Does Baking Soda Ruin Your Vacuum?

Even though baking soda might have plenty of really helpful uses for, there’s always a time and a place for everything, including baking soda.

Where exactly does baking soda fit in in the vacuum cleaner world?

Well, for starters, you can remove stains from your old or worn out carpets, neutralize pet smells and other odors, and you can even use baking soda as a mild disinfectant!

However, if you have an expensive vacuum cleaner or one that you really don’t want to damage in any way possible, you should learn how and why baking soda can ruin your vacuum cleaner.

How Exactly Does Baking Soda Pose a Threat to Your Vacuum Cleaner?

Despite seeming like an excellent tool in your home cleaning arsenal, baking soda is actually not the best option in terms of addressing or solving the problem of smelly carpets, or odors originating somewhere or someplace through your home.

You might think that despite being so affordable and having so many uses, that the positives outweigh the negatives. However, in this situation, baking soda can do more harm than good to not only your vacuum cleaner, but even your carpets!

3 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Use or Vacuum Up Baking Soda on Your Carpets:

Considering baking soda grains can be as small as 70 µm, then you can probably guess how they can damage your vacuum cleaner.

Baking soda can pass through your vacuum cleaner in places that it shouldn’t, causing damage to individual components such as the motor or filter.

Reason #1 – Difficult to Get Out Of Carpet

Even if you vacuum the area you’ve treated vigorously, there’s still a chance that small particles from baking soda will stay embedded deep into your carpets.

Although you may not be able to visibly see any baking soda, trust us, it’s there.

If you’ve ever had to tear up old carpets for some remodeling, then you know how easy it is for tons of dust or other residue to be left behind.

Essentially, the baking soda that your vacuum cleaner inevitably misses will remain embedded in your carpets.

Reason #2 – Can Cause Damage to Your Vacuum Cleaner

Although baking soda can be useful in the kitchen and for many other uses, it can pose a threat to vacuum cleaners.

Not only can it cause performance issues with your vacuum cleaner, but also can clog your vacuum’s components or bag.

Because baking soda particles are so tiny, they can get also get into your vacuum cleaner’s motor, potentially causing your vacuum to break or some dangerous situation.

Reason #3 – Baking Soda Can Destroy Your Carpet Rug Fibers

Yes, you read that right. Baking soda will actually act similarly to sandpaper when it comes to your carpets and the fibers holding them together.

This means that baking soda can only completely ruin your vacuum cleaner, but it can also cause damage to your carpets over time.

Put Away the Baking Soda and Address the Root Issue

We hope you were more informed about why baking soda is far from the best option to freshen up your home.

In fact, there are way better options that exist if you’re trying to actually fix the main issue here at hand.

What exactly is the root issue? It’s simple.

Your carpets need to be cleaned.

Another reason why baking soda is the wrong choice is because it only temporarily addresses the problem.

3 Ways You Can Keep Your Household Carpets Well-Maintained and Smelling Fresh:

Even though you do have the option of using a vacuum cleaner freshener, whether homemade or store purchased, it may not fix your problem for very long.

Other than maintaining your vacuum cleaner and replacing any parts or filters when need be, there can still be other reasons why your carpet smells.

Vacuum Regularly

The best way to keep your carpets smelling fresh and looking clean is with regular vacuuming.

More often than not, the solution is remarkably simple.

Even though some people may need to vacuum less regularly than others, if you’ve got pets or lots of foot traffic in one particular area of your home, consider vacuuming it more often.

Maybe you already vacuum on a more than reasonable basis and you think there’s something else wrong. Well, if you already vacuum regularly and still have carpet odor, the issue may lie deep within…

Clean Your Carpets

Because dust, odor, and other debris can be embedded deep within your carpets, possibly out of your vacuum cleaners reach, you should consider cleaning your carpets either professionally or with a carpet cleaner vacuum cleaner.

You can either have your home professionally cleaned, or you can actually buy a carpet cleaner. Many are affordable, too.

If you’ve got pets and you’re looking to save money in the long run, a carpet cleaner might actually be a worthwhile investment.

On the other hand, getting your home professionally cleaned is much easier, takes less time in comparison to doing the job yourself, and can be fairly affordable.

Your Vacuum Cleaner Is to Blame

If you have a vacuum cleaner that’s old, cheap, not up to your standards, or you simply hate using it, the vacuum cleaner could be at fault.

Maybe the motor isn’t as great as it used to be, or maybe you never liked using the vacuum from the beginning.

You might be overdue for a filter or belt change, or perhaps your vacuum is at the end of its life.

There are cheap and affordable vacuum cleaners out there that have HEPA filters and offer great filtration at an affordable pricetag.

If you suspect that your vacuum cleaner is at fault, especially if your vacuum cleaner smells bad, there are ways to address that too.

Always Use a Vacuum with Excellent Filtration Capabilities

If you don’t have a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter, definitely consider trying one out and comparing how fresh your environment smells. You may very well be pleasantly surprised, especially if you suffer from any type of dust allergy or other respiratory problems.

HEPA filters are capable of capturing much more dust, debris, and pet dander than a standard air filter.

HEPA vacuum cleaners are a must have for anyone who values either their health or a fresher smelling home. Consider choosing from reliable brands like Miele if you want top-of-the-line filtration.

In Conclusion: There Are Better Options Than Baking Soda

Although it might make perfect sense to use baking soda for odors, using it on your carpets is not a smart move. There are a wide variety of alternative routes you can take towards addressing the main problem at hand.

There are much better long-term options that you can choose from if you’re looking for fresher smelling carpets.

Many times, the solution might be more simple than you could ever imagine. Maybe your filter needs a cleaning or consider the possibility that your vacuum cleaner may be to blame.

Your carpets might just need to be thoroughly cleaned depending on their age, the last time they were cleaned, and what lies deep beneath the carpet fibers.

Regardless of the problem you’re facing, trying to use baking soda to temporarily freshen up your home is a waste of time, effort, money, and puts your carpet and vacuum cleaner at risk of damage.