Steam cleaning your carpets is one of the most toxic things you can do to your home because of the chemical perchloroethylene contained in most commercial carpet cleaning solutions. But for the do-it-yourselfer, there is a simple, natural alternative for green carpet cleaning. Perchloroethylene, or PERC, is a known carcinogen, and often makes people feel dizzy and short of breath durring and right after it has been applied to carpets. Worse, however, is the fact that it clings to carpet fibers and remains in the home long after the carpets start getting dirty again. It can be especially bad for young children who spend a lot of time on the floor, close to the carpet. Thankfully, you can easily make your own non-hazardous cleaning solution with just vinegar and water.  Mix equal parts white vinegar and warm water with a few drops of your favorite essential oil—lemongrass and eucalyptus are great options—and use the solution in any rented or purchased home steam cleaner.  

The vinegar helps lift stains and is a natural antibacterial agent and the essential oils deodorize your carpets naturally. For more stubborn stains you can try a higher ratio of vinegar to water, or pre-treat the stains with a mixture of equal parts natural dish or laundry soap and baking soda.  Allow the soap mixture to stand on the stain for a few minutes before cleaning with the vinegar and water in the steam cleaner for best results. Always be sure to test a small patch of carpet with these or any other cleaners in an inconspicuous spot (like under the sofa or in a closet) before treating your whole rug.Over time spot cleaning just doesn't do it. You turn around one day and your carpets are a shade darker than when you had them installed. Or, you do a great job spot cleaning only to reveal how dirty the rest of the carpeting really is. Here's a way to get them green clean. Ingredients: Salt, borax and white vinegar. Equipment: A vacuum and a carpet steam cleaner, don't worry, I explain why we need the heavy equipment below.

Start out with good old spot cleaning then move to the more heavy duty all over work.Vacuum like you've never vacuumed before: go in 3 different directions and take your time. Get the dust, hair and particles out of the pile. 2. Mix 1/4 cup salt, 1/4 cup borax and 1/4 cup vinegar, then apply this paste to deep stains or heavily soiled sections of carpet. Allow the paste to sit on the carpet for several hours until it dries completely, then vacuum it away. 3. Start up the steam cleaner. Why are we using a steam cleaner you ask? I've looked into lots of options from dry chemical cleaning (vetoed because of the chemicals and what is left in the carpet) to steam cleaning and have decided that renting a steam machine is the best option because the chemicals are optional. Try to rent a new machine to increase efficiency and do a little pre-cleaning of the machine if it doesn't come to you pristine. 4. Skip the carpet shampoo. Hot water can get most grime out of your carpet alone, just make sure you're filling your machine with really hot water.

5. If you have especially soiled carpeting you can add 1 cup white vinegar to 2.5 gallons of water for very deep cleaning. 6. Most machines have 2 modes. carpet cleaners san diego caFirst you depress a button and release the hot water and second you release the button and it sucks water back up. best carpet cleaning pre-spraySpend 3/4 of your time on the second mode. carpet cleaning vancouver downtownSoak the carpet then go over it three or four times to dry the carpet as much as possible.pool filter sand vacuum 7. Steam clean the carpets a second time. pool sand filter and pump setup

You rented the machine for the day right? you might as well get your money's worth and do 2 passes. 8. Let the carpets dry completely. best shampoo for carpet cleaningOnce they are mostly dry you can bring furniture back in but we usually put aluminum foil under the legs to avoid any stain bleeding onto the wet carpets. Then, let them dry all the way before you walk on them to avoid staining them again. 9. Finally, dispose of the water from the machine responsibly. Many places that rent out the machines will take the machine back full to avoid putting the chemicals from your carpet down the drain. Otherwise, call your local water treatment plant to enquire about how to dispose of the waste water. Back to top          Privacy Policy          Copyright © 2013 View Along the Way. I have a confession. I'm obsessed with vinegar. I first discovered my love for vinegar when it came to cleaning our wall-to-wall white carpet.

Vinegar has helped me maintain my sanity (while living with white carpet and two hot-mess-cats) until we can finally rip our carpet up for good. Over time, I discovered so many more uses for vinegar. I thought I would share some of my fave vinegar tips with you today. Although the majority of our house is filled with annoying carpet, we also have a lot of tile. I used to use my beloved Swiffer on them, but about 6 months ago I somehow snapped it in half. Apparently I'm an aggressive mopper. Rather than replace it, I decided to bust out my old sponge mop and try something new. All I do is mix 1/2 cup of vinegar in 1 gallon of warm water and then use my sponge mop to clean the floors. And now I can never go back....the vinegar just works so well and makes the floors so shiny. We have a sink that was painted white by the previous homeowners  (with the same stuff I painted our tile with) and it gets seriously disgusting really quick. So does the drain. I daydream about a life without a white sink.