The smell of coffee is quite strong and overwhelming. You can tell there’s a coffee house down the street from a distance because of its characteristic aroma.
As much as the fragrance of fresh coffee is tempting and appetizing, the odor of old coffee is unpleasant. This means if you’ve spilled coffee on your carpet, you have to do something about the smell soon!
The question is – can you get the coffee smell out of the carpet? The answer, fortunately, is yes!
Does Coffee Smell Go Away?
Considering how strong the smell of coffee is, you may wonder if it’s even possible to get rid of the coffee smell if you’ve spilled it on your carpet. Well, the good news is that the coffee smell does go away.
The time it takes for the coffee smell to go away depends on two things: the size of the spill, and how soon you cleaned it.
If you spill only a small amount of coffee on your carpet and clean it immediately, the smell will disappear sooner. But if you spill a lot of coffee or don’t clean the spill right away, the smell will linger.
The smell of freshly brewed coffee is heavenly (and appetizing), but if you spill coffee on your carpet and don’t clean it properly, it can be extremely frustrating and unpleasant.
The trick to getting the coffee smell out of the carpet is cleaning the spill immediately!
Can Coffee Smell Linger Even After You Clean the Coffee Stain from Your Carpet?
Did you clean the coffee stain as soon as it spilled but feel like the smell is still around? Well, it’s possible. The coffee smell is quite strong, and it can linger for a while even if you clean the stain off your carpet.
But that doesn’t, in any way, mean that getting rid of the coffee smell from your carpet isn’t possible. It’s very much possible.
Getting Rid of Coffee Smell Out of Your Carpet
Coffee spills on carpets aren’t uncommon. It’s something that happens to everyone several times in their life. If you’ve got children and pets around, coffee spills would be an everyday thing for you.
No matter how much you love coffee, having your house smell of coffee all the time isn’t the most pleasant thing to experience.
As we said earlier, the ease with which you can get the coffee smell out of a carpet depends majorly on the size of the spill and how soon you clean it.
Let’s see the many ways you can get the coffee smell out of your carpet.
Fresh Spill
If you just spilled your coffee, don’t panic. If you want to be absolutely sure that you not only remove the stain from your carpet but smell, too, here’s what you have to do.
Remove As Much Liquid (Coffee) As You Possibly Can
The first thing you should do immediately after you spill coffee on your carpet is to remove as much liquid from the carpet as possible.
Don’t rub the carpet to clean the coffee stain just yet. Just dab the area on the carpet where you spilled coffee with a towel. The towel, being absorbent in nature, will soak in the liquid.
Replace the towel until it comes out dry. This is a sign that most of the liquid has been removed from the carpet.
Work on the Stain
The next thing you have to do is work on the stain. The coffee smell won’t always go away after you clean the stain. But the smell of coffee will never go away if you don’t clean the stain.
So, cleaning the coffee stain off your carpet is a prerequisite to eliminating the smell.
Once the liquid has been sucked out of the carpet (dried using towels), pour cold water over the coffee stain on your carpet to dilute the stain.
Repeat the same step of soaking in the liquid from the carpet using a towel. Dab the stain till the towel absorbs no more water. This would lighten the stain.
Coffee stains are rigid and won’t go away just by washing with water alone. You’ll need to treat the stain with a stain remover as well.
Commercially available stain removers are your best friend. Not only will they effectively clean the coffee stain, but their fragrant formula will mask the smell of the coffee.
You can also use homemade stain cleaner solutions to get rid of the stain. But odor removal with homemade solutions won’t be as quick and effective as with commercial products.
Spray the stain remover over the stain and start blotting the stain from the edges while working inwards. Don’t rub the stain aggressively. It’ll only make it bigger.
Wash the Stain and Dry the Carpet
Once the stain is cleaned, rinse the cleaner off the carpet using cold water and let the carpet dry completely. Open the windows to allow the passage of air to dry the carpet quickly.
Ventilation will also make way for the smell of coffee to leave your house. Keeping the doors and windows closed, and fans turned off will only result in the smell of coffee spreading across your house.
Old Spills
Many people only clean the coffee spill slightly without realizing that the coffee must have been absorbed into the carpet. If you don’t clean the coffee stain thoroughly, the smell of the coffee will linger for much longer.
If you cleaned the coffee spill, but your house still smells of coffee several days later, you need to rework the coffee stain on your carpet. The smell won’t go away as long as the stain is there.
The stain on the carpet is a sign that the carpet has absorbed the coffee, and the coffee is still there (though it’s dried). How can you expect your carpet and house not to smell like coffee when coffee is inside?
Cleaning old coffee stains is much harder than cleaning fresh coffee stains. But it’s not impossible.
Here’s what you need to do:
Use a DIY Stain Remover
You can clean the coffee stain from your carpet and get rid of the smell using a DIY stain remover. Here’s how:
Soften the Stain with Water
The area on the carpet where you spilled coffee may have become stiff. That’s your stain. Wet the stain with water so that it softens up. Leave it for a few minutes and allow the stained area of the carpet to absorb water.
Dab the Stained Area Dry
Dab the wet area with a towel, just like you would do in case of a fresh spill. Dab the carpet till the towel comes out dry.
Apply a Stain Remover
Since old coffee stains are tougher to remove, you might need something more than a regular stain removal product.
A DIY stain remover will do the job well enough. Mix liquid dish soap in warm water and add an equal quantity of white vinegar (1 tablespoon of each would do).
Blot the stained area on your carpet with DIY stain remover. As explained earlier, start at the edges and work inwards.
Rinse the Carpet with Water
Once the stain is removed, rinse the affected area of your carpet with water. Use a towel to absorb as much water as you can. Then, let the carpet dry naturally.
Not only will you get rid of the stain, but your house will feel fresh too!
Use Baking Soda
Another super-effective way of getting rid of the coffee smell from your carpet is by using baking soda.
Scrap the Dried Coffee Stain and Vacuum
Scrap off the dried coffee from your carpet and vacuum to remove any crumbs. If the stain is visible, clean the stain using DIY stain remover and let the carpet dry completely. If the smell is still there, proceed to the next step.
Sprinkle Baking Soda
Sprinkle baking soda generously over the area where you spilled coffee. The area should be covered with baking soda entirely. Let it sit on the carpet for some time.
Vacuum Your Carpet
Vacuum the carpet to remove all the baking soda. Baking soda will absorb the coffee smell. If your carpet still smells of coffee, repeat till the smell is completely gone.
If the Smell Remains
What to do if the smell of coffee still lingers after you’ve tried everything?
Well, it may surprise you, but pet odor remover might do a great job! Pet odor remover will work to get rid of the coffee smell pretty much the same way it does for pet urine.
Closing Word
You certainly wouldn’t want to come to a house smelling of coffee after a long day at work. It’ll just frustrate you.
Your best bet at getting rid of the coffee smell from the carpet is to work on the stain when the spill happens. The longer you let the coffee stain sit on your carpet, the harder it’ll be for you to get rid of the smell.
Always start with cleaning the stain with a fragrant stain remover. Most of the coffee smell will be removed with the stain. If the smell still lingers, you can always use baking soda or pet odor remover.
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