Well, last Friday I posted a ton of make-your-own cleaning supply recipes only to discover another one to add to the list...carpet cleaning solution! If you own your own steam cleaner or rent one from time to time you know the cleaners for these machines can be quite expensive, especially if you use it as much as I do!With an aging dog, accidents do come into play sometimes and my oldest is 18. There aren't many, but it only takes a few to make the freshness disappear (: I tried everything! Carpet cleaners especially made for pet odors, industrial ones made specifically for the steam cleaner I owned, even ones that incorporated oxyclean in the mix. Nothing seemed to get the lingering odors out.
Then a few days ago I decided to research online and see if there might be any homemade concoctions to answer my carpet woes and low and behold a recipe was found! A solution made from liquid laundry detergent and water! I was a little concerned at first because every machine I encountered said to only use the cleaner made specifically for the steam cleaner...can we say money maker for the ones who make the machine (: But after reading many reviews from those who used it themselves I was willing to give it a shot.
I'm so glad I did because it worked!!! Not only did the odors come out, but it softened the carpet too!! I usually make my own laundry detergent, but used liquid Gain for this application. Great smell and gives at least 64 cleans per bottle, but I'm sure any laundry detergent will work. Try several until you find the one that works best for you.
After cleaning with the laundry detergent solution, I add an additional step. Fill the water chamber with cool water and 1/4 cup of white distilled vinegar to remove any residue the soap may leave behind on the carpet. If all the soap isn't totally removed out of the carpet, it will attract dirt and we don't want that (: This process not only gets up the soap residue, but also adds another level of odor neutralization and cleans your machine at the same time!
Here's the recipe...
- Fill the laundry detergent cap to the first line and empty into steam machine water chamber. (Every laundry detergent has measuring lines within the cap and just go by the lines of whatever laundry detergent you decide to use.)
- Fill the water chamber with water and make sure you get it as hot as possible. The heat will help work with the detergent to release dirt from the carpet.
Now you're ready to steam clean away! Make sure to do the vinegar rinse for the best results. Good luck!
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