I decided to try the baking soda idea on my carpet to see if it works.
For starters, this carpet is an older one that didn't have a good life before I moved in. Translation: it stinks.
I want to replace the carpet, and would rather save the fifty dollars it costs to rent and use a cleaner and put it toward ripping it out and replacing it with an easier to clean surface, but I cannot tolerate the thought of a dirty smelly carpet.
One of the tips was to not only sprinkle baking soda on the carpet, but to use your broom to brush it into the carpet in order to gain the most effective odor removal.
I put baking soda on my living room carpet alone and brushed it in several minutes ago. Amazingly, I can tell a bit of a difference already in the living room smell. A lot of difference actually - my plug in is no longer getting overwhelmed and now I can smell it!
I'm thinking of simply ripping up this carpet and painting the floors for an interim solution. One, I don't know exactly what type of floor covering I wish to put down, and two I don't have the money in my budget. I really dislike carpet though. It is pretty, but holds dirt and odors to an unacceptable degree and costs too much to clean and maintain. This old carpet is worn anyway...
I have painted floors in the past, and they have a reddish floor paint that would go with the decor in here. They also have a battleship gray, but I'm just not a fan of that color, you know? Black would be overkill with the dark paneling, and I fear white would be too hard to keep clean...
Any ideas?