If you’ve got carpets that are in need of some TLC you may be tempted to go out and buy a specialised cleaner to do the job. You might even be tempted to rent out a machine for the day to revitalise your carpets.
But, what if I said you can clean your carpets by using items you’ve got in your home?
Yes, you read that right. You don’t always have to buy a carpet cleaner, because there are lots of homemade carpet cleaning recipes that you can try right now at home! They may also be a lot easier on your wallet and they might even yield better results for you.
You can read all about these carpet cleaning recipes below… Let’s get mixing!
A Few Tips Before You Begin Making Carpet Cleaning Potions
Below you’ll find a few helpful tips that you should follow before using any of the products listed in the recipes to clean your carpets.
- Before trying out any of the mixes you make on your entire carpet you should do a spot test first. Spot tests should be done on unnoticeable patches of carpet, like under the sofa. These little patch tests can indicate very early on if the solution you’ve created is suitable or not for your carpet. You really don’t want to avoid this step.
- Not all stains can be treated in just one way, so you may have to try multiple potions listed below to see the desired end results.
- You’ll likely use a lot of water and various cloths when you use the potions below to clean your carpet, so be sure to change both the water and the cloth you’re using frequently. By using dirty water and cloths you will just end up putting all the dirt you’ve removed back onto the carpet.
- Dabbing and blotting is the way forward. Hard scrubbing will drive stains and dirt deeper and deeper into the carpet’s fibres, and it will make the cleaning process even harder for you.
- Always read up on what your carpet manufacturer tells you about cleaning your carpet. Some carpets have specific cleaning methods, and if this is the case with your carpet, you should stick to the cleaning method you’ve been told to use.
- Keep pets and kids away from treated areas. You really don’t want anyone walking over your clean carpets.
- Work from the outside of a stain towards its centre, this will limit the spread of the stain onto other areas of the carpet.
- If you’ve got a hoover at hand it’s always best to give your carpet a quick hoovering before starting the actual cleaning phase. This short exercise will remove any loose dirt that’s not been embedded in the carpet.
- Give your carpet time to dry. So, open plenty of windows and doors, and make sure that enough air is flowing around. Damp carpets can be problematic if they aren’t dried correctly.
- There is absolutely no need to saturate a carpet in water to clean it. Little amounts of water is all that’s needed.
Below you’ll find a plethora of different recipes that you can try at home right now. Some potions will be more effective than others, and you should try and treat stains before you clean an entire carpet.
1. White Vinegar and Bicarbonate of Soda
This method is great at cleaning carpets where someone (dog or cat) has had a toilet mishap. These little accidents can usually be cleaned away fairly quickly, but a pongy odour is often left behind. Bicarbonate of soda will work wonders at removing this smell for you!
You’ll need to gather the following items:
- One cup of white vinegar
- Warm water
- Cloths
- Four tablespoons of bicarbonate of soda
- Spray bottle
- Hoover
- Paper towels
Tip: Adjust measurements according to carpet size.
What you need to do:
- Act as quickly as possible to soak up any excess liquid from the carpet – use paper towels. And hoover up any loose bits of dirt.
- Pop some bicarbonate of soda on to the soaked area.
- Wait about five minutes for the bicarb to work its magic.
- Pop the white vinegar and water into a spray bottle and shake the bottle gently.
- Spray the mixture in the bottle onto the bicarbonate of soda.
- Wait about ten minutes.
- Grab a cloth and start blotting at the area.
- Continue to do this until the stain has gone.
- Wait for the carpet to dry before walking on it.
2. Bicarbonate of Soda and Essential Oils
If you’re interested in doing a large scale clean, but you don’t really want too much hassle then the recipe below is perfect for you. All you really need is two core ingredients and you’re good to go!
You’ll need to gather the following items:
- A large pack of bicarbonate of soda
- Large dish
- Essential oils
- Spoon
- Smooth brush
- Hoover
Tip: Adjust measurements according to carpet size.
What you need to do:
- Empty the room you’re going to clean the carpet in.
- Pour the entire packet of bicarb into the large dish
- Add six drops of essential oil to the bicarbonate of soda and stir well.
- With a spoon start to sprinkle the bicarbonate of soda and oil mix all over the carpet.
- Use a smooth brush to brush the mixture deep into the carpet.
- Wait about 15 minutes.
- Hoover the carpet.
- Repeat the hoovering process, if need be.
Tip: Always pick an essential oil that is suitable for your home. Think about pets and any allergies you, or someone in your home may have.
3. Bicarbonate of Soda, Borax Substitute and Essential Oil
If you need to remove harsh smells, like smoke, this method is for you.
You’ll need to gather the following items:
- One cup of bicarbonate of soda
- One cup of Borax Substitute
- Five drops of essential oil
- Bowl
- Soft brush
- Gloves
- Hoover
Tip: Adjust measurements according to carpet size.
What you need to do:
- Clear all the items out of the room you want to clean, so you can clean your whole carpet at once.
- Put some gloves on.
- Pop all the ingredients listed above into a bowl.
- Mix them all together.
- Pop a small amount of the mixture onto a small piece of carpet to do a patch test. If all works out okay, continue with the steps below.
- Sprinkle the mixture evenly all over your carpet.
- Work the mixture into the fibres by using the soft brush.
- Wait 30 minutes.
- Hoover the carpet.
Tip: Choose an essential oil that you like the smell of.
4. Washing Up Liquid, White Vinegar and Bicarbonate of Soda
This recipe is useful for everyday dirt and if you need to clean up any little accidents your pet has had.
You’ll need to gather the following items:
- Hoover
- Spray bottle
- One teaspoon of washing up liquid
- One tablespoon of white vinegar
- One teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda
- 250 ml of warm water
- Cloths
Tip: Adjust measurements according to carpet size.
What you need to do:
- Hoover the carpet you’d like to clean.
- In a spray bottle mix washing up liquid, white vinegar, water and bicarbonate of soda.
- Give the bottle a gentle shake.
- Test this mixture out on a hidden piece of carpet. Continue if all works out okay.
- Spray the mixture onto the carpet.
- Dab at the carpet with a clean cotton cloth, preferably a light coloured one.
- Continue with this method until you’ve finished cleaning the stained patch or the whole carpet.
- Always use a try cloth to dab up any excess moisture from the area you’re working on.
- Allow the carpet to dry naturally.
Tip: It may be worth starting in one corner and working towards the door. And it is helpful to clean extra dirty areas first.
5. Hydrogen Peroxide and Bicarbonate of Soda
If you need a cleaner that’s a little tougher than most, you could always go down the hydrogen peroxide route. This strong chemical can eradicate toilet mishaps from your carpet, and when it’s coupled with bicarb the odour in the carpet will also neutralise.
You’ll need to gather the following items:
- Half a cup of hydrogen peroxide
- Half a cup of bicarbonate of soda
- A teaspoon of washing up liquid
- Paper towels
- Cloths
- Bowl
- Soft brush
- Spatula
- Water
- Optional: Essential oil
Tip: Adjust measurements according to carpet size.
What you need to do:
- Act as fast as you can to remove as much liquid as you can from the carpet, if you’ve got a new mark. If not, continue onto the steps below.
- In a bowl mix together the hydrogen peroxide and washing up liquid.
- Go over to an unnoticeable patch of carpet and test this mixture out. If all works out okay, continue with this method.
- Cover the stained area with bicarbonate of soda.
- Pour the mixture in the bowl over the bicarb.
- Work the solution into the carpet by using a soft brush.
- Wait about 20 minutes.
- Use the spatula to scrape off the dried mixture.
- Blot at the area with a damp cloth to remove any excess product.
- Allow the area to air dry naturally.
Tip: It’s unlikely that you will need to use this recipe to clean your whole carpet, so you could clean the remainder of your carpet with a less harsh method from this list.
6. Orange and Lemon
If you want something a little more fruity and you’re not in a rush to clean your carpets, this method might be the one for you!
You’ll need to gather the following items:
- Spray bottle
- Seven tablespoons of brown sugar
- One and a half cups of lemon peel
- One and half cups of orange peel
- Water
- Hoover
What you need to do:
- In a spray bottle mix all the ingredients listed above together.
- Halfway through this process, unscrew the spray bottle’s lid to leave out the gas inside the bottle.
- Leave the solution alone for three months.
- Spray your carpet on a small area, so that you can do a patch test. If all is well, continue using this method.
- Spray the mixture onto your whole carpet.
- Wait for the mixture to dry.
- Hoover the mixture off the carpet. Repeat this step, if required.
Tip: This method isn’t going to be the best choice for busy homes, where spills and accidents happen frequently.
Bethan has a passion for exploring, reading, cooking and gardening! When she’s not creating culinary delights for her family, she’s concocting potions to keep her house clean!
