Baking soda is an extremely versatile natural cleaning and freshening agent. It's especially handy for those of us who have little ones in the home who still have the occasional overnight potty accident (or any other mattress mishaps: smelly dog, darling pet hurls in our bed, our kid spilled milk in bed, etc).
To a small mixing bowl just add some baking soda and a few drops of the essential oil of your choice. For a pleasing sleep-friendly scent you could try lavender, but the only essential oil I tend to keep on hand is eucalyptus because it is so versatile, and we like the lively scent. Whisk a bit with a fork, and sprinkle over mattress or carpet. Let sit a bit, however long depends on the potency of the, er, problem. If there is still dampness on the mattress, let it sit long enough to wick up the moisture and dry out again before vacuuming (use a hose attachment). If it's just a re-freshener (or on the carpet) you can vacuum 20-30 min or sooner if you like.
The commercial carpet powders (particularly Arm & Hammer) are essentially, you guessed it-- baking soda plus some other chemicals for perfume and long-term storage. There is no magic "pet hair releaser" formula, or any other significant differences--just different smells (kindda like how there are 15 different types of Excedrin for back, body, tension, whatever, but the active ingredients are 100% the same and you couldn't tell a difference to save your life? You notice that too?)
The extra chemicals and special packaging jack the price up considerably. You can skip the price inflation, and the extra chemical content, by whipping up a batch yourself, and you can choose your own scent--one you don't hate after 10 minutes. A smell you can actually identify, as in "yum, smells like eucalyptus, yup" as opposed to "random overbearing perfumey smell which most certainly does NOT smell like a Hawaiian Breeze". But I digress.
Try it. Save money. Enjoy.
sounds like a great product!
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