How to clean throw up out of carpet (stain and smell)

How to remove vomit from carpet

1. 1

   Glove up and contain it

   Put on disposable gloves. Cover the vomit with a thick layer of baking soda or clay cat litter and let it soak up the liquid for a few minutes.

   Why: The absorbent takes up liquid before it sinks into the pad and keeps the mess from spreading when you lift it. Gloves matter because vomit can carry germs such as norovirus.

2. 2

   Lift it out, don't vacuum it

   Scoop the clumped material up with paper towels or a rounded spoon, lifting rather than pushing, and seal it in a plastic bag.

   Why: Lifting removes the bulk without grinding it into the pile. Vacuuming before you absorb and lift spreads it into the pile and pad.

3. 3

   Blot with dish-detergent solution

   Mix ¼ teaspoon of clear liquid dish soap into a cup of lukewarm water. After testing it on a hidden spot, apply it with a white cloth from the outer edge toward the center, wait a few minutes, and blot. Repeat while residue keeps transferring.

   Why: This is the Carpet and Rug Institute's first step for vomit. Mild detergent loosens the protein, fat and food residue. Don't use hot water, which sets protein.

4. 4

   Follow with a vinegar solution

   Mix 1 cup of white vinegar with 2 cups of water, blot it on the same way, then blot dry.

   Why: The institute's second step. It lowers the alkalinity left by detergent and helps release remaining residue and food color.

5. 5

   Rinse and dry fast

   Dab with plain water and blot several times, then lay a thick pad of paper towels on the spot with a weight on top until it's dry. Run a fan if the room is closed.

   Why: Residue left in the pile keeps smelling and attracts soil, and moisture left in the pad lets bacteria keep producing odor.

6. 6

   Treat the smell that's left

   If you can still smell it once it's dry, apply an enzymatic cleaner as the label directs and let it air-dry. Then sprinkle baking soda over the dry spot, leave it overnight, and vacuum.

   Why: Enzymes break down the organic residue that keeps producing odor. Baking soda neutralizes acidic odor compounds and absorbs what remains.

Why vomit stains and smells

Vomit is partly digested food mixed with stomach acid, digestive enzymes, mucus, fats and food colors. Laundry guides class it as a protein stain: hot water and alcohol coagulate the protein between the fibers. Its sour smell comes from the stomach acid and from fats and proteins that keep breaking down.

On carpet, anything that reaches the backing and pad keeps breaking down, so the smell can linger long after the surface looks clean. Air fresheners only add scent on top. The fix is to lift the residue out, then use an enzyme cleaner and dry the spot quickly.

If someone has a stomach bug

Vomit from norovirus is highly contagious, and the virus can be in vomit before symptoms start. The CDC's bleach solutions (5 to 25 tablespoons of household bleach per gallon) are meant for hard surfaces, and on carpet chlorine bleach will strip the color.

The Virginia Department of Health's cleanup procedure uses steam cleaning at 212°F for one minute to disinfect carpet. That creates a conflict: steam sets protein stains, and the CDC notes norovirus survives temperatures as high as 145°F, so a quick pass isn't enough. The practical order is to remove all the residue cool first, then steam or use a carpet-safe disinfectant labeled for norovirus after a spot test. Wash your hands with soap and water afterward, since hand sanitizer doesn't work well against norovirus.

By situation

Dog or cat vomit

Use the same steps, then an enzymatic pet cleaner for the odor. Avoid steam cleaning, which can set protein, and strong-smelling cleaners that can draw a pet back to the spot.

Dried vomit

Scrape off the crust and vacuum the dry flakes, then rehydrate the spot by blotting on the dish-detergent solution and letting it sit a few minutes before blotting. It usually takes several rounds.

A colored stain from food or drinks

Food dyes and drinks can leave a mark after the residue is gone. If the vinegar step doesn't clear it, the Carpet and Rug Institute's later steps are a carpet spot kit and an ammonia solution (1 tablespoon per cup of water, synthetic carpet only), then a professional.

Vomit on a rug

Lift the solids the same way. Small washable rugs can then be rinsed cool and washed if the label allows. For larger rugs, follow the carpet steps with a towel underneath.

It soaked into the pad

If a large amount soaked through, the smell may come from the pad. A professional cleaner can extract it or replace that section.

What not to do

• Don't use hot water or steam before the residue is out. Heat coagulates the protein in the fibers and sets the stain.
• Don't pour chlorine bleach on carpet. It removes carpet dye. The CDC's bleach dilutions are for hard surfaces.
• Don't mix bleach with ammonia or vinegar. Bleach plus ammonia releases chloramine gas; bleach plus vinegar releases chlorine gas.
• Don't rub or scrub. It drives residue into the backing and frays the pile.

Other methods that work

Ammonia solution

One tablespoon of household ammonia per cup of water is a later step in the Carpet and Rug Institute's vomit sequence, for marks that survive detergent and vinegar.

Caution: Synthetic carpet only, test first, never with bleach. Its smell can attract pets back.

Carpet spot kit

A commercial kit is the step after the vinegar solution in the institute's sequence.

Caution: Follow its directions exactly. Some include a stain-resist solution that can lock in any stain left underneath.

Stain still there?

The smell came back a few days later

Residue is still in the backing or pad. Rehydrate the spot, blot with the detergent solution, rinse, then apply an enzymatic cleaner deep enough to reach where the vomit went.

A brown or orange ring remains

Food color or residue wicked up as it dried. Repeat the vinegar step and a rinse, and dry under a weighted pad of paper towels.

Safety

• Wear disposable gloves and wash your hands with soap and water afterward.
• After a stomach bug, disinfect nearby hard surfaces with a bleach solution as the CDC directs, with ventilation.
• Never mix chlorine bleach with ammonia or vinegar.

Never mix cleaning products; see chemicals you must never combine.

Questions

Vomit on other surfaces

• Vomit stains: the complete guide
• Vomit on a car
• Vomit on a couch

Other stains on carpet

• How to clean carpet
• Blood on carpet
• Cat urine on carpet
• Chocolate on carpet
• Coffee on carpet
• Crayon on carpet
• Dog urine on carpet
• Glue on carpet
• Grease and oil on carpet
• Gum on carpet
• Hair dye on carpet