How To Incorporate Vinegar Into Your Non-Toxic Carpet Cleaning Ritual

Vinegar is a gift from the gods when it comes to cleaning in general, but especially when it comes to carpet cleaning. Many off-the-shelf carpet cleaning agents are really quite toxic, and not at all environmentally friendly, so it makes sense to avoid them in your carpet cleaning routine, both for your family/pets and for the environment. Below are some of the ways that you can incorporate vinegar into your non-toxic carpet cleaning ritual.

Stain Removal

White vinegar is a great way to remove fresh stains from carpets including pet urine and feces, food stains and mud. The best thing to do with any stain (regardless of the cleaning agent you are using) is to get to it as quick as possible. Pick up any solid matter off the carpet, blot up the liquid, and then spray a 100% solution of white vinegar onto the stained area. Blot the vinegar up with a clean cloth and repeat as many times as necessary.

Steam Cleaning

You can also use vinegar as a replacement solution in home steam cleaning machines. You can substitute the vinegar for the solution that came with, or was recommended by, the machine's manufacturer, and follow the rest of the cleaning instructions accordingly. The room will smell of vinegar while you are cleaning it, but that will dissipate once you have finished and given the carpet some time to dry.

Deodorizing

Many of the off-the-shelf carpet deodorants are incredibly harmful to your pets, who are often attracted to the fragrant smells. A good substitute deodorant is vinegar. Mix one tablespoon of vinegar, one tablespoon of baking soda, and 2 cups of warm water into a spray bottle, shake it well, wait for it to stop bubbling and then spray it gently onto the carpet. Once the solution dries, it won't smell of vinegar, it will smell neutral (exactly how you want your carpet to smell).

Using vinegar is not only a cheap alternative to traditional stain removal, steam cleaning and deodorizing methods, it is also much more environmentally friendly, and is safer for you and your family. If you are looking for more eco-friendly cleaning agents and methods to incorporate into your cleaning routine, keep the above tips for using vinegar in mind.