How Do I Make a Homemade Carpet Cleaner?
Having carpet can be a practical and aesthetic part of your home. However, it can also get the brunt of stains, spills, pet hair, and even mold!
For regular upkeep and maintenance, it is crucial to regularly clean your carpet to keep it fresh and soft. An easy way to maintain cleanliness is to create a homemade carpet cleaner.
Below, we’re sharing a guide to making homemade carpet cleaner solutions that are safe, effective, and eco-friendly.
Types of Carpet Fibers
Before you can become a DIY carpet cleaning expert, it’s important to know what kind of fibers you’ll be tackling. Knowing what fiber your carpet is made of is essential before you create your homemade carpet cleaner. Some of the most common natural and synthetic carpet fibers you’ll find are:
Nylon Carpet Fiber
A commonly used synthetic fiber, nylon carpets are usually more resistant to staining and abrasive damage and will treat your feet well with their soft durability.
Polyester Carpet Fiber
Another budget-friendly carpet, polyester carpets are typically less expensive than nylon. Both nylon and polyester offer stain-resistant power but polyester offers slightly less. Polyester carpets can also be easily worn down in areas of your house with high foot traffic.
Acrylic Carpet Fiber
If you’ve ever laid your feet on a carpet that felt soft as wool but was half the price, then chances are it was an acrylic carpet. Sometimes called “synthetic wool” these budget carpet fibers give off a silky soft cozy feel without breaking the bank. Resistant to mold, mildew, and staining, you won't have to clean these carpets too often.
Wool Carpet Fibers
This is typically the most luxurious and long-lasting fiber. Depending on whether you’re dealing with a pure wool or wool-blend carpet, your cleaning approach will change. If you have a pure wool carpet, then you’ll want to keep it in lower traffic parts of your house as they can be prone to damage from moisture, mold, and mildew – the downside with natural fibers.
A wool blend carpet will likely hold up to foot traffic better and be less susceptible to mold and mildew. However, you should still be careful when cleaning these fibers.
What You’ll Need to Create Your Homemade Carpet Cleaner
To get your carpet free of mold, mildew, and stains, you’ll need to add these tools and ingredients to your carpet cleaning kit.
Tools:
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Vacuum
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Spray bottle
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A bucket
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A steam mop
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Viva® Signature Cloth™ paper towels, which can help remove grease, oil, and grime from your carpet.
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A scrub brush
Ingredients:
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Baking soda
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Distilled white vinegar
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Water
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Essential oil (optional)
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Salt
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Liquid dish soap
These ingredients will break down and remove any stains (even grease) -- while deodorizing and brightening your carpet.
Depending on whether you’re cleaning a natural or synthetic fiber carpet, you’ll want to apply these ingredients differently.
Give your feet relief on a fresh, clean carpet that smells as good as new.
Instructions for Cleaning Spots
To begin the cleaning process, give your carpet a vacuum to remove as much dirt as possible.
How to Clean a Synthetic Carpet
To clean your synthetic nylon, polyester or acrylic carpet, create these two homemade carpet cleaner solutions to remove all stains and spots. Mix ½ teaspoon of dishwashing detergent into one cup of warm water. Separately, mix one cup of white vinegar with two cups of water into a spray bottle. Follow this three-step process :
- Step 1:
Dip some Viva® Signature Cloth™ paper towels into the dishwashing detergent solution and wring out. Then, dab your paper towels onto the spot repeatedly. Press the towels onto the spot and hold for a couple of seconds; then let it sit it on the stain for 15 minutes. This will allow the stain particles to loosen.
- Step 2:
Spray your carpet with the vinegar cleaning soluttion. Follow the same process as step one: pressing the Viva Signature cloth onto the stain and allowing it to sit on the stain. The vinegar is important because it breaks down all the compounds from smells and stains.
- Step 3:
You can either rinse your paper towel and reuse it or get a new one. Soak it in warm water and lightly wring it out. Then, dab at the spot to remove the last of the vinegar cleaning solution. Repeat these steps until the stain is gone. Once you’re done, allow the carpet to air dry completely.
How to Clean a Natural Fiber Carpet:
Below, we're sharing two DIY carpet cleaner solutions for your natural fiber carpet.
Process and Ingredients
Gather two bottles to mix your DIY solution. In two separate spray bottles, mix 1 teaspoon of clear liquid dish soap with one cup of warm water. Then mix ¼ cup of vinegar with ¼ cup of water.
- Step 1:
Spray your dish soap solution onto the spot and dab it with some Viva® Signature Cloth™ paper towels.
- Step 2:
Next, spray or apply some of your vinegar solution to the spot. Dab it and blot the spot dry.
- Step 3:
For your last round of cleaning, spray the spot again with your dish soap solution and dab it with your paper towel.
- Step 4:
To clean off the dish soap, rinse a fresh paper towel in warm water and wring it out. Then, dab the spot with the paper towel, allowing it to air dry for up to 24 hours. You can also repeat these steps until the stain is removed.
Homemade Carpet Deodorizer
Use this simple deodorizing treatment to banish the last bits of any funky smells clinging to your carpet and have it smell brand new.
Ingredients
Baking soda
Essential oil (for scent)
Salt
In a bucket, mix equal parts of the baking soda and salt. The bigger your carpet is, the more you’ll need. If you’re cleaning a particularly big carpet or rug, you might want to start with one cup of each. It's best to do this after you’ve removed any stains, but if you have no stains to be removed, begin by vacuuming your carpet to remove any dirt. If you prefer a scented deodorizer, you can combine baking soda with a few drops of the essential oil of your choice instead.
Instructions for Deodorizing Carpet
- Step 1:
Sprinkle the salt and baking soda mixture onto your carpet, add your essential oil into the mix if you like. Then, lightly spray your carpet with some water. Start with small sections and scrub with your brush as you go.
- Step 2:
Once your baking soda and salt mixture has completely dried, use a vacuum to suck it all up. Or if you’ve used the essential oil combo you can vacuum it around 15-30 minutes afterwards.
How Often Should I Use Homemade Carpet Cleaner?
No matter how hard you try, your carpet will get dirty. In general, you should vacuum your carpet at least once a week to get rid of grime, dust, pet hairs, and dirt. When it comes to a deeper stain removal and cleaning, use this DIY carpet cleaner at least once every 2-3 months (if possible), but it can be used done whenever your carpet needs it.
Get your home sparkling on a budget. Check out even more solutions tips & advice to get your home clean in no time.
