The older I get the more wary I am about chemicals. Maybe it’s the sheer amount of medication I’ve been taking for all of my adult life. When you hear, this medication that you have no choice but to take contains harsh chemicals that will probably make you lose your hair, you suddenly realize that a healthy concern over these things is a good idea.
Since that day I’ve tried to limit the number of chemicals I use, though I have been seriously and severely slacking in recent years. I’ve gotten to be bad about not always having proper ventilation when working with harsh chemicals and I’ve gotten back into the store-bought cleaners that are so convenient to just snap up. But just the other day after cleaning the absolutely filthy bathroom in the new house (the people that lived here before were apparently gross seeing as how it nasty it is after they “cleaned” the home. Ew.) I wound up laying down right after and coughing until my throat felt raw.
MY LATEST VIDEOSIt was a reminder of why I chose to go a bit more natural with my home cleanliness way back when and helped me to realize that I need to get back to that place. So I’m starting off with DIY carpet deodorizer which seems a bit silly, really. There is absolutely no carpet in this house. Every single floor, except for the garage, is covered with the same beige tile. BUT I do have one area rug in the house in the bedroom and I have plans to snag another for the living room in the coming weeks. And while it’s a small thing considering the little bit of carpeting I do have, it’s still a necessary step to get things back to a less chemical filled life that I’m going to go after.
For this project you will need:
- Jar
- Shaker lid
- Essential oil in a pretty scent
- Baking soda
Fill your jar with baking soda and pour into a mixing bowl. Now my bowl turned out to be way tiny so pay attention to that! Not wanting to dirty yet another bowl I worked with it but it was kind of sucky :)
Add 30-50 drops of your favorite scented essential oil. This jar is actually for my Momma who is in love with lemongrass scent. It does smell incredibly clean.
Using a fork cut through the oil and baking soda to evenly distribute the oil throughout. Once done you’ll not have any big globs of oil to stain your rugs.
Pour your new 2 ingredient carpet deodorizer back into it’s jar.
Grab a shaker lid for your mason jar and screw that sucker on with the ring that came with the jar. Now this one I am using came from Michael’s for around $6 but they also have a similar set at Amazon here. This is actually meant for a martini shaker but it works perfectly for our carpet deodorizer!
The silver cap slips over the shaker portion to keep the deodorizer in and away from moisture. The big holes allow for a quick sprinkle along the carpet to come out easily but not absolutely pouring out and wasting your powder.
Considering that the jar and lid only have to be purchased a single time and I used baking soda out of a large, bulk bag with 14 pounds of only $7 at Sam’s Club, each mason jar costs just cents to make. Chemical free, wonderful smelling and inexpensive? Perfect!
Ugh… yes. I’m all too familiar about being aware of chemicals that I surround myself with. Because of my… er… slight obsession to want to keep things clean in the apartment (particularly the bathroom), I’m always finding myself spraying some foam cleaner on a surface to wipe it down. Unfortunately, this is murder my sinuses. One brand in particular (won’t say the name) is hell for my sinuses because I’ll spray it and minutes later, I’m sneezing out of control for the next 24 hours. Even with the windows open, I still end up having to reach for the nearest tissue when I feel a sneeze coming on.
So I may have to try your baking soda oil idea Allison so that I don’t turn my place into a chemical plant zone!
I am wondering if you put some diatomaceous earth in as well, it would take care of doggy pests, and won’t hurt the pets. I will try it as I use DE in their bedding , and I also put it in their food for parasites. Thanks for sharing
That sounds interesting! I’m going to research that diatomaceous earth. Thanks for the tip!
You never did say do you use water and scrub it?
Hey, Janis. You do not use water and scrub it. It’s not that kind of thing. It’s just like the carpet dust you purchase at the store that you sprinkle on the carpet, let it make things smell lovely and then vacuum the dust away. This is just a homemade version.
Sounds great, gonna give this a try. Thank you.