacuumingDid this help you?
- 24Planning to replace the carpetDid this help you?
- 25Deep cleaning the apartmentDid this help you?
- 26Opening windowsDid this help you?
- 27Running fansDid this help you?
- 28Using chlorine dioxide bombs and spraysDid this help you?
- 29mopping and vacuuming every few daysDid this help you?
- 30using a large air purifierDid this help you?
- 31getting fabric and rugs cleanedDid this help you?
- 32washing dogs every one to two weeksDid this help you?
- 33cleaning dog beds and harnessesDid this help you?
- 34using odor-neutralizing products like zero odor proDid this help you?
- 35Applying baking soda and letting it sit overnight before vacuumingDid this help you?
- 36Spraying a 1/2 warm water and 1/2 acetone mixture and allowing it to evaporate before vacuumingDid this help you?
- 37Using an enzyme spray or cleaner marketed for pet messesDid this help you?
- 38Using a carpet cleaner machine with Bissell or Oxi Clean solutionsDid this help you?
- 39Using Odoban with a cleaning machineDid this help you?
- 40Applying ammonia in a well-ventilated areaDid this help you?
- 41Using an ozone machineDid this help you?
- 42Hiring a professional upholstery cleaning serviceDid this help you?
- 43Using an enzyme cleaner designed for pet odorsDid this help you?
- 44Renting a carpet and upholstery extractor machineDid this help you?
- 45Leaving the cushions and covers outside in direct sunlight and a breeze to dry fullyDid this help you?
- 46Running an ozone machine in an enclosed spaceDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“No matter how much I carpet cleaned or the hundreds of dollars on products it always smelled like piss.”source ↗
“I moved into a 70 year old house and the old owners lived here for the last 50 years. They were in their 80's and the house smells like old people. We got all of the walls painted, the basement has been gutted, and all the hardwood floors were cleaned before we moved in.”source ↗
“It's been 5 months since we've moved in and it has not even seemed to get any better. My sister came over to borrow a shirt and when she got home, she said her roommate could smell the old smell from down the hall on the shirt. I then wore one of my jackets out of the house and could smell it all night on my jacket.”source ↗
“I am obviously now freaking out because I've bought nice couches and rugs and worry the smell is soaking into all my things and ruining them.”source ↗
“I’m in the same boat in my new apartment. Smells like cat shit and mold. Apartment maintenance guys are fuckin worthless.”source ↗
“cleaned up drunk throwup that stayed overnight , this morning im cleaning it with warmwater and vinegar and soap. but the smell it still on there. what to do?”source ↗
“All of it reduced smell maybe 30%, I still feel it strongly in living room... Horror, why is it so hard. :-(”source ↗
“What can I do to make the doggy smell go away?”source ↗
“Why can I not get rid of the odor?”source ↗
“i’ve cleaned myself and opened the window and turned on fans and i cannot get this smell out.”source ↗
“i’m super sensitive to smells like this and it’s driving me crazy and giving me a headache. HELP how do i get it out???”source ↗
“when I turned on the washer, the worst smell came out of it. Strangely, the smell was not coming from the washer itself, the smell was coming from the sink.”source ↗
“I also would appreciate if anyone knew a good brand of urine remover to get the dog pee out of the carpet.”source ↗
“Old rugs smell like feet - help”source ↗
“They’re old like backing is brittle. Thin. Cheap. But what I’ve got. They were in a place that apparently had a mildew issue.”source ↗
“I don’t have physical strength to scrub.”source ↗
“I had a couch with strong odor, we left it in full autumn sun and a breeze and it cleared up substantially.”source ↗
“Got carpet cleaned professionally looks pretty good but the smell is still there.”source ↗
“Carpet looks brand-new but smell is killing me.”source ↗
“I’ve tried airing out my room + cleaning with baking soda and vinegar hoping that will make the smell go but it still reeks even a couple days later.”source ↗
“the carpet in our bedroom still stinks like dog.”source ↗
“I’ve tried sprinkling baking soda and leaving it for an hour before vacuuming but it didn’t work.”source ↗
“I kept wondering why it smelled like dog by our front door.”source ↗
“You could try baking soda, letting it sit maybe overnight before vacuuming, but honestly they sound like a lost cause.”source ↗
“I ended up investigating a spill and noticed that the edge of the carpet smelt a bit earthy. This goes pretty much around the basement on exterior walls wherever there is carpet.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 3Why does my house still smell like chemicals after HVAC cleaning?
- 29How to get strong perfume smell out of cardboard and paper
- 11Why do my towels still smell musty right after washing?
- 27How to get pet urine smell out of artificial turf
- 7How to get rid of strong Fabuloso smell in the house
- 26How to get old unknown stains out of a rental carpet cheap