carpet cleaning tips > homemade recipes for carpet shampoo

Homemade Recipes for Carpet Shampoo

Hiring a professional to clean your carpets can be expensive. Many people own carpet shampooers and they are able to clean their carpets more frequently than those who have to hire someone to do the job. The manufacturers of carpet cleaning machines recommend using only their products to clean your floors, and they often charge more than $10 per bottle of carpet shampoo so it isn’t surprising they suggest that you use their products.

Homemade recipes for carpet shampoo can save money while helping you to keep your floors clean. As with commercial carpet shampoos you should test a small inconspicuous area first to make sure you aren’t going to stain or damage the carpet - this is very important! Different carpets are made with varying materials and cleaning solutions work differently on each kind of carpet fiber. There are many different recipes for homemade carpet shampoo and various cleaning tips using household items instead of shampoo. Some recipes work better on one type of stain than another.

When your carpet does get soiled it is important to remove as much of the matter immediately. For wet messes you should blot the carpet dry with paper towelling as soon as possible. Dry messes should be picked up and swept or vacuumed up immediately. Once you have picked up the mess as much as possible you can use one of the following cleaning solutions.

Homemade Recipes for Carpet Shampoo

• General Recipes
  • Club soda will work for many stains, after blotting the stain soak with club soda and blot until the stain is gone.
  • A mixture of one part borax and two parts baking soda or corn starch can be used to clean up messes in carpets. After cleaning the mess with paper toweling as well as you can, sprinkle the borax mixture liberally and rub in to remove stains and odors. Allow to stand for an hour then vacuum clean.
  • For use in carpet cleaning machines a mixture of liquid soap (castile soap, dish soap, or laundry soap all will work) and vinegar. Use one tablespoon each of vinegar and liquid soap for each quart of water. This can also be put in a spray bottle to be applied directly to the carpet.
  • A mixture of one part liquid laundry soap (non-bleach type) and one part liquid fabric softener and six parts water can be used to clean and deodorize carpets. This can be put in a spray bottle and applied directly to the carpet or you can use this in your carpet cleaning machine.
• Ink Stains
  • As soon as you notice an ink stain you should attempt to blot up excess ink without smearing it into the rest of the carpet. Cream of Tartar and lemon juice will remove ink. First sprinkle cream of tartar onto the ink stain then add a couple drops of lemon juice and rub gently, taking care not to smear the stain into the rest of the carpet. Once the stain disappears vacuum the excess cream of tartar.
  • Isopropyl alcohol can remove ink stains. Use in a well ventilated area. Pour the alcohol onto the stain and gently blot until the ink disappears. Take care not to smear the ink into other areas of the carpet while removing the original stain.
• Blood
  • Cold water works best on blood stains, especially if you can treat the stain immediately. Club soda works well also.
    Hydrogen peroxide will remove blood stains from your carpet and from clothing. You can pour peroxide directly on the stain and it will bubble up and disappear. Rinse well with clear water.
• Grease/Oily Stains
  • Baking soda or corn starch can remove grease/oily stains. First remove as much of the oil (use paper towels and throw them away if possible) then sprinkle either baking soda or corn starch liberally over the soiled area. Rub in and leave overnight to give enough time for the oils to be absorbed. Vacuum the residue the next day.
• Pet Stains/Odors
  • First, clean up the soiled area and remove any solids, blot up excess moisture with paper toweling. Wash stain with liquid dish soap and rinse with a solution of one part vinegar to eight parts warm water. Blot with towels or paper toweling. To remove excess moisture cover with towels or paper towels and weigh down the towels with something heavy (a book with a brick or a pair of shoes on top of it works well). After four to six hours the excess moisture should be gone, uncover and allow to air dry.
  • A mixture of vinegar and liquid soap (dish or laundry both work well) can be used as carpet shampoo to remove pet odor from your carpet. Mix one part vinegar to six parts liquid soap. This can be used in a carpet cleaning machine to clean and remove pet odors from your carpet.
• Vomit
  • First remove as much of the vomit as you can with paper towels. Use the same liquid soap/vinegar mixture as you would for pet stains to clean the area.
  • Baking soda can also be used to clean vomit from carpet. First clean what you can with paper toweling or rags. Then sprinkle with baking soda liberally. Rub in and allow the baking soda to stand for an hour to soak up odors then vacuum clean.
  • A mixture of one part borax to two parts corn starch or baking soda can be used the same way as the baking soda method above.
    
• Red Wine
  • Baking soda or corn starch can remove red wine from your carpet. Sprinkle either baking soda or corn starch on the area after blotting the excess moisture up. Rub in the baking soda or corn starch then vacuum.
• Colored Punch
  • Immediately blot the area with paper toweling to remove excess punch. After blotting with paper towelling, soak the spot with club soda and blot until the stain is gone. Press excess moisture out by placing a towel or paper towels on the area and covering with something heavy for an hour to four hours then remove the towel and allow to air dry.
  • Borax can be used, as well as the borax and corn starch/baking soda mixture for this type of stain too.
• Soot
  • Sprinkle salt in areas of the carpet that have been soiled with soot (usually around a fireplace) . Allow salt to sit for 15 or more minutes then vacuum.
• Odor neutralizers
  • Baking soda can be sprinkled on the carpet and left for 30 minutes to absorb any odor then vacuumed
  • If you want to add essential oils to baking soda you can make your own powdered carpet freshener. You should use the type and amount of fragrance you like best; 20-30 drops of essential oils to 4 cups baking soda is a good place to start.
  • A mixture of two parts corn meal to one part borax will remove odors. Let this mixture sit on the carpet for an hour then vacuum to remove odors.

It is possible to damage your carpet when using homemade recipes for carpet shampoo - so you should always treat a very small inconspicuous area to test any treatment before using on the whole carpet.