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M$3.30  Funded By Mahalo ? |  October 07, 2009 12:13 PM

How can I make an efficient carpet cleaner out of other cleaning products?

I'm going to my old house today where my friend has been looking after my two kittens, for me to pick them up today.

Over the last couple of weeks, she hasn't taken care of them as well as she should have (without my knowledge, I have to add) and the poor things have had no fresh litter in their tray, so they've just been using the carpet to wee and poo on.

I have no actual carpet cleaner, but I have LOADS of other cleaning products so I'd like to know, what can I use to MAKE myself some carpet cleaner? Some that will work really well...
Interesting Question?  Yes (2)   No (0)   

Interesting: lesliec M$3.00, chriswingate M$0.05

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Best Answer  Chosen by Asker

 
October 07, 2009 03:43 PM
About.com's Frugal Living section has a great "recipe" for homemade carpet cleaner. Give it a shout.

----quote----
INGREDIENTS:
* white vinegar
* baking soda
* water

Homemade Spot Remover
Mix white vinegar and baking soda together to form a paste. Then, work the paste into the carpet stain with an old toothbrush, or something similar. Allow the paste to dry; then vacuum up the baking soda, and the stain should be gone.

Note: Some stains may need to be treated more than once.

Homemade Cleaning Solution for Steam Cleaners
Fill the machine with equal parts white vinegar and warm water; then, clean according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Why This Works
The acetic acid in vinegar dissolves stains and also neutralizes odors. Just what you need to clean carpets!

Benefits of Cleaning with Vinegar
* inexpensive
* no harsh chemicals
* effective sanitizer
* effective deodorizer
* effective stain remover
* safe for use around pets and kids

Warnings
1) Test on a small area before using on the entire carpet

2) As with any cleaner, you should avoid all contact with the eyes and prolonged contact with the skin
----/quote----
http://frugalliving.about.com/od/householdsavings/qt/Carpet_Cleaner.htm

I also found another "recipe" here:
----quote----
Making Your Own Natural Carpet Cleaner

You can make this particular homemade cleaner quite easily. All you need are the following ingredients: baking powder, corn flour, dried bay leaves and potpourri.

In container, mix 1/2lb backing powder with up to 3.5-oz. corn flour. Crumble the dried bay leaves before adding them into the mixture. Add a handful of potpourri to give your natural carpet cleaner a fresh smell. Cover the container and shake the mixture thoroughly.

Apply some of the powder onto the stained area and leave it overnight. Wipe off the powder the next day and then vacuum to make sure no residue remains in the carpet.
----/quote----
http://searchwarp.com/swa297402.htm
Source(s):
http://searchwarp.com/swa297402.htm
http://frugalliving.about.com/od/householdsavings/qt/Carpet_Cleaner.htm

Asker's Rating:
• Excellent answer!! :D x


Tags: cleaner, homemade, carpet

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Helpful: elcookiemonster, robbrown, lilyloretta

Tip chriswingate for this answer
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October 07, 2009 06:44 PM
+1 for vinegar.

The person who cleans my carpet said to mix vinegar and water in a spray bottle and blot it up when I spill something.

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October 07, 2009 08:45 PM
Cheers Chris, that' a great answer and I did end up using white vinegar ;) x

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October 07, 2009 01:47 PM
Amazingly the best things to use on carpet (after you test a small spot) is windex and white vinegar. Combine them in a spray bottle and treat the spots. Vinegar is excellent for removing pet odors and stains. This mixture can also be used in most home carpet cleaning machines.

Tags: vinegar, carpet, cleaning, windex

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Helpful: lilyloretta

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October 07, 2009 05:19 PM
I found that vinegar is really good to prevent pets from finding their previous 'pee' spots and re-peeing. Apparently vinegar eliminates the ability for animals to pick up their old scents. Although with cat pee all bets are off - this only worked for dogs and i know cat pee is worse.

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October 07, 2009 08:46 PM
Cat pee is DEFINITELY worse - I managed to do it though! ;)

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October 07, 2009 07:23 PM
I have always found that a small drop of dawn dish soap and some woolite rug cleaner works great !! After all Dawn cuts the grease and dirt and the woolite carpet cleaner works excellant !!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ladybugdi/3386414452/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/barbarajean/3668038127/

Give these two a chance I think you will find that they work great !!
Source(s):
http://www.flickr.com/photos/barbarajean/3668038127/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ladybugdi/3386414452/


Helpful Answer?  (1)   (0)   

Helpful: lilyloretta

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