Natural Carpet Cleaning Solutions

How many times have you acted unexpectedly clumsy and spilled a cup of coffee on your carpets? What about those times you dropped a jar of hair conditioners on the rug? Perhaps, memories of those countless times you walked into the house with your soiled boots after working out the garden are rushing through your head. Let’s face it; your carpets will get dirty one way or another. If you have kids, then your carpet troubles are best imagined; ice cream, chocolate, cookie crumbs, crayons, and all the other stuff associated with kids will find their way to your carpets.

With the market flooded with chemicals of all sorts, it may seem best to take care of your carpets yourself, using homemade or natural solutions. Here, I’ll show you how to clean your rugs and carpets using some ingredients I’m sure you already have. There are natural carpet cleaning solutions for natural fibers as there are for synthetic carpets. Another factor to consider is whether you want to produce DIY solutions or buy natural products at the local supermarket. First, let’s get right to how you can DIY your way through those stubborn carpet stains, and for those of you looking for professional natural carpet cleaning then make sure to search your area for a carpet cleaning service offering natural solutions.

Common DIY Non-toxic Carpet Cleaning Solutions

• Water, Salt and Vinegar: This is, perhaps, one of the easiest of all carpet cleaning DIYs. Simply take some water, maybe 1 liter, and add some vinegar (half the quantity of water). So, if you have a liter of water, you should have half a liter of vinegar. Mix them together in a spray bottle and add about 3 teaspoons of salt, one for every 35 CL. For some fragrance, you may add some essential oil like lavender, juniper, peppermint, or lime, depending on your preference. Just be sure it is a colourless oil. With this, you only need to spray or dab using a piece of cloth.
• Dry Steam Vapor: The only ingredient you need for this is water, but you’ll require some steaming tools, like a steam cleaner. Add some water and get moving with your cleaning.
• Borax, Salt and Vinegar: Measure the salt, vinegar, and borax equally into a bowl. You can make that a cup each or as recommended by some, a quarter of a cup each. Turn them into a container and what you’ll have is a paste. To apply to your carpets, ensure you wear gloves to protect you from the bacteria in the substance you’re cleaning off as well as protect your skin from the irritation that Borax can cause. Leave the solution on the affected area for some hours, then vacuum it off. The stains should normally come off with it. If it doesn’t, use a wet rag to wipe off what is left.

Ensure you keep your kids and pets away from the solution, as ingestion or bodily contact may affect them.

• Vinegar, Baking Soda and Water: I’m certain you could relate with this, especially if you ever participated in science fairs and came across the classic volcanoes. Well, the vinegar-baking soda combo is worth more than the applaud-worthy experiment. Start by sprinkling baking soda over the affected area. You may or may not add some essential oil for fragrance. I advise you to let this sit on the stain throughout the night. If you’re cleaning during the day, one hour or more is fine.

The next step is to mix the vinegar and water equally in a spray bottle and spray over the baking soda. It should fizz for a bit, after which you should pat the area using a rag to take out the mixture. Repeat the process as many times as required for stubborn stains.

• Borax, Baking Soda, Corn starch and Cornmeal: Again, because this contains Borax, you should be cautious if you have kids or pets at home. No one should ingest Borax. To prepare this solution, take 2 cups of baking soda and mix it with half cup cornmeal, half cup corn starch, and a tablespoon Borax. You may also add about 3 dried bay leaves and 1 tablespoon cinnamon. Blend all of it together in a food processor until the bay leaves become powdery. Once you achieve a uniform consistency, you may take it out of the processor.

Sprinkle the solution over the affected area you wish to clean, spread generously to ensure maximum coverage. You can leave this overnight before vacuuming it off or until you can no longer bear the volume of powder in your home.

Buying Natural Carpet Cleaning Products

• Using Carpet Shampoos: You should shampoo your carpets and rugs the same way you shampoo your hair. Think about it; they go through similar rigors- dirt settle in, they get wet when you don’t want them to, and they’re exposed to all sorts. Be sure you’re buying a product that uses natural deodorizers and detergents which you can easily combine with water for cleaning by hand or machine. A good example is the Better Life Odor and Stain remover.
• Stain and Odor Eliminator: There are several plant-based products you can get at the supermarket for your carpets and rugs. All you need to do is spray the stained area and mop up with a wet cleaning rag.

The secret is to pay attention to the ingredients if you’ll be buying a product at the supermarket. Plant-based ingredients like grapefruit and orange essence along with vinegar, salt, and other items you will find in your kitchen should do the trick.