Muddy feet, dog pee, baby toes, and other similar things make your carpets smelly.
As such, the idea of using a nice fragrance carpet powder seems like a quick and cheap fix. But is carpet powder bad for vacuums? Does it even remove the odor from your carpets?
In this comprehensive guide, we break down if your vacuum cleaners are safe, whether you should use carpet powders or not, and all other doubts that you may have to surround the use of carpet powders.
What Is a Carpet Powder?
Carpet powder or deodorizer are products that you can easily find in supermarkets.
These are often labeled as safe and promise to help you eliminate any odor from your carpets. Carpet powder delivers on that promise, but only to some extent.
So what a carpet powder or deodorizer does is it suppresses the odor in your carpet for some time, but it does not kill the source.
As the effect of the carpet powder diminishes, you will be able to smell the lingering odor again.
Hence, it is not as effective to get the puke smell out of the carpet.
Now some instructions on the labeling would suggest you sprinkle the carpet powder and clean it up later using a vacuum cleaner. But is carpet powder bad for vacuum cleaners? Is carpet powder safe to use for cleaning? Keep reading to find out!
Is Carpet Powder Bad For Vacuum?
Yes, carpet powder, especially if it is very fine like baking soda, is bad for your vacuum cleaner. Using the vacuum to clean up such fine particles can damage the vacuum’s motor and clog the filters, reducing its efficiency and potentially leading to costly repairs.
It’s best to avoid using the vacuum for cleaning up fine carpet powders and instead, opt for other cleaning methods like sweeping or using a carpet brush to apply and remove the powder.
Here’s how carpet powder can affect your vacuum cleaner:
1. Vacuum Bag
The bag in a vacuum cleaner is meant for the air to circulate properly while cleaning.
So when you use your vacuum cleaner to clean carpet powder, the fine particles of the powder get stuck in the bag.
The clogged bag doesn’t allow the suction to work properly then, and the overall cleaning ability of the vacuum cleaner is greatly compromised.
2. Vacuum Filters
As mentioned earlier, carpet powder has a very fine consistency, and vacuuming can clog the bagless vacuum cleaner’s filter.
So when your vacuum filter is clogged, it will not pick up dust as efficiently, and its performance will be compromised.
You might need to replace your filter or clean it thoroughly if you want to use it to clean carpet powder.
3. Motor Problems
The carpet powder also clogs the cooling filters around the vacuum cleaner’s motor.
Just as you would clean bagless filters, you need to clean these cooling filters, too, each time you use them for cleaning carpet powder. If you do not clean the cooling filters, the motor will overheat and burn out over time.
Worse than this, if the motor filters are not there to keep the powder off the motor’s surface, then the powder would clog the motor bearings and grind down the motor axles.
When this keeps happening continuously, the motor eventually breaks down entirely.
4. Belt Slippage
The fine carpet powder seeps into the vacuum cleaner drive belt. When a sufficient amount of powder gets accumulates, the belt begins to slip.
When it slips, it begins to overheat and overheating leads to stretching and breaking of the belt. If you use your vacuum cleaner occasionally to clean carpet powder, then it is not an issue.
However, using it continually will lead to the breaking of the vacuum belt entirely.
Is Carpet Powder Bad For Dyson?
People often consider using carpet deodorizer as a quick fix to dealing with carpet odor. Yes, you will have nice-smelling carpets for a while, but the smell will return in a few days.
Then you will have not only bad-smelling carpets but also a damaged vacuum cleaner.
The adverse effect of fine carpet powder on your vacuum cleaner may not be apparent at first. But these microscopic particles will accumulate and damage your vacuum cleaner’s filter, airbags, etc.
So if you are wondering if it is ok to use carpet powder with your Dyson Vacuum cleaner, then the answer is no.
Using your Dyson to clean carpet powder will affect the ability of the machine considerably and will eat away the machine slowly.
Is Carpet Powder Bad For Roomba?
You will need agitation and extremely powerful suction to get rid of the carpet powder from your carpet fibers completely. Unfortunately, your Roomba won’t be able to do so.
Only a few high-end vacuum or even steam cleaners have the ability to suck up the fine powder of carpet deodorizer.
Even after knowing this, if you use your Roomba to clean carpet powder, two things would happen.
Firstly, the particles of the carpet powder would still remain at the base of the carpet, and when it comes in contact with water or pet pee, the powder will turn into a nasty clump.
Secondly, you will damage your Roomba, and its cleaning efficiency will be compromised.
Is Carpet Powder Bad For Shark Hoover?
Yes, carpet powder is bad for your Shark Hoover and for any other kind of vacuum cleaner, for that matter.
If you have used carpet powder on your carpets, then you might want to consult a professional for the best solution.
And if you have used your Shark Hoover to clean carpet powder, then you should change the bag.
Many people believe that they should change the bag only when it is full, but that’s not the case. By changing the bag when it is two-thirds full, you can ensure your vacuum is working fine again.
And as for the next time, ensure you do not use your Shark Hoover or any other vacuum cleaner from the next time.
Is Carpet Powder Toxic?
Having kids or even pets in the home makes your carpet prone to spills, stains, and even pee. All this can lead them to emit odor, and you would want to fix it without spending too much.
Many homeowners grab carpet powder as a quick fix, but they are neither good for your carpets nor your family.
Here are some of the disadvantages of using carpet powder:
Childern & Pets
Children and pets often crawl and play on the floor and on your carpets. But exposing them to carpets that have been cleaned with carpet powder can lead to skin irritation, itching, and even breathing problems.
This can happen even if your carpet powder is labeled as “made with natural ingredients.”
Carpet Fibers
Carpet powders have a baking soda-like consistency that does not get cleaned up entirely from your carpet fibers unless you use an industrial vacuum.
So much of it gets settled and trapped at the base of the carpet, making it room for bacteria to thrive in.
Also, when it comes in contact with water, pee, or any other liquid, it forms nasty clumps that are so difficult to deal with. Overall, carpet powders are not the best solution.
Do Carpet Powders Even Work?
Carpet powders or deodorizers can suppress the smell from your carpet for only a few days. They cannot eradicate the smell completely or kill the source of the smell.
You should opt for professional carpet cleaning instead and get your carpets cleaned every 8-12 months to keep them fresh and as good as new.
How To Clean Your Carpets Without Carpet Powder?
Well, we have made a point already. Now you might be wondering how you should clean your carpets instead of dealing with smells.
Here are some tips that might be helpful:
- Establish a cleaning routine and stick to it to maintain your carpets.
- Vacuum your carpets regularly to ensure they are free of dust and dirt.
- Treat the stains and spills on your carpet before it settles down.
- Get your carpet professionally cleaned every 8-12 months.
Wrapping Up
Who doesn’t like quick and cheap fixes? But is carpet powder bad for vacuum? Yes, it is! Carpet powders are, unfortunately, not a quick fix.
A bad-smelling carpet needs to be taken care of, and getting it professionally cleaned is the best way to do it.
We hope this guide was helpful to you.
FAQ
Is baking soda bad for vaccums?
Yes, just like carpet powder, baking soda also has tiny particles and cleaning it off your carpet using a vacuum cleaner is not good.
Just like carpet powder, baking soda also diminishes the efficiency of a vacuum cleaner and its parts.
Can vaccums clean up powder?
Even the strongest vacuum cleaners may not be able to clean up the fine powders.
And even if it does, the fine particles damage the filter, bag, motor, and all other parts of the vacuum cleaner when used frequently.
Is carpet powder safe for vacuums?
Using your vacuum cleaner to clean carpet powder only once or twice is fine, but using it more to clean up powder-like substances can damage the vacuum cleaner, cause the belt to slip, and the motor to burn out eventually.
We recommend you not use your vacuum cleaner to clean powders at all.
Daleyza knows a lot about carpets! She has worked with carpets for over 7 years and can help with things like putting them in, keeping them clean, and replacing them. She really likes carpets and spends most of her time learning about new ways to work with them. When she’s not learning about carpets, she enjoys reading books. She’s really good at helping people choose the right carpet for their homes and making sure they’re happy with it. If you want to know more about carpets, Daleyza is the person to talk to!