How to Clean Cat and Dog Puke Out of Your Carpet

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The best ways to clean up vomit, whether it’s dried or fresh

Written by Haim Shemesh | Edited by Hannah Madden

Last Updated: June 24, 2024 Fact Checked

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Homemade Carpet Cleaner

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Store-Bought Enzyme Cleaner

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Carpet Cleaning Machine

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Tips

We love our furry friends, but it can be frustrating when a pile of their vomit ends up on the carpet. If your cat or dog has recently puked on your favorite rug, have no fear! With some simple DIY methods, you can remove fresh vomit, vomit stains, and even old, dried vomit. Keep reading to learn how you can clean up pet vomit from your carpet and get it looking brand new again.

This article is based on an interview with our carpet and rug cleaning specialist, Haim Shemesh, owner of Sunlight Fine Rug Care & Restoration. Check out the full interview here.

Things You Should Know

Remove solid chunks with paper towels, then absorb as much moisture as possible from the carpet.
Spray the area with cold water to soften and dissolve the vomit, then blot the carpet with a rag.
Apply a homemade cleaner of white vinegar and water or a store-bought carpet cleaner spray and blot the carpet to remove stains and odors.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Homemade Carpet Cleaner

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1
Use paper towels to remove as much of the vomit as possible. Wear gloves to protect your hands. Pick up the bulk of the vomit with a couple of dry, folded paper towels, but take care not to squash the vomit particles down into the carpet.^{[1]
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- If you’re dealing with old vomit that’s already dry, use a spoon to scrape the hard particles off of your carpet.
Clean the carpeted area with cold water. Fill a spray bottle with cold water and spray down the carpeted area. Using a towel, start blotting and dabbing the vomit until the chunks and moisture are mostly gone. With each blot and dab, be sure to use a clean section of the towel; you may need more than one towel if the carpeted area is large.^{[2]
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Mix 2 c (470 mL) of warm water and 1 tbsp (21 g) of table salt together. Prepare homemade carpet cleaner to finish cleaning the carpeted area. Warm up about 2 c (470 mL) of water in a large microwave-safe bowl or cup. Stir in 1 tbsp (21 g) of salt, and continue stirring until the salt is dissolved.^{[3]
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- Salt is mildly abrasive, so it helps scrub out tough vomit stains that are deep in the carpet fibers.
4
Add white vinegar, detergent, and rubbing alcohol. Mix in 0.5 cups (120 mL) of white vinegar, 1 US tbsp (15 mL) of detergent, and 2 US tbsp (30 mL) of rubbing alcohol. This powerful mixture will soften hard stains and remove vomit from almost any carpet.^{[4]
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- Don’t have all of these ingredients? Use a 50/50 mixture of white vinegar and water instead.^{[5]
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Wet a clean kitchen sponge with the solution. Dip a clean sponge repeatedly in the cleaning solution to saturate it with the cleaning substance. Use this to continue cleaning the carpeted area. If the area is large, you may need more than one sponge.^{[6]
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- The ingredients in your mixture can be drying, especially if you have sensitive skin. Wear gloves if you’re worried about your hands.
6
Blot the vomit with your sponge. Remove the rest of the vomit and any stains with the damp kitchen sponge in a patting, blotting motion. Just like before, with every stroke and dab, use a clean area of the sponge.^{[7]
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- Be careful not to rub or scrub the vomit with your sponge, since that could push the stain deeper into the carpet.
- Rinse the sponge in the sink with warm water if it becomes completely dirty.
- When you’re done with the entire area, throw that sponge away.
7
Sprinkle the carpeted area with baking soda. Now that the vomit is cleaned up, sprinkle the carpeted area with baking soda, completely covering the area you just cleaned. This will rid the carpet of any smells and will help the carpet dry.^{[8]
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Expert Source

Haim Shemesh
Carpet & Rug Cleaning Specialist

Expert Interview. 12 May 2020.}
- Baking soda is absorbent, so it will wick away any leftover moisture in the carpet.
8
Vacuum the baking soda once it’s dry. Wait for several hours before the baking soda is dry and clumpy. Then, use a vacuum cleaner to suck up the baking soda and any leftover vomit.^{[9]
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Expert Source

Haim Shemesh
Carpet & Rug Cleaning Specialist

Expert Interview. 12 May 2020.}
- Keep your pets away from the area as the baking soda dries. Baking soda can make pets sick if they eat it.
- If the stain is still there after vacuuming, repeat this entire method. For deep, old stains, you may have to do these steps several times.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Store-Bought Enzyme Cleaner

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Grab a few dry paper towels, and carefully scoop the vomit off of the carpet. If you’re dealing with old, dry vomit, use a spoon or a knife to scrape up chunks.^{[10]
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Blot and dab the vomit until the moisture is mostly gone. Use a clean section of your rag or paper towel every time you blot and dab. If you’re working on a large area, keep a few rags or paper towels nearby.^{[11]
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Sprinkle the area with baking soda or cornstarch. This will absorb the rest of the moisture that remains below the surface of the carpet.^{[12]
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Expert Source

Haim Shemesh
Carpet & Rug Cleaning Specialist

Expert Interview. 12 May 2020.} Cover the entire carpeted area with baking soda or corn starch.
- If you’re dealing with dried vomit, skip ahead to step 5.
4
Vacuum up the baking soda or cornstarch once it’s dry. Wait for about 2 hours until the area is dry. Then, use a vacuum to completely suck up the remaining particles.^{[13]
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- Use slow, even passes with the vacuum to avoid pushing the vomit further into the carpet.
5
Apply an enzyme based carpet cleaner to the vomit stain. Check the container before buying the cleaner to make sure it is enzyme based; this means the cleaner will break down the odor-causing proteins so they can be removed (a good example is Nature's Miracle). They are effective in removing stains, too. Spray the area with the cleaner until it’s very damp.^{[14]
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- Enzyme cleaners can react differently on different rugs, so make sure to test it on a small part of the rug before using it to treat the stain.^{[15]
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  Expert Source
  
  Haim Shemesh
  Carpet & Rug Cleaning Specialist
  
  Expert Interview. 12 May 2020.}
The cleaner container may say that the cleaner needs to sit for a longer or shorter period of time. Read the back of the container for specific instructions. Wait for at least 1 hour to let the cleaner wick up smells and stains.^{[16]
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Take a clean towel and get it wet with lukewarm water. Dab the cleaner with the rag to gently clean it out of the carpet. Try not to rub or scrub, since that could push any leftover product back into the fibers of your carpet.^{[17]
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Let the area dry overnight. Keep your pets away from the area for about 8 hours, and don’t move any furniture back on top of it. Let the area dry, then check out the stain in the morning to make sure it’s gone.^{[18]
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- To make sure the stain is completely gone, shine a black light over the area. If the carpet glows under the black light, repeat these steps to completely remove the stain.^{[19]
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Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Carpet Cleaning Machine

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1
Rent a commercial carpet cleaner. Some stains are too deep to remove with ordinary homemade or store bought cleaner solutions. Using a professional carpet cleaner will remove the toughest of stains and odors. Rent a carpet cleaner to quickly tackle vomit stains on your own.^{[20]
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- Rentals can be as cheap as $24.99 for 24 hours.
- If you don’t feel comfortable operating a carpet cleaner, hire professional carpet cleaners instead.
- Ask a friend for help, since you will have to move furniture and operate a somewhat heavy carpet cleaning machine.
Purchase the recommended cleaner solution. Most manufacturers will recommend a brand of cleaner solution to fill the machine with. Purchase the recommended cleaner when you rent the machine. If you’re not sure what to fill the machine with, ask the salesperson you rented it from.^{[21]
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Clear the area of any furniture or obstructions. Once you take the machine home, clear the area you will be cleaning of any furniture. Remember, you’ll need to let the carpet dry for around 24 hours, so move the furniture somewhere it can stay for about 1 day.^{[22]
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- If you’re only cleaning one small area, just move the furniture away from that part of the carpet.
4
Fill the carpet cleaner with the cleaning formula. Most home carpet cleaning systems are water extraction units, or steam cleaners. They work by injecting a solution into the carpet, then extracting the dirty solution back into the machine. Fill the tank on the machine labeled “cleaning solution” up to the fill line with your cleaner.^{[23]
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- There may be a second tank that holds clean water. If there is, fill the tank with water from the sink up to the fill line.
- Every carpet cleaner machine will be slightly different, so be sure to read all instructions before operating the cleaning machine.
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Test a small patch of carpet for colorfastness. In a small, inconspicuous location, test the carpet cleaner by turning it on and making one small stroke. Now, turn the machine off, and make sure the carpet doesn’t change color. Wait a few minutes; if the carpet does not change color, the cleaner is safe to use.^{[24]
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- If the carpet does change color, don’t use the carpet cleaner on the rest of the carpet.
6
Use the carpet cleaner to thoroughly remove stains and odors. Plug in the machine in the room you will be cleaning and turn it on. In a pattern of straight lines, move up and down the area that’s stained. Move at a pace of about 2 ft (0.61 m) per second. Make 1 pass over the area to completely remove stains and odors.^{[25]
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- Typically, you’ll only need to make a single pass over the dirty area to completely clean the vomit stains.
If the solution tank looks especially dirty, remove the tank and discard the dirty solution. Refill the tank with clean solution, and continue cleaning. You may not need to do this if the area you’re cleaning is small.^{[26]
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Empty both clean and dirty solution tanks once you are done. Once you’ve gone over every stained area once, turn off and unplug the machine. Then, empty any water or solution tanks.^{[27]
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- Dump the dirty cleaning solution into your toilet to avoid clogging any of your drains.
9
Open windows or doors to speed up the drying process. If it is summer, you can also turn the air-conditioning; if it is winter, turning on the heater will help. It usually takes 24 hours for carpets to dry.^{[28]
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- Once the carpet is completely dry, you can move your furniture back into place.
Since you are done with the cleaning machine, you can now return it to the store or rental place. Enjoy your clean carpet!

Expert Q&A

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Question

How do you get wet vomit out of carpet?

Haim Shemesh
Carpet & Rug Cleaning Specialist
Haim Shemesh is a Carpet and Rug Cleaning Specialist and the Owner of Sunlight Fine Rug Care & Restoration, a business based in New York City. Haim specializes in Oriental, Persian, handmade, and antique rug cleaning and repair. He also conducts rug restoration along with fire damage care. He has over 17 years of experience in the carpet cleaning industry. Sunlight Fine Rug Care & Restoration has been awarded Angie's List Super Service Award in 2017 and 2018. Their clients include Staples, Ace Hotel, Momofuku, Banana Republic, and more.

Haim Shemesh

Carpet & Rug Cleaning Specialist

Expert Answer

After you remove as much of the vomit as you can with paper towels, sprinkle baking soda or cornstarch over the vomit. Let it sit until it dries, then vacuum it up. After that, you can use an enzyme cleaner on your carpet, just test it out in an inconspicuous spot first to make sure the enzyme cleaner is safe for your carpet.

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Can I use tissues to remove as much as vomit I can?

Community Answer

You can try to use tissues, but they're very thin and unlikely to work very effectively.

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How do you remove urine smell from grout?

Community Answer

Try white vinegar. Apply liberally and give it a day to soak in. You may have to treat a few times to totally get rid of the smell.

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