3 Homemade Cleaning Solutions That Can Save Your Carpet

What makes a room look good, cosier and warmer? Right, a carpet. This floor covering can do wonders with the look of your living room, bedroom, even kitchen. However, if the carpet is not maintained clean, it may turn into the greatest household nightmare you've ever had. Moreover, a dirty carpet is one of the greatest collectors of germs helping the spreading of bacteria and microbes all around the house.

Keeping a carpet clean can be a very difficult and expensive task. Many waste money on commercial carpet shampoos which sometimes may cause more harm than good, especially if you don't know how to use them properly. Moreover, commercial carpet cleaners are made of chemicals that poison the air inside causing health issues. And not only the air inside homes, but the environment outside as well. This causes serious pollution to the planet, which affects every creature's health.

A solution for such kind of problem is making your own carpet shampoos and stain removals. It's easy and environmentally-friendly because of the ingredients used - natural products that are usually used for cooking. Vinegar, baking soda, lemon juice and others have cleaning properties and can be used in household maintenance. How? They just have to be mixed properly. Here are 3 recipes for home-made cleaning solutions that will help you clean your carpet.

1. Vinegar and water – This recipe is just as effective, as it is simple. Make a solution by mixing two parts plain water with one part white distilled vinegar (don't use coloured vinegar, as it might affect the colours of the carpet). This solution will help you remove spots that come back to the surface and in the meantime will disinfect and deodorize the carpet. Don't worry about the smell of vinegar. The smell itself will go away when the carpet is completely dry. Still, if you don't like it and don't want to wait until the complete drying, then adding a few drops of essential oil the the cleaning solution will do the job making it smelling much better.

2. Ammonia – It does an amazing job removing all kinds of dirt and stains. Pre-treating very dirty areas with straight ammonia will provide you even better results. Of course, never forget to test on an inconspicuous area first. The bad part here is the smell again, such as with vinegar. The smell of ammonia also disappears when the carpet is completely dry, but remember, keep the windows wide open until this happens. Also, keep pets and children away from the room while using ammonia or solutions that include ammonia, as it can cause urinal problems and the strong smell can make them dizzy.

3. A home-made carpet cleaning shampoo – Make a solution by mixing about three spoons of mild dish-washing liquid (non-moisturising), a quarter cup of ammonia and two litres of water. Stir well and apply on the carpet using a soft sponge. Let it work for 15-20 minutes and rinse well with a damp cloth. Then just open the windows and let it air-dry.

Of course, not all stains can be removed easily. Some of them are pretty stubborn and may require professional intervention. Professional carpet cleaners have experience with different types of stains and carpets, so they know how to treat certain issues properly without causing damages that may remain permanent. Just keep in mind that even the best carpet cleaning experts won't be able to remove some stains if proper and timely measures are not taken. So, whether you are going to clean the carpet on your own or call someone else to do it, act quickly before the stain sets in the carpet fibres.