How to get throw up out of carpet, including the smell

Step by step: how to get throw up out of carpet, including the smell

Safety first. Vomit can spread norovirus, which is very contagious. Wear disposable gloves (and a mask if possible), keep children and pets away, bag everything you use, and wash your hands well after. Do not mix bleach with ammonia, vinegar or other cleaners, and note that bleach can discolor carpet.

1. 1

   Glove up and keep others away

   Put on disposable gloves, and a mask if the person who was sick might have a stomach bug. Keep kids and pets out of the room. Open a window if you can.

2. 2

   Cover the vomit with an absorbent

   Pour cat litter, baking soda or a commercial vomit absorbent over the whole mess, about 1/4 inch thick. Leave it for 5 to 10 minutes until the liquid is soaked up and it clumps. This keeps the mess from spreading when you pick it up.

3. 3

   Scoop it up, do not vacuum

   Lift the clumps with paper towels, a spatula or a dustpan, working from the outside in, and put everything into a plastic bag. Do not vacuum it: a vacuum can spread germs into the air and contaminate the machine. Tie the bag and take it outside.

4. 4

   Clean with detergent and hot water

   Mix 1 teaspoon of dish detergent into 2 cups of hot tap water. Blot it onto the spot with a white cloth and blot it back up, turning to clean sections. Repeat until no more color or residue comes up.

5. 5

   Rinse and blot dry

   Blot with a cloth dampened in clean water to remove the soap, then press a dry towel onto the spot until it stops picking up moisture. Bag the cloths or wash them separately on hot.

6. 6

   Treat the odor

   Once the spot is just damp, spray an enzyme carpet cleaner following its label, which breaks down the acids and proteins that cause the sour smell. When the area is dry, sprinkle baking soda over it, leave it several hours or overnight, then vacuum it up.

7. 7

   Steam clean after a stomach bug

   If anyone has a stomach bug, finish by steam cleaning the area at 158°F for 5 minutes or 212°F for 1 minute, which is the heat needed to inactivate norovirus. Check that your machine actually reaches that temperature; if not, a professional hot water extraction can.

8. 8

   Wash up

   Take off the gloves by turning them inside out, bag them, and wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Wash any clothes you knelt in on a hot cycle.

How to clean vomit from carpet after a stomach bug

Treat vomit from a stomach bug as infectious: absorb it, scoop it, clean with detergent and hot water, then use heat. The Oregon Health Authority cleanup sheet says to soak up vomit with disposable cloths or absorbents like cat litter, and for carpets and upholstery to clean with detergent and hot water, steam clean at 158°F for 5 minutes or 212°F for 1 minute, and not vacuum.

Westchester County Health’s norovirus fact sheet gives the same steam temperatures for carpet and notes that disinfecting with bleach may discolor it. It also lists quaternary ammonium compounds and ethanol among disinfectants that are not effective against norovirus, so a general disinfecting spray is not enough.

For hard floors and baseboards around the carpet, use a product on the EPA’s List G of disinfectants effective against norovirus, and leave it wet for the full contact time on the label.

How to get the vomit smell out of carpet

Get every bit of residue out first; the smell comes from what is left in the pile and pad. Then break down what remains and absorb the odor.

• Enzyme cleaner. Spray it on the cleaned, damp spot and leave it for the time on the label so the enzymes can work, then blot.
• Baking soda. Sprinkle it on the dry spot, leave it overnight, then vacuum. Repeat if the smell lingers.
• Airflow. Run a fan over the spot; a pad that stays damp will smell sour.
• Still smells after a week? Vomit may have soaked into the pad. A carpet cleaner can flush and extract the pad, which spot cleaning cannot reach.

For pet accidents, see our guides to removing pet odor and dog poop on carpet.

What if the vomit has already dried?

Scrape off the dried crust with a spatula and bag it, then rewet the stain with the detergent solution and let it sit for 10 minutes before blotting. Repeat until the residue is gone, then rinse and treat the smell. Dried vomit can leave a yellow or orange stain from stomach acid and food dyes; an enzyme cleaner or a carpet spotter usually lifts it.

As with any carpet spot, the Carpet and Rug Institute advises blotting rather than scrubbing, because scrubbing frays the pile and changes its texture.

Mistakes to avoid

• Vacuuming wet or dried vomit, which spreads germs and contaminates the vacuum.
• Wiping or scrubbing the mess, which pushes it deeper into the pad.
• Relying on a general disinfectant spray after a stomach bug; many are not effective against norovirus.
• Pouring bleach on carpet, which usually leaves a permanent pale spot.
• Covering the smell with fragrance instead of cleaning out the residue.