Among the accidents that befall our carpets, one that has us groaning the most is milk spillage and the smell that comes out of it.
The thing about milk spills is when you think you got all the mess out of your way, you’ll be greeted by the sour smell that lingers around your home.
We know how annoying it is to have sour milk smell on your carpet, so we compiled a list of things you may do to try to get rid of the stench. We have six cleaning methods and detailed step-by-step instructions for each of them.
How do I get the smell of milk out of my carpet?
METHOD 1: Use coffee grounds
| Difficulty | Very Easy ●○○○○ |
| Number of steps | 3 |
| Time required | 24 hours |
| Things you need | Unused coffee grounds, vacuum |
Step 1: Cover the spot where the milk stain is with unused coffee grounds. Coffee can help neutralize the sour smell of milk.
Step 2: Wait for the coffee to sit in and absorb the smell. Wait time can take a few hours to a day, depending on how bad the smell is and how long it’s been since the milk was spilled on the carpet.
Step 3: Vacuum the coffee grounds. The coffee smell might remain after vacuuming, but it will gradually disappear.
METHOD 2: Use vinegar
| Difficulty | Very Easy ●○○○○ |
| Number of steps | 2-3 |
| Time required | 1 hour to a couple of days |
| Things you need | Vinegar, water, spray bottle, bowl |
There are two possible ways you can get rid of the smell of milk on your carpet using vinegar. The first is by placing a bowl near the stained area, while the second is by directly spraying a water and vinegar mixture on the carpet.
METHOD 2.a. Place a bowl of vinegar near the stain
Step 1: Fill a bowl with vinegar and place it near the spot where you suspect the smell is coming from. Make sure that you have already removed the stain before doing this.
Step 2: Wait for a day or two until the vinegar completely absorbs the smell of the milk.
This solution doesn’t leave as much vinegar smell as the other solution, but it can be quite risky if you have pets or kids.
There’s always a risk of anyone accidentally spilling the bowl over the carpet, which can be a bigger problem, so make sure to be cautious when doing this.
METHOD 2.b. Spray a water and vinegar mixture on the carpet
Step 1: Mix equal amounts of vinegar and water in a spray bottle.
Step 2: Spray the mixture directly onto the area where the milk spilled.
Step 3: Let it sit for a while before using a clean cloth to wipe the mixture out of the carpet.
This method will leave a vinegar smell, but it will disappear in a few days.
METHOD 3: Use baking soda
| Difficulty | Very Easy ●○○○○ |
| Number of steps | 3 |
| Time required | 24 hours |
| Things you need | Baking soda, vacuum |
Step 1: Sprinkle baking soda over the area where the smell is coming from. Make sure that the entire area is coated with the powder.
Step 2: Let the baking soda stay on the carpet overnight.
Step 3: Vacuum the baking soda out of the carpet.
METHOD 4: Use charcoal
| Difficulty | Very Easy ●○○○○ |
| Number of steps | 4 |
| Time required | A couple of days |
| Things you need | Charcoal, towel, vacuum |
Step 1: Put charcoal crystals or charcoal bags over the area where the milk smell is coming from. Charcoal is known to be great at absorbing odor.
Step 2: Cover the charcoal with a towel.
Step 3: Leave the crystals or the bags on the carpet until the smell is gone.
Step 4: Vacuum the spot.
METHOD 5: Use borax
| Difficulty | Very Easy ●○○○○ |
| Number of steps | 3 |
| Time required | 10 to 11 hours |
| Things you need | Borax powder, soft broom or brush, vacuum |
Step 1: Coat the area of the carpet where milk was spilled with Borax powder. Use a brush to spread the powder evenly.
Step 2: Let the powder sit on the carpet for a few hours, preferably over 10 hours.
Step 3: Vacuum the carpet.
METHOD 6: Use an enzyme-based cleaner
| Difficulty | Very Easy ●○○○○ |
| Number of steps | 5 |
| Time required | 10 minutes or more, depending on the cleaner |
| Things you need | Enzyme spray, cloth, vacuum |
Step 1: Spray the carpet area where the smell is coming from using an enzyme-based commercial cleaner, like Biokleen Bac Out, Nature’s Miracle Dog Stain & Odor Remover, and Puracy Natural Pet Stain & Odor Remover.
Step 2: Wait for about 5 minutes. Some cleaners may require a different time, so always check the instructions.
Step 3: Scrub the area using a soft bristle brush to completely remove the smell.
Step 4: Wipe it dry with a clean cloth.
Step 5: Vacuum the area.
