I have a fairly large home with a lot of carpet to steam clean. In between 7 members of the household, 4 cats, and 4 dogs, I find myself steam cleaning constantly. We received a very nice machine as a housewarming gift, but I am looking for a cheaper cleaning liquid that works as well as the stuff that sells for $8 a bottle. A homemade solution would be great too! Any advice?
Is it safe to use each of the ideas posted, not necessarily at the same time? In other words, if I use the idea of spraying hydrogen peroxide right after my dog has thrown up on the rug, can I clean the whole rug with another product like vinegar or oxy-clean or LA Awesome several hours later? Should I be concerned with what might mix or not mix regarding fumes that may linger because of the mixtures I used? These are questions I have had for a long time. Once something dries, do you have to be concerned with what product you use next? I really don't want to "OD" my family and friends because I am ignorant to what can or can't be mixed and applied in separate segments. Thanx!
Looks like you have received lots of great ideas. Mine would be oxy-clean. It really takes out stains and doesn't leave an odor, clean or otherwise. Frankly, I prefer that now to carpet cleaner, the hypo allergic kind. Good luck!
I have a lot of pets too... plus we have a small farm, so a lot of stuff gets tracked in.
I go to a dollar store, (family dollar, dollar general or dollar tree) all of which carry a product called LA's Awesome. Fill your hot water tank then measure in the amount of Awesome that you'd normally use if it were carpet cleaner. You don't need to rinse either!
You can also use full strength Awesome to spot treat stains before you clean.
It's all I use any more! by the way... did I mention that Awesome is only a !!!!!DOLLAR!!!!! for the spray bottle and only $3 for the huge refill. Can't go wrong!
Good luck! I hope it works for you as well as it works for me!
I'd think Tide would leave a residue. I'd never use it to clean a carpet with! The dollar store sells a solution called "Awesome". You have to dilute it quite a bit! (a tiny bit goes a LONG way!) You could give this stuff a try, I've seen MANY women buying it to use in carpet cleaning machines & they swear by it!
---> If it were me & I had light to medium colored carpeting & was trying to clean Organic stains (dogs, cats, blood, dirt & food, etc) I would opt for Plain old Hydrogen Peroxide.It cleans with oxygen & leaves no residue. I use it straight from the bottle for stains. I Just squirt some on & leave it set, or use a toothbrush & brush it a bit. But if you were doing a whole carpet & using a rug machine I'd dilute it by half.
You can find peroxide on sale at most drug stores or dollar stores for 50 cents a bottle, so you can't beat it. It won't work for non-organic stains. that means it WILL clean up grape juice or red wine, but will NOT clean up grape kool-aid or grape jello (artificial dyes). !t works great for coffee & coco stains too.
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Archives:
Request: Homemade Steam Cleaner Solution
Archived on 12/23/2008
I am looking for a homemade steam cleaner solution.
Kathy from Lansing, MI
Answers:
RE: Homemade Steam Cleaner Solution
I use concentrated (brown bottle) Lysol. I use a capful each time I change the water. My favorite steam cleaner is a "Rug Doctor". (11/16/2006)
By Susie from Buckhead Ga.
RE: Homemade Steam Cleaner Solution
I know a landlord who swears by Tide detergent for steam cleaning his rentals. (12/15/2006)
By
RE: Homemade Steam Cleaner Solution
I've been cleaning carpets professionally for over 15 years. The biggest problem we find with people that do their own carpets is the cleaning solution left in the carpets. Sandi had the right idea. Vinegar will leave the least amount of residue in the carpet and will slow down the resoiling process.
If you're not keen on that system, then put your cleaning solution in a spray bottle and scrub in into your carpets with a soft brissle brush. A stiff brush will only damage the carpet. Then use your machine loaded with the hottest water you can get and rinse the cleaner and soil out of the machine. Heavy traffic areas might need a second cleaning. However, wait till the carpet dries completely before trying again. Usually 5-7 hours. Good luck. (01/06/2007)
By Ted Heissner
RE: Homemade Steam Cleaner Solution
If you don't have pets a cup of non sudsing clear ammonia from Walmart will clean great added with two cups of vinegar. If you have pets leave out the ammonia as it attracts them to pee when they smell ammonia in an area. Ammonia is a great cleaner leaving no residue and white vinegar is a great deodorizer and cleaner as well. You can also use rubbing alcohol as a spot remover, but carpet clean over the area a few times right after you spot remove. (08/23/2007)
By Superman
RE: Homemade Steam Cleaner Solution
I have been cleaning my own carpet for over 2 years now. Prior to that I used Stanley Steamer. Ammonia and Vinegar are good, but not as good as pre-treating with Castor-Pollux (all natural) Spot out! then I use Simple Green in my machine and the results are unbelievable. I have white carpet and I am proud to say that I put Stanley Steamer to shame. They even came back a second time for a "freebie cleaning" and 2 of their cleanings were no where near as good as one of mine. (08/26/2007)
I usually use very hot water, ammonia, and I like using just a little bit of "Gain" laundry detergent to make it smell good, but I guess any brand of your favorite detergent will help. (10/21/2007)
Request: Homemade carpet cleaning solution to use in steam cleaning machine?
Archived on 11/15/2006
I would like to know if there is a way to make a homemade carpet cleaning solution to use in steam cleaning machine?
Answers:
RE: Homemade carpet cleaning solution to use in steam cleaning machine?
When I rent a cleaning machine, this is what I do: I put wisk laundry detergent and bleach (check your carpet to make sure it wont discolor) and go from there. I start with about 1/8 cup of wisk, if you need more, add more. Good luck! (02/07/2001)
RE: Homemade carpet cleaning solution to use in steam cleaning machine?
I do own my own carpet machine and will never be without one again. The best investment i have ever made. What i do is put the water in and add pine sol to the water. Makes your house smell fresh and clean. It does not take much so just start out with alittle at a time. (02/09/2001)
RE: Homemade carpet cleaning solution to use in steam cleaning machine?
I don't know if there are any homemade solutions you can use, but the last time I shampooed my carpet I decided to use Shout on the stains. On the grungy traffic areas I sprayed it all over. I ran out before I got the whole living room done. You could sure tell the difference. I decided next time I shampoo, I'm going to lay in a good supply of Shout. I suppose you could use your favorite brand of laundry pre-treater. (02/23/2001)
RE: Homemade carpet cleaning solution to use in steam cleaning machine?
I just found out by mixing hot water and oxiclean i can use this in my machine and for me it work great. You need to try a test spot first. (06/15/2001)
RE: Homemade carpet cleaning solution to use in steam cleaning machine?
I rent the machine at the grocery store and use about 1 cup of vinegar and boiling hot water in each "batch". Stains always come out & there's no "suds" in this recipe left behind to attract even more dirt! (10/04/2004)
By Sandi
RE: Homemade carpet cleaning solution to use in steam cleaning machine?
I used to do carpets commercially, let me tell you that having your water hot enough is the important thing. If the water is not hot enough you will never get all the dirt out. (11/24/2004)
By Jason
RE: Homemade carpet cleaning solution to use in steam cleaning machine?
I have used with great success, club soda on my carpet stains and it works like a charm. Our oldest cat had a vomitting problem and anyone with pets can attest to pet vomit being one of the worst stains to remove in a carpet. Instructions for use:
Club Soda, any brand. Pour directly onto stain let soak for 5 minutes. Blot soaked area with clean absorbent cloth. I blot the area several times
let dry and vacuum.
Club Soda leaves no residue, unlike detergent based products, and therefore nothing "sticks" to the cleaned area afterwards causing the stain to "re-appear".
