How to Guide to Carpet Cleaning: Green Carpet Cleaner Shampoo

You can make your own carpet shampoo or steam cleaner for regular carpet cleaning and for your carpet steam cleaner. Rather than hire a carpet cleaning service, learn how to make your own carpet shampoo, which you can use with a $20 rented carpet steam cleaner. Read on to learn how to make carpet shampoo.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Bucket 2 cups Isopropyl rubbing alcohol 1 cup white distilled vinegar 1 table spoon ammonia 1 teaspoon liquid dish soap (no bleach or alkaline content) Spray bottle Empty laundry detergent can

1. Pour two cups of isopropyl rubbing alcohol, one cup of white vinegar, one table spoon of ammonia and one teaspoon liquid dish soap into your bucket.
   The rubbing alcohol in the shampoo will speed up the drying process, while the dish soap is a surfactant that helps trigger the “wetting” action of the shampoo.

2. Add three quarts of hot water and mix gently but thoroughly. Fill the spray bottle with some of the shampoo solution. Pour the remaining carpet shampoo into the laundry detergent can.

3. Store your carpet shampoo out of reach of children.

4. TO USE YOUR SHAMPOO
   Thoroughly vacuum the carpet. Test a small area of the carpet with some of your carpet shampoo for color fastness and/or shrinkage.

5. Pre-treat the heavily-soiled areas of the carpet by spraying these areas with the solution. Let this sit for at least half an hour.

6. Fill the carpet steam cleaner’s reservoir with some of the shampoo, and steam clean as usual.

7. Let the carpet dry overnight after deep cleaning, keeping family members away from the area.

Resources

• How to Green Clean Your Carpets
• How to Guide to Carpet Cleaning: Carpet Stain Removal