6 Eco-Friendly Carpet Cleaning Tips

6 Eco-Friendly Carpet Cleaning Tips

Going “green,” or eco-friendly, has become mainstream as of late, and that includes carpet cleaners. We’ve gathered some of the best and simplest ways to clean your carpets and treat stains and spots. Before using any of these Eco-Friendly Carpet Cleaning Tips, make sure you test the solution on a hidden spot of your carpet to test its colorfastness.

Hydrogen Peroxide

Hydrogen peroxide is very good for blood, chocolate, soft drinks, coffee, berries, ice cream and more. 3% hydrogen peroxide solution can be bought at most drug stores or pharmacies. To use it as an organic carpet cleaner, first remove the solids from your spill. Blot the liquids with a clean, dry cloth and then rinse the area with the hydrogen peroxide. You can follow up with soapy water to ensure the stain is gone.

Club Soda

Club soda is a very popular and simple solution to carpet stains. It can be used for red wine stains, fruit juice spills, pet stains, and greasy spots in your carpet. The important thing to remember is to act quickly when it comes to bright or bold color spills. Blot up the excess liquid as you can with a dry paper towels, without scrubbing the spot. When all of the color appears to have been absorbed by paper towels, douse the stained area with a small amount of club soda, leaving it on the spot for about a minute. This will loosen the residue from the carpet fibers. Absorb the excess club soda by dabbing with clean paper towels to remove any leftover liquid.

*For Red Wine Stains*

Alter the above method for red wine. After blotting as much of the wine out of the carpet as you can with paper towels, press another paper towel soaked in club soda onto the spot. Rinse the paper towel out often, and add more club soda as needed. As the paper towels soak up the color of the stain, use new paper towels so as to not re-stain the spot. If the stain persists, sprinkle salt over the damp area, leaving it on for approximately 10 minutes. Vacuum up the salt, and wipe the area with a clean damp cloth with water.

White Vinegar

White vinegar is a very effective cleaner for things like beer or cat urine, but can also be used for other types of stains. Dilute the vinegar, 1 part vinegar to 3 parts water. Blot the stain and rinse with soapy water. Apply the vinegar solution with a cloth or paper towel, or using a spray bottle. Blot the excess with a dry towel and rinse with water.

Baking Soda

Baking soda can be your first defense against vomit or urine stains in your carpet. Remove as much of the residue as you can, taking care not to rub the excess into the carpet. Mix baking soda 1:1 with white vinegar, and pour the mixture over the stained area. Pat it dry with a paper towel, then let the spot completely dry before vacuuming up the excess baking soda mixture.

Baking soda can also be used to deodorize your carpet by sprinkling it on clean carpet. Let it sit for several hours and then vacuum up the baking soda. Bye-bye smelly sock smell!

Lemon Juice

Lemon juice is a very good stain remover for all types of stains, especially food stains. Apply the lemon juice and let it sit for a few minutes, then blot up with a damp cloth. Lemon juice can also be mixed with detergents for really tough stains. Mix the lemon juice 1:1 with water, and add in a few tablespoons of detergent. Shake together in a spray bottle, and spray over the stain, and blot it dry.