How to Clean a Perfume Spill

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Because perfume contains essential oils, a perfume spill often cannot simply be mopped up with paper towels or a rag as you might wipe up spilled water or juice. Instead, you need to take some extra cleaning steps to insure that you do not leave an oily smear behind once you have sopped up the liquid. In addition, you will likely wish to disperse the aroma, since most perfumes are pleasant in small doses but can be overpowering and even cause watery eyes, coughing and sneezing in large ones.

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Step 1

Wipe up the area using a dry rag. The rag will absorb most of the liquid, but you will notice that there is an oily smear left behind on the surface where the perfume was spilled. If it was spilled on carpet blot the area instead of wiping it or scrubbing it.

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Step 2

Dampen a new rag with water and white vinegar. You can either mix the solution in a bowl or just wet the rag, pour on some vinegar, then wring the whole thing out.

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Step 3

Use the vinegar rag to wipe up or blot the oily smear.The vinegar will help kill the scent and remove the traces of essential oil.

Step 4

Clean the area with baking soda. At this point, the area will likely be fairly dry. Sprinkle baking soda over the spill, then wipe or blot it up with a damp rag. This will remove any light stains and diminish the scent further.

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Step 5

Set out a bowl of ground coffee in the room. The grounds will absorb the scent and help cover it until it fades. Once you have allowed the ground coffee to sit for a few days, you will notice that you can barely tell there was a perfume spill at all.

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