Unbelievable way to Spring clean your Carpet and save money
This is my fifth part of my blog on spring cleaning your home clutter. In my previous blog we saw how to clean stove, refrigerator, shower head, dirty mattress, wood stains and Dusty blinds. In this blog you will see some healthy ideas to spring clean Carpet.
One of the problems with indoor carpet — other than off gassing of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in some synthetic weaves — is that they are the ideal home for mites, molds and dust. Vacuuming is your first line of defense. But carpet eventually means carpet cleaners, many of which contain the infamous dry cleaning agent, per-chloro-ethylene (perc). We've written about this substance in the past. Another common nasty is naphthalene, a possibly carcinogenic solvent linked to red blood cell damage.
Beyond the potential cancer-causing risks of both perc and naphthalene, many people report dizziness, nausea and irritation from the fumes. Pets are equally affected. Neither substance has any place in a healthy home.
If you decide to hire a professional cleaner, inquire about plant-based alternative solvents and insist on nontoxic steam extraction methods. There are also green carpet cleaning solutions available for home use, suitable for some carpet machines and spot application. Their ingredients are generally agreed to be safe for people and pets. Seventh Generation Carpet Cleaner and a similar product by Simple Green aren't hard to find at local whole food and natural health stores, and can be ordered online.
I’m always on the lookout for green cleaning tips. I also am trying really hard to do away with expensive, toxic cleaning supplies in my home. Often, good old fashioned non-toxic cleaning solutions can work just as well or better than expensive, toxic products. Here are a few inexpensive and effective solutions for keeping your carpets clean:
Here you have some natural options: salt for mud, dirt and red wine; club soda for coffee stains; and cornstarch or cornmeal for grease. To control odors, liberally sprinkle carpeting with baking soda and allow sitting overnight before vacuuming. Direct sunlight is also a great deodorant. A couple of hours in the sun do wonder to fresh bathroom mats and area rugs.
1. Use Club Soda- Buy cheap club soda
Club soda is a must-have item for anyone that has a carpeted home. It's a natural product that removes stains including red wine and fruit-juice spills. Light-colored carpet and dark-colored soda or other drink stains may cause panic, but club soda is an instant remover that quickly lifts stains away -- and ensures your carpet will be returned to its previous state. Keep club soda on hand in case a quick reaction to a spill is necessary.
How to use:
1 Grab a towel and get as much of the stain up as you can. Blot the stain with the towel. Don't rub it, as doing so could make the stain worse.
2 Saturate the stain with club soda. Allow it to sit and bubble on the stain for a few minutes.
3 Blot the stain with a towel. Keep blotting the stain until it starts to transfer from the carpet to the towel. Pour more club soda on the stain if needed.
4 Press the towel on to the carpet to soak up the club soda.
5 Rinse the club soda on the carpet with enough water to cover it, and blot the moisture up with a towel.
-Add a small amount of liquid dish-washing soap to the club soda to remove difficult stains.
2. Use Baking Soda
Baking soda “adsorbs” odors, which means it takes odors from the air. It neutralizes acid-based odors in water.
Liberally sprinkle baking soda on the carpet. Let set overnight or as long as possible (the longer it sets the better it works). Sweep up the larger amounts of baking soda, and vacuum up the rest. (Note that your vacuum cleaner bag will get full and heavy.) Redo the process if you still smell odors you wish to remove. Baking soda works like magic, it sometimes just takes time and making sure you are using enough baking soda.
Caution: While damp baking soda works really well for many odors, damp baking soda can also get stuck onto the carpet fibers and be difficult to clean. If you live in a very humid climate you might substitute a light spray of white distilled vinegar for the baking soda.
Method: You can measure out 1 cup of baking soda and sprinkle it all over the carpeting in a room. Then wait for about 30 minutes to an hour before vacuuming. And voila, your carpets smell fresh as a daisy. If you want to add a bit of natural scent, measure 1 cup of baking soda into a container with a lid (like a Mason jar) and add a few drops of essential oil (I love lavender) replace the lid and shake. Then sprinkle over your carpet, wait and vacuum.
3. Non-toxic Cleaning agent - White Vinegar
I've used just about every kind of carpet cleaner solution in my steam cleaner. None of them compare to one simple cheap solution, which is vinegar mixed with water. I use a solution of about 1 to 10 and am amazed at the results every time. It gets rid of spots that come back to the surface and cleans my steam cleaner at the same time. The vinegar smell does stay around until the carpet is completely dry. I usually spray the carpet down with some no-vacuuming foam afterwards while the carpet is still wet and light some candles. I have three messy children and vinegar works great for me!
White vinegar can also be used for all over carpet cleaning using a Steam Carpet Machine. Just mix 1 part vinegar with 10 parts hot water, following your machine’s instructions. Don’t worry, the vinegar smell will dissipate as soon as the carpets are dry. White vinegar leaves your carpets bright and clean and it does not leave any residue so the carpets will stay clean longer.
4. Use Ammonia in Homemade Carpet Cleaners
I use ammonia instead of the commercial carpet cleaner, using the same amount that the instructions say to use of the cleaner. Keep the windows open until the carpet dries. I use the lemon scented kind to help with the smell a little bit, but the odor does go away once the carpet is dry. It does a fabulous job on the carpet, much better than the recommended cleaner. Pre-treat dirty areas with straight ammonia for better results. As always, test in an inconspicuous spot first.
5. Get Great Results with Windex and Water
You can also use equal amounts of Windex and hot water in carpet cleaner.
6. Try Homemade Carpet Cleaning Solution
Add about 3 teaspoons of clear dishwashing liquid (non- moisturizing), 1/4 cup of ammonia, and 1/4 cup of vinegar to a few gallons of water. I've also used 1/2 cup of vinegar to a few gallons of water. Everything comes out great!
