Have you met Toby?
No?
There’s a good reason. Okay, more like twenty good reasons.
Meet Toby…
If you’ve ever seen the movie (or read the book) Marley and Me, you know all about Toby. Think of Toby as a miniature Marley. If you haven’t watched the movie, you really need to go rent it or Netflix it–whatever the correct word is for 2015. I’m starting to feel dated- yikes!
Anyway, back to Toby…
Toby is a twelve pound mix between a Jack Russell Terrier and a Dachshund. When the two breeds are mixed the new puppy is called a Jackshund. Sounds fancy, right? This fancy name simply means breeders can charge a pretty penny (or a few thousand) because the new puppy is a “designer” dog.
Toby was a super cute puppy and since we were intent on the “no kids for 10 years pledge” we decided a dog was the right answer. Toby was going to be our low maintenance “kid.” Within the first week of bringing Toby home from the puppy store, we realized our cute puppy was everything but low maintenance. PS: We only lasted five years. Piper was born in 2010.
Like any good dog parents with a “problem kid” we immediately enrolled him in a doggy boot camp program. The promise of an obedient, going outside to use the bathroom, won’t eat your shoes dog was just six weeks away, according to the brochure.
Toby was the star student at doggy boot camp. He walked, barked on command, shook a paw, and apparently even listened when we said, “No!” Shortly after returning home each week something would click inside Toby. I seriously started to question the possibility of owning a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde dog. Maybe our dog needed a therapist not bootcamp?
Toby passed the doggy boot camp program with great praise, and ten years later I’m still wondering what he learned.
The good news? Toby is still super cute, and a member of our family. The bad news? We’ve only been through 6 bed comforters, 2 floors (carpet and hardwood in two different homes), two couches, and about 8 different doggy sitters (vacation trips).
All this talk leads me to the DIY of the day. A DIY that’s 110% inspired by Toby.
One of the mental oaths I took when we welcomed Toby into our family was: My house shall not smell like a dog. Despite the clear appearance that Toby lives here (Oh yea, that covered couch has a gigantic hole in the center. Watch out!), I’m determined to keep my house smelling fresh and inviting. As it turns out, keeping a fresh home is pretty easy with three natural ingredients. Let’s take a look:
Baking Soda: This inexpensive ingredient can be used to raise my favorite banana bread and clean a toilet. Pretty amazing stuff! When used as a homemade cleaner baking soda absorbs and neutralizes odors. I use Bob’s Red Mill Baking Soda for baking, but go with the cheaper bulk bag of Arm & Hammer for cleaning.
Diatomaceous Earth: “Diatomaceous earth is made from the fossilized remains of tiny, aquatic organisms called diatoms. Their skeletons are made of a natural substance called silica. Over a long period of time, diatoms accumulated in the sediment of rivers, streams, lakes, and oceans. Today, silica deposits are mined from these areas…” Source
DE is added to this recipe to fight against fleas and other unwanted insects. While DE may be skipped in this recipe, if you have pets, it’s a beneficial ingredient to add. There are two different types of DE products on the market: food-grade and pool-grade. Food-grade should be used in this recipe because it’s safe for humans and pets. Pool-grade is not a safe ingredient due to the processing and should not be inhaled.
A note on color: The DE pictured in this post is gray; however, most food-grade DE products are white. The DE I purchase from our feed store (I also use this in our chicken coop) is mixed with a small amount of bentonite clay which leaves behind a grayish color.
Lavender: Lavender not only smells wonderful in my home, but also helps to repel bugs. I add dried lavender to my carpet deodorizer with a few drops of essential oil.
With a simple combination of baking soda,diatomaceous earth, and lavender we can enjoy Toby’s presence (the non-destructive side) without our home smelling like a dog. I mean that in the most affectionate way. No hard feelings, Toby!
Carpet Deodorizer with Lavender
Ingredients
- 1 cup baking soda
- 1/2 cup diatomaceous earth food-grade
- 1/4 cup dried lavender
- 15 drops lavender essential oil
Instructions
- In a spice grinder, grind the dried lavender for 30-40 seconds. This step may be skipped if a spice grinder isn't available.
- In a large mason jar (8 ounces or quart-size), add the baking soda, diatomaceous earth, ground dried lavender, and lavender essential oil . Secure the lid and shake the ingredients together until combined. Store the sealed jar at room temperature until needed.
Recipe Variations:
Option 1: If you don’t own a Toby or live in Florida (hey, bugs!) , substitute 1/2 cup of baking soda in place of the diatomaceous earth.
Option 2: If you don’t have any dried lavender available, this recipe also works great with just the essential oil. You may want to increase the essential oil to 30-40 drops.
More DIYs You May Like:
4-Ingredient DIY Citrus Air Freshener
9 Cleaning Products to Stop Buying and Start Making
OK – I have a stupid question. Does this deodorizer get sprinkled on the carpet?? Does it need to be vacuumed up? I’ve debated making this in the past, and feel like I remember it used to saying something about sprinkling, let it sit awhile, and then vacuum? Our beautiful greyhound had a morning of throw up in our place, so I’m officially on the “I’m making this” bandwagon! 🙂
Thanks for any feedback!
Hey Noel, You’re correct–sprinkle it on the carpet. Let it sit for a few minutes and then vacuum it up.
Love your ideas! Thanks for tips:)
This easy-to-make, great smelling carpet deodorizer will transport you away to the lavender fields of Provence. carpet deodorizer- so fast & easy and leaves the house smelling. It Combine baking soda and essential oil in a mason jar. Cap and shake well to combine.
This is very important – to inform people. Unfortunately no warning and it seems that we can use essential oils without control, but this is not true. I always recommend that pregnant women be careful with essential oils, especially high concentrations.
heh, nice story:), thank you very much for the good mood! (and Scratch behind Toby’s ear)
Thanks for the recipe that you have shared.Im pretty sure i will try it.
Awesome, Anna! Let me know what you think!
Thank you Kristin for the tip. I have heard lavender scent may cause migraines in children. Is that true?
Hey Nina, I’ve never heard of this. I know lavender is sometimes used to help ease migraines.
This is a great tips. I am going to buy this carpet deodorizer. Thank for share this post.
This is a great tip. I’ll buy this carpet deodorizer for my home. Thank you.
Enjoy making the carpet deodorizer!
Amazing ! Best tip you got very interesting here , extremely useful and helpful , I’m surely I’ll try this up , that’s why I bookmarked this page to get more useful information ,
Last word really appreciate thanks for sharing this post !!!!!!!
This deodorizer does not make my pet sneeze, which is a great relief. This one is simple to make and smells good even after two days , such a nice idea shared with us.
Awesome, Dr. Farber. I’m glad you’re enjoying the carpet deodorizer.
Having a pet at home and not smelling the house like zoo is an wonderful idea, though never knew this will be possible, I tried a few chemical deodorizer but found that they are having side effects on my kids as well as the pet itself, so stopped purchasing them. Will try this simple idea and hopefully will get rid of that odor soon.
Awesome, enjoy, Melissa!
Toby so adorable <3 and your recipe great too, i always love the lavender, even my own essential oils, i think i will try this recipe tmr, hope it will work well 😉
Thank you, Barbara :). He is cute even if he’s pure trouble 75% of the time ;). Enjoy!!
Well i have a Chihuahua, not cute as Toby but she is annoying too lol!
But your recipe so great, i will try it asap, look like it’s not too hard to make 🙂
Thank you, Susan! Enjoy!!
OMG Toby is sooooo cute! My family had two dogs and a cat–till my son moved back in. Now three dogs and a cat. Want my home to smell fresh and clean…this looks like the answer! Now what about picking up all that pet hair LOL?
Thank you, Kelli! He’s a cutie :)…and so much trouble, lol. I think this deodorizer will work great for you. Let me know if you find a natural solution for the pet hair ;). My vacuum would be forever grateful!
Oh my, this sounds awesome! Four furkids here (two canine, two feline) and we live in FL. I have fresh lavender growing in my garden but none dried just yet though I think there is some dried around here somewhere. Food grade DE, we got. Thanks for this recipe, am going to give it a try today.
Wonderful, Cindy! I hope you love it!
I paid 8.95 for a tiny container, I run out but refused to pay that much money for a 4 oz container. I made a huge jar for pennies. Thank you????
So glad this was helpful, Nohemi!
Lavender is always awesome. I use Lavender oil to help me relaxable and comfortable. I am very surprised that it also helps repel bugs. I think I will try your wonderful recipe. Thanks