Healthy Cleaning Tip: Carpet Cleaning with Baking Soda and Vinegar

A clean home is a healthy home! Cleaning is also a great way to sneak in a little extra activity. Unfortunately, some of the products we use can irritate our skin, lungs, eyes and cause other safety concerns. Whenever I find effective cleaning products with safe, inexpensive ingredients I am interested. I was pleased to discover this effective tip for a safer carpet cleaner that uses common cooking ingredients. I like to give credit where credit is due, I originally learned of this from an article in Lifehacker (Use Baking Soda and Vinegar to Clean Your Carpet). I had an unfortunate coffee spill on my off-white colored carpet so was keen to give it a try. As I will describe, I “hacked” the tip a little to better meet my needs.

Vinegar, water and baking soda can safely and effectively clean spills on carpet

What You Will Need:

Vinegar
Water
Baking soda
Spray bottle (optional, but helpful)
Towel or microfiber cloth

Instructions:

1. Fill a spray bottle with a dilution of water and vinegar.

2. Spray area you want to treat with vinegar and water solution, then sprinkle baking soda on the area. Don’t be surprised if it starts to foam!

3. Leave it to sit for a couple minutes.

4. Blot the damp area with a towel or microfiber cloth.

5. Optional: Scrub the area with a cleaning brush for spills or stains that need a a little extra attention.

My Results:

I noticed a big improvement after the first treatment, but the spill was still visible. I decided to give it one more try before practicing “acceptance”. The second time, I used a scrub brush to thoroughly scrub the area. Since a picture is “worth a thousand words”, see the “Before” and “After” illustrations below:

A “Before” and “After” comparison taken after my first attempt with this tip.

A “Before” and “After” comparison showing the spill before the treatment, and the same area after my second attempt using the scrub brush. In real life, I can barely tell there was a spill, though traces still show in the photograph.