Your 10-step guide for how to get sick out of carpet like a pro 

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It doesn’t matter whether it’s an overexcited child or an adult who’s eaten a slow-cooked chicken that turned out to be a half-cooked chicken – vomit is vomit. And it’s totally gross. But it's a fact of life, and we all puke sometimes. But love is stronger than puke, so of course you’ll take care of the accident that happened to the one you love. 

Here we’ll offer some super simple steps to quickly and easily clean up sick. Read on to find out how to clean sick off the carpet including: 

• What you need for cleaning up vomit 
• How to remove the excess 
• The basics for how to clean up vomit from the carpet 
• How to stop the puke smell in its tracks 
• How to clean up dried vomit 

Trust us, with our easy guide to cleaning up vomit, you’ve got this.  

Top tips and advice for cleaning up vomit on carpets 

Before we show you how to clean up vomit from the carpet, there are a few important things you should bear in mind to protect your carpet and prevent unwanted damage. So read these tips carefully before cleaning up vomit: 

• Whenever you use any new cleaning solution or method on your carpet, do a spot test first in a hidden area. This is to make sure there aren’t any dodgy reactions that’ll mean you don’t just need to know how to clean up vomit from the carpet, you also need to know how to hide the damage that the cleaner’s done too. Agh!  
• Avoid using DIY methods for cleaning up vomit on wool or silk carpets. They don’t take well to DIY cleaning solutions or even shop-bought cleaning products. So, when it comes to how to clean up vomit on carpets made from these materials, it’s best to call in the pros. 
• Cleaning up vomit is much easier when it’s still wet – gross, but true. It not only lessens the damage that the puke’s enzymes and acid can do to your carpet, it also reduces the potential for the smell to set in. 

How to get vomit out of carpets – the materials you need 

Fortunately, (as we’ll show you!) there aren’t too many things you’ll need when it comes to cleaning up vomit. Here’s the list of what you’ll need to follow our steps for how to clean sick off the carpet. 

• Spoon
• Kitchen towel
• Water
• White vinegar or carpet stain cleaner
• Rubber gloves
• Bicarbonate of soda
• Vacuum cleaner

How to get sick out of carpet surfaces – the first stage 

Before you actually clean your carpet, you’ll want to get as much puke off the surface of the carpet as possible… especially if it’s that horrid, chunky kind. Here are the steps for this first stage of cleaning up vomit:  

• Pop on some rubber gloves. 
• Scrape off all those chunks of puke with a blunt object such as a spoon.  
• Don’t forget to thoroughly disinfect your chosen vomit chunk scraper afterwards, either by washing in the dishwasher, or sitting it in boiling water for five minutes.  
• If you’d prefer to know how to get sick out of carpet surfaces with something you can dispose of after, you can use a strong piece of kitchen towel.  

 How to clean vomit from carpet fibres – the step-by-step process 

Once you’ve got up all the chunky bits, you’ll better be able to see the messy vomit stain on your carpet. Now you’re ready to learn the method for how to clean up vomit on the carpet: 

1. Pop on your gloves (or leave them on if you’re already wearing them from the first stage!) 
2. Start by dampening dried vomit (if necessary) and removing the excess vom with a spoon or kitchen towel as detailed above.  
3. Now, choose your cleaning solution. You can use a commercial carpet stain cleaner or a homemade option of equal parts white vinegar and water. Remember, if your carpet is silk or wool, call in the professionals instead! 
4. If you are using a commercial product, take care to follow the manufacturer’s instructions found on the label. 
5. Chosen the DIY route? When using the vinegar solution, dip a piece of strong kitchen towel into it and blot at the stain. Never rub the stain as this could push it further into the carpet fibres. 
6. Blot at the stain several times, using a fresh kitchen towel each time. Keep it contained, as you don’t want to over-soak the area.  
7. Dip another sheet of kitchen towel into plain, clean water and dab at the stain to help rinse out the vinegar solution.  
8. Use dry kitchen towel to blot dry. 
9. Leave the area to completely air-dry or soak up the moisture with a light layer of bicarbonate of soda.   
10. Vacuum up the bicarb once it’s dried to a powder. 

How to get vomit smell out of the carpet 

One of the worst things about vomit is the lingering smell it can leave behind and the chances are you’re wondering how to get rid of the vomit smell. To ensure you bust the vomit odour, ensure you don’t skip the bicarb step in our guide for how to clean up vomit. Bicarb is a great natural deodoriser!¹ Alternatively, you can use a specific carpet deodoriser product to remove any persistent odours.  

How to clean up dried vomit 

This guide offers advice on how to clean up vomit when it’s fresh. But as much as we’d prefer to get rid of it quickly, it’s not always possible - especially if it’s yours and you’re feeling unwell. So, we’re here to help if you need to know how to clean up dried vomit:  

• The first step is to dampen the puke with a warm water-soaked kitchen towel.  
• Press it over the stain (don’t rub), making sure you don’t oversaturate the area.  
• That’ll make it easier to remove, but it’ll also intensify the smell – you have been warned!  
• You can then go ahead and follow our step-by-step guide for cleaning up vomit. 

Now you know how to clean up vomit from carpet surfaces and fibres, you can help your poorly pal or under-the-weather child to recover and show that your love knows no bounds – not even vomit! 

Sources: 

¹  Preliminary observation on the effect of baking soda volume on controlling odour from discarded organic waste