Confession time: When I was in college, I used to buy off-the-shelf carpet deodorizers with artificial lavender or tropical scents.

Before becoming eco-savvy, I never suspected these carpet “fresheners” were hazardous—or that I was breathing in a nasty dose of their residues as I vacuumed.

Read their labels today, and you’ll find unhealthful ingredients you don’t want to inhale. And newer versions, available as quick-dry foams, have propellants that contain propane and n-butane.

To avoid chemical exposure, go the do-it-yourself natural/organic route, which also turns out to be less expensive. Today’s DIY carpet deodorizer recipe calls for only two nontoxic ingredients:

1. Baking soda, which absorbs odors
2. 100% pure natural/organic essential oils for customizable fragrances

As with Wednesday’s recipe for DIY Natural/Organic Carpet Cleaner, the aromatherapy experts at Aura Cacia recommend using deodorizing essential oils like bergamot (a refreshing citrus), coriander seed (like bergamot, with a woody nuance) or lavandin (a cross between true lavender and spike lavender).

DIY Natural/Organic Carpet Deodorizer 

• 1 cup baking soda
• 18 drops essential oil

1.  Mix ingredients.
2. Sprinkle on carpet, and allow powder to sit for 10 minutes.
3. Vacuum normally.

Household cleaners are notoriously loaded with caustic and toxic chemicals, so trading them in for green cleaning products is one of the first steps organic consumers take. 

After a while, however, we tend to figure out that we can use common household ingredients like vinegar and fresh lemon juice to create do-it-yourself versions that get the job done effectively and less expensively. Add your favorite natural/organic essential oils, and you can customize your cleaners’ scents—an added bonus. 

Today’s DIY carpet cleaner recipe contains only three nontoxic ingredients: 

1. Baking soda, which gently scours surfaces while absorbing odors
2. Natural liquid soap (made from vegetable or nut oils)
3. 100% pure natural/organic aromatherapy essential oils 

Aura Cacia, a manufacturer of natural and certified organic essential oils, recommends using deodorizing oils like bergamot (a refreshing citrus), coriander seed (like bergamot, with a woody nuance) or lavandin (a cross between true lavender and spike lavender) in today’s homemade carpet cleaner.

DIY Natural/Organic Carpet Cleaner

• 1 cup baking soda
• 18 drops natural/organic essential oil
• 1 teaspoon liquid soap 

1. Mix baking soda and essential oil.
2. Add liquid soap and mix, until a creamy paste forms.
3. Apply to spots on carpet. Scrub and blot dry.