With the advance of science in the 21st century, one would think a solution to remove stains and odors from carpets would be perfected, but no. There seems to be nothing that really works other than some simple household carpet cleaning solutions and elbow grease. Let’s face it, carpets are not cheap. They can be one of the largest investments in one’s house, besides the house. So, using just anything to remove stains and odors is a serious undertaking. We don’t want to go off half-cocked in this area.

Many of today’s commercial products warn us to test their product on an out-of-the-way area of the carpet to check for color safeness. What? I spend all this money for a wonder chemical and it may change the color of my carpet? Well, there are some carpet cleaning solutions, pun intended, which are safe. The old home remedies. One of the reasons they stay around so long, is they work. Of course, we have to work to make them work. Most of them require elbow grease. But, hey, remember that carpet cost a lot of money.

Ammonia. Ammonia is one of the oldest substances under our kitchen sinks, yet it will remove stains and odors. But be careful with it, it needs to be used in well ventilated areas and it is highly concentrated, so a little goes a long way. Also, because it contains the substances pet urine contains, be careful when using around pets. We don’t want the pet using that spot for their potty. Adding vinegar to the ammonia plus water will produce a great general carpet cleaning solution. Using once a month is ideal, but most of us don’t want to spend that much time on carpet cleaning, so using it once a quarter will help the carpet retain its brand new look.

Baking Soda. A cheap, environmentally safe, carpet cleaning solution and it works on both stains and odor. Dust it on the carpet. If the stain is very bad, use hot water and scrub with a stiff bristle brush. Let is sit for a while, then using a wet vac pick up both water and wet baking soda along with the stain.

Club Soda. Can be used for something other than to thin your scotch. Actually, club soda and salt is the formula. This is a great carpet cleaning solution and stain remover. Sprinkle the stain with table salt and mist over it with club soda, leave it for about an hour, then vacuum. All including the stain should go up the vacuum.

Now here is a common sense idea. Who would have thought laundry detergent would be a carpet cleaning solution. But we use it on our clothing to remove stains, so why not our carpet? If it is a liquid detergent, drizzle some over the spot and soak with water. Work in with a brush, rinse with water again and vacuum up with a wet vac. If you have a powder, sprinkle over the spot, wet and use the same brush to work into the spot, rinse then vac up with wet vac. The spot should go up with the soap and water.

So, in review, most old remedies are better than the new chemicals for carpet cleaning solutions. The disadvantage is they require elbow grease. The advantage is they are cheaper, safer for the environment and for the carpet.

Author Bio: David has been writing articles for nearly 2 years. Come visit his latest website that helps people find the best carpet cleaning companies and the best carpet cleaner rentals that can be hired at a great cost and still do a great cleaning job on your carpet.

Category: Home Management
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