Nothing is worse than spilling something on your carpet, but you can get rid of any unsightly stains with a natural homemade cleaner. There are lots of carpet cleaner products sitting in supermarkets, but many people do not want to spend lots of money on a chemical stain remover that is not guaranteed to work.
Instead, Elizabeth Bryant, a cleaning expert and founder of Lizzy Write, has shared that she discovered a simple way to get carpets clean again after trying out several different products. She said: “Over the next few weeks I tried every carpet cleaner at my local grocery stores (yes, plural). Nothing was working.”
Elizabeth accidentally dropped homemade salad dressing all over her carpet and was dismayed that nothing she bought from the supermarket could remove the stains.
Eventually her mother recommended the old fashioned method of using white vinegar, and Elizabeth discovered she could make a homemade remedy out of this simple solution.
She said: “My mom came to visit and suggested I try white vinegar. I didn’t really give it much thought because it seemed either too easy or too smelly.
“Well, this weekend I had enough. I searched for a remedy and found it! Of course, it contains white vinegar because my mother is always right.
“So I’m going to share with you my wisdom because I’m sure I’m not the first person to spill oil-based something on their carpet.”
How to make a homemade carpet cleaner that works
White vinegar is a common natural cleaner that contains acetic acid, a gentle acidic substance which can break down many many common carpet stains like food stains.
However, before you use white vinegar you need to scrape up as much of the liquid as possible. Use a cloth to gently dab at the stain but do not scrub at it, otherwise you can work the stain into the fibres.
Next, simply sprinkle a little bit of baking soda or cornstarch over the stain and then let it sit for 10 minutes. Once the time is up, hoover the baking soda away with a vacuum.
Both cornstarch and baking soda are highly absorbent and will soak up any remaining liquid to draw out any excess moisture and make it easier to remove the stain.
Then, mix one tablespoon of white vinegar, one tablespoon of washing up liquid and then add 450ml of warm water.
White vinegar can help remove many common carpet stains but washing up liquid has been designed to dissolve grease, and will help enhance the white vinegar to loosen tough protein or tannin-based stains.
Stains that tend to be incredibly difficult to remove are pet urine, dairy products, wine and coffee but mixing this homemade solution together will help remove them quickly.
Sponge the stain with the white vinegar and washing up liquid solution and blot until the liquid is completely absorbed.
Sponge it again with cold water, then use a clean cloth to blot it dry and your carpet should be completely clean with this natural yet effective homemade cleaner.