Carpets tend to accumulate dust, pet hair, etc. You can read about how to deal with dust here Why is my room so dusty: 5 reasons, how to fix it? Below, we will show you that there is no need to buy expensive products when you can make your own homemade carpet cleaner and natural cleaning powder. As with many homemade cleaning products, you’re not only saving money, you’re avoiding a lot of unnecessary industrial chemicals. Result? Good for you and good for the earth (same thing you know!)
Carpet Cleaner Recipes
Here’s a super simple but effective homemade carpet cleaner recipe. I like to keep a spray bottle of this on hand for the occasional spill or spot on our carpets. You can mix up a larger batch and use it in a carpet cleaning machine for an economical and light-on-the-questionable-chemicals shampoo. This solution also makes a great light, everyday cleaner for use on countertops, in the bathroom, and throughout the house.
Homemade Carpet Cleaner
- 1-quart water
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon mild liquid dish soap (one that contains no bleach)
Mix the ingredients together in a spray bottle, or use a bucket for a larger batch to fill the carpet cleaning machine.
Vacuum carpets before using this cleaner. Spray the solution on any dirty spots and work it in with a soft brush. Let sit for 10 minutes. Wipe the area with a moistened cleaning cloth, then dry with a dry cleaning cloth. Allow to fully dry before walking on the area.
Natural Carpet Cleaner
This one is very simple. Mix vinegar and baking soda together to form a spreadable paste. Work this into the carpet with a soft brush. Allow to dry, then vacuum up. This is a great way to neutralize odors.
Natural Cleaning Powder
No need to buy commercial cleaning powder, when you have the strength of baking soda sitting in your cupboard already. This powder will do an amazing job of absorbing odors and will leave nothing weird behind.
This is meant for occasional use (every two months or so), as many vacuum cleaners are not strong enough to get up all the powder. Note too that fine powders can be hard on vacuums as well.
Carpet Cleaning Powder
- 1 part baking soda
- 1 part cornstarch
- Fragrant dried leaves or spices (try bay leaves, lavender, cinnamon, or cloves)
As always, it’s best to do a pre-vacuum on your carpet before using any product.
Mix the ingredients together in a bowl, then sprinkle on the carpet.
You can use your hand to do the sprinkling or put the powder in a recycled container with holes in the lid (parmesan cheese maybe).
Allow the powder to sit for an hour or even overnight. Don’t walk on the powder as it’s doing its work, as this will grind it down into the weave of your carpet.
Vacuum up the powder thoroughly.
Wow! Right up there with white vinegar, baking soda is another natural super cleaner. It makes a great mild abrasive, excels at absorbing smells, has whitening powers, and even softens water. This is one cleaning product you should always have on hand.
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