How To Clean Carpet With Baking Soda And Vinegar

This post will show you how to clean carpet stains using just baking soda and vinegar. It’s easy and effective used on stubborn stains or just for general cleaning, plus its a chemical free and all natural method!

how to clean carpet with vinegar and baking soda even tough stains

There’s nothing that gives your house a facelift quite as much as cleaning the carpets does! You could definitely hire a professional carpet cleaning company, to see amazing results. But the chemicals they’d use on your rugs aren’t safe for your family to breath and can be harmful to pets and crawling babies.

The safer option is to use natural products you have right in your pantry. Baking soda and vinegar aren’t just for baking, they’re also some of my favorite things to use in homemade cleaning supplies!

Whether you’re needing to do some regular carpet cleaning or just spot cleaning specific stains, you won’t be disappointed with this simple 2 ingredient method!

Have you tried making homemade toilet cleaner bombs?

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Why You’ll Like Cleaning Carpet With baking soda and vinegar

its easy

All you have to do is sprinkle some baking soda on the affected area of your carpet, drizzle the spot with white vinegar and scrub it in. Let the mixture dry and vacuum it up.

Easy peasy!

all natural cleaning solution

Store-bought carpet cleaners usually contain harsh chemicals that can actually ruin your carpet after awhile!

Commercial stain removers can also be harmful for your body and the environment. The chemicals in some can cause nausea, headaches and kidney and liver damage. Definitely not the kind of thing you want to have within reach of your pets and kids!

And why would you want to waste your money on commercial carpet stain cleaner when you can get most stains out of your carpet with just two natural ingredients!

Because vinegar and baking soda are both edible, you know they’re completely safe to use on any surface.

Vinegar is also a great substitute for Windex. Check out my homemade non toxic glass cleaner.

effective method for cleaning dirty carpet

Baking soda works to freshen up your carpet and remove any odors. Mixed with the antibacterial and cleaning benefits of white vinegar, you’ll have a powerful solution that can get out most spots, even tough stains.

what you need to clean carpet with baking soda and Vinegar

baking soda – baking soda (bicarbonate of soda) is a great deodorizer. It will absorb smells and liquids from the carpet fibers, bringing the stains to the surface where they can be more easily cleaned.
white distilled vinegar – vinegar is just an all around great and powerful cleaning product. It not only disinfects and kills bacteria in old carpet stains, but also reacts with the baking soda to break up dirt that is embedded in your rugs.
hot water – to get the best result possible, use hot water to dilute the vinegar.
spray bottle – its easiest to apply the diluted vinegar using a spray bottle.
stiff bristled scrub brush – to work the cleaning solution into the stained area.
vacuum cleaner – the carpet should be completely vacuumed before and after cleaning it with vinegar and baking soda.

how to clean carpet with baking soda and Vinegar

Vacuum – The first step is to thoroughly vacuum the area of carpet you plan to clean.

Sprinkle – Lightly sprinkle baking soda over the entire stained area and work it into the fibers with your fingers.

Spray – Combine a one-to-one ratio of vinegar and warm water in a spray bottle. Spray this mixture over the baking soda and let it sit for a few minutes. The baking soda and vinegar will react and bubble.

Scrub – Using a stiff bristled scrub bush to work the vinegar solution into problem areas. Let it sit and dry completely.

Vacuum Again – Once the mixture is completely dried, vacuum it out of the entire carpet.

For Tough Carpet Stains – For extra pesky stains (blood stains, coffee stains, old stains) use more vinegar to soak the area. Still allow for enough time to let the area completely dry before vacuuming it.

For Areas With A Foul Smell – For carpet that has stubborn odors like pet urine, use more baking soda and really work it deep into the fibers. You could also add 20-50 drops of essential oils like Thieves, tea tree or any of the citrus scents to the spray bottle of diluted vinegar for extra cleaning power.

fAQ about cleaning carpet with baking soda and vinegar

what to do if your whole carpet is dirty

If the entire carpet is needing a good cleaning, start by spot cleaning the stubborn carpet stains with vinegar and baking soda.

After the solution has been allowed to sit for at least 30 minutes, you can go ahead and clean the whole carpet with a steam cleaner.

You can either rent a professional grade carpet cleaner from a local hardware store for a few hours (I’ve seen them at Home Depot and Menards). Or you can purchase your own to have on hand any time you need one. The Bissell ProHeat Steam Carpet Cleaner does a really good job!

Now if you’re wondering if you can make a DIY carpet cleaner solution, you sure can! Just mix equal parts of warm water and white vinegar in the water reservoir of your machine and clean according to the manufacturers instructions.

Your house might smell like vinegar for a bit, but don’t worry, the smell will be gone as soon as the floors are dry. Using this method instead of a commercial carpet cleaning solution, you won’t end up with any residue that would actually attract dirt, making your floors grungy looking again faster!

how long do you leave baking soda and vinegar on carpet to clean it

Leave the baking soda and vinegar solution on the carpet for at least 30 minutes, or until it has completely dried. After the carpet is all dry, vacuum up the baking soda.

will baking soda discolor carpet?

Baking soda has never discolored or lightened my carpet to a different shade than it’s meant to be. The best way to be sure though, is to try cleaning a small inconspicuous spot the first time you want to use it to clean your carpet.

can you get nail polish out of carpet or area rugs with vinegar?

Since vinegar is highly acidic, it can break down nail polish stains easily. Put small amount of vinegar on the nail polish spots, just enough to wet the stains. Let it sit for at least 15 minutes. Scrub the area in a circular motion with a dry, clean cloth until the nail polish has been absorbed. Follow up with a small dry towel to soak up the excess vinegar.

More ways to use vinegar and baking soda to clean your house:

If you liked this natural cleaning method, I think you’ll find these blog posts helpful too!

I hope you love this post on how to clean carpet with baking soda and vinegar! If you try it, I’d love for you to come back and leave a comment so that I know it worked for you too!

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How To Clean Carpet With Baking Soda And Vinegar