How should I remove baking soda from my carpet?

Question

I had an issue with wet carpet in my room. I dried it using clothes and towels as much as I could but after that I put baking soda on it. Google seemed to suggest it was a good idea. I thought you could remove it easily by just vacumming it. But now i find the soda is actually stuck on the carpet. No matter how hard I try, it is impossible to vacumm it. I tried to use a a wooden comb or a scrub but it only had a mild effect. Can someone help me how I can remove this soda from the carpet. I live in rented accomodation so I am freaking out.

Someone said use vinegar with a cloth but I am scared now cos i dont wana complicate things further. thanks

Answer 1

If it's not vacuuming out, the issue may be with your vacuum. Check that the bag isn't full and that the brush doesn't need to be lowered for your carpet style.

If you're still having difficulty cleaning it, then I'd consider a carpet shampooing wet vac. They can be rented from a variety of stores and pull out a lot of dirt as they vacuum up the cleaning solution. They will leave the carpet damp so you'll want to avoid walking on it for a day if possible and circulate lots of air through the home to allow it to dry. I'd only do this after you have resolved any sources of other moisture in the carpet.

Answer 2

Vinegar will just get you CO2 and sodium acetate, a solid. Rubbing with a damp, not wet, cloth should slowly dissolve and take up the baking soda. Be prepared to do plenty of towel wringing and rinsing with a bucket of clean water.

Answer 3

Baking soda dissolves in water. I would run a carpet cleaning machine over it to dissolve the remaining baking soda and residual water.

Answer 4

Buy some citric acid, and mix a 10% solution with warm water - look up how; it's easy. Scrub it in. This should lift out the stain immediately. Good luck.