how to get rid of throw up smell

Kids get sick and they puke often. Learn how to remove vomit smell fast from your car, camper, home, carpet, and anything else FAST!

Vomitgeddon. You know what I'm talking about. Those times when your kids get sick and then it feels like the whole house is sick for a month and you can't get the 'sick' smell to clear out… that's vomitgeddon.

It happens to us about once or twice a year, so I've become pretty proficient at how to remove vomit smell fast.

I'm not talking about a top to bottom thorough cleaning, because who has time for that when everyone is sick?

We're just going to talk about the things that will get rid of that vomit smell quickly.

Sound good?

Does vomit smell disappear?

Yeah. Eventually. It dissipates over time, or if it's a spring day and you can open the windows to air out the room, you can remove vomit smell reasonably quickly.

But what about all of those times when you can't open the window?

You know, those times when you walk into your child's room after they've been sick and the overwhelming smell of puke hits your nostrils. How do you get that smell to disappear?

Related: How to Remove Vomit Stains Quickly

How to Remove Vomit Smell Fast

What You Need

Baking Soda. We always keep the large, 5lb bags on hand.
Hydrogen Peroxide
Dish Soap
Vinegar
If all else fails, Nature's Miracle Urine Destroyer

Basic Steps

Toss the puke. Flush it down the toilet if you can, but if your kid tossed their cookies in the middle of the living room rug- soak up that mess with whatever you can (I use old towels) and set them outside to deal with later.
Mix up some of my vomit smell remover recipe. I usually have all of these ingredients on hand, so I never find myself running out to the store last minute to deal with vomit smells. I like to mix it up and put it in a spray bottle for easy application to carpets.
- Recipe:
  - 2 cups hydrogen peroxide (the kind you put on cuts)
  - 2 tsp baking soda
  - 2 drops liquid dish soap
If homemade solutions aren't your thing, Nature's Miracle Urine Destroyer works GREAT on vomit (and pee too).
Spray the solution all over the area and let it dry.

*If you don't have these ingredients on hand, you can also use vinegar in a spray bottle and then toss the baking soda over the area. Scrub and let dry. Once it's dry, use your vacuum to get rid of the baking soda.

Washable Items

You can use the vomit smell remover recipe on washable items, but I've found that there's something that works a bit better.

Soak items in a solution of Borax and 1 cup of your regular laundry detergent. Leave the pieces soak for a few hours (I use my utility sink) and then wash like normal.

Before you soak the items though, try to get rid of as much of the vomit as you can without making yourself sick. Flush it, shake it into the backyard, whatever you need to do.

Carpets, Fabrics, and Upholstery

With carpets, fabrics, and upholstery, soak up as much of the vomit as you can and then spray the vomit remover all over the area.

The smell will get worse at first, but as the solution dries, the smell disappears. Trust me. It does work.

Stuffed Animals

If the stuffed animal can get washed, follow the steps for the washable items.

If it can't, remove as much of the puke as possible and spray that sucker with the vomit remover. BUT if you think that little sucker is too far gone… toss it. #trueconfessions

Related: How to Wash Stuffed Animals Without a Washer

Ok. All of this is great. But, what about the SMELL in a room? Are you thinking 'can you just tell me how to remove vomit smell from a room NOW?

How do you get the smell of vomit out of a room?

Vinegar. Plain old white vinegar. Pour some into a bowl or mug and set it out in the room that's been impacted by vomitgeddon. It works almost immediately.

Does Febreze get rid of vomit smell?

Well. If you like the smell of perfume covered vomit, then Febreze will work perfectly. If you don't, use the vomit cleaner recipe and follow it up with the bowl of vinegar.

Once the vomit smell is GONE, then try some Febreze to make your house smell good again.

How do you remove the smell of vomit from your hands?

Have you ever reached out to grab your kid's puke as it was coming out? Just me?

That smell is HARD to get off your hands! Plain handsoap usually just doesn't cut it. So I started rinsing my hands with water, then using some white vinegar, and THEN washing with regular soap.

The vinegar cuts right through the vomit smell and gets rid of it immediately.

That's it! The super simple way to get rid of vomit smells quickly! I hope it helps you next time you get hit with vomitgeddon.