Best EVER Homemade Carpet Cleaner Solution

I used Simple Green instead of the Awesome cleaner when I did my carpets last weekend. It turned out perfect! I think that any all-purpose cleaner with good grease-cutting power would work.

We just cleaned our carpets yesterday. We rented the rug doctor but we never buy their cleaner. We use Shaklee Basic H. It’s been around forever, very safe and natural and not toxic and fragrance free. We have 3 boys and,2 dogs and live one the country. Shaklee is not available in stores. Only a distributor. You can become a member and buy at a discount like I did. Carpets look great!

Simple Green is actually the most dangerous cleaning product you can use.

Simple Green Concentrated All-Purpose Cleaner
It’s labeled “non-toxic” and “biodegradable.” It contains:
2-butoxyethanol, a solvent absorbed through the skin that damages red blood cells and irritates eyes;
A secret blend of alcohol ethoxylate surfactants. Some members of this chemical family are banned in the European Union.
Worse, the company website instructs the user to dilute the product significantly for even the heaviest cleaning tasks. Yet it comes in a spray bottle that implies it should be sprayed full-strength. Such use would result in higher exposures.

http://www.ewg.org/cleaners/hallofshame/

I wonder if you are a chemical engineer or similar? People make blanket statements often without the science behind to back it up. My husband is a ChemE and has often found flaws in many blog posts that sound logical at first blush but they are completely off base. Is the EU really where we want to go for advice??

The owner of Simple Green has drank many hundreds of
Shots of Simple Green during presentations of the product to show its non-toxic qualities. Granted, he does it it the end and doesn’t recommend it because as he says “it clean you right out.” (As I would imagine any soap would)
So, is he still alive and well after the first time I saw him drink it some 30 years ago?

Grease cutting odor lifting and stain removing is a toughie.
I have used many different methods, and For a non toxic solution
I have found E.O. products helpful,
for the tough stains I used kids n pets, great for urine deep stains . milk spills

What is E.O ,because my problem is urine stains on the carpets from my dog

To Mom115
With urine stains–use vinegar in a spray bottle to saturate.
Cats, in particular, do not like vinegar and won’t go in the same place you have sprayed or cleaned with vinegar.
You can use a dilution. Soak before going over with carpet cleaner and solution.
Before I found this website I have used awesome diluted with water in my three different types of carpet cleaners and found it works, “AWESOME”!

I just tryed this recipe on my very dirty light carpet! I must say it works! I did reserch on carpet clearning and found this and a few other tips I decided to try. Being that the last time I shampooed my rugs months ago The results was so very disappointing with the regular costly carpet clearning solution with even adding extra to the hot water.
I added about 1/2 cup of shout to the mixture and used Tide he” (which cuts down on the suds) ALSO which I know made the biggest difference, I went back over my rugs with just hot water and when I say that picked up some much more dirt out of the carpet I was beyond Happy!!!!! It has given my carpet that I was ready to just replace, new life!!! Yes it is a little bit more work but SOOOO worth it! I would say spot clean high traffic areas and stains with shout or a can spot carpet cleaning spray first scrub or sweep in carpet well before starting!
Also a New TIP……. For years being that I smoke and have a dog, the house can get a bit stagnant at times ( mostly in winter months) Putting about an 1/2 cup of Downey in 1 to 1 1/2 gallons of hot water in a bucket and sweep it into your rugs will have your house smelling wonderful and make your carpet softer! I will be doing that today because using it in the mixer made it to diluted and I’d liked the fresh smell and sofness now that they are clean!
Also after trying it and coming back and reading some more of the many comments. Being that the mixer is made with adding water and also the fact that you use a cup or 2 with more water when you use it in the steamer and the fact that I went back over the rugs withjust hot water I dont think it will effect the integity of my steam cleaner! I will also look up the ingredients in the regular carpet cleaning bottle.

I’ve seen Awesome at Walmart and Dollar General. Dollar General has is by the jug if you go thru a lot.

I tried it and it has worked for me the past two years. I use it in a Hoover Vac and it cleans great.

I just found Awesome spray cleaner at my local Rite-Aid for $1..saves driving 4 miles to Dollar Tree where the parking lot is the pits! Is it good for spot cleaning first?

Lisa, have you ever used the lemon scented Simple green to clean the carpets? I just mixed up Awesome, Liquid Tide, Downy and Oxiclean with hot water. Just did one room..my DH’s bedroom. He has some health issues and doesn’t always make it to bathroom on time. I have a Bissel carpet cleaner but I think I’m going to research carpet cleaners and see what’s better than this one. Easy to use but what do you do when you create bubbles? It’s spraying out one vent..I have the window open and fans running to help dry the carpet. Hope this works. I’ll keep trying different solutions to see what works best. Sure beats paying $300-$350 for a professional..they don’t like to hook the truck mounted system up for one room..that price is for all my house .

Betty, my mother showed me years ago the best way to clean carpets. This way is not harsh and it will make your house smell so fresh and clean. Use the hottest water you can get, ammonia and liquid Wisk detergent, because it does not bubble, and wallah. Ammonia is very safe to use in your laundry and it cleans really good. Now you will have to open your windows for about an hour to let it air out but I promise you it will be worth it. I have cleaned my couches with the upholstery tool and they looked brand new. I have a lab, a jack russell, a dachshund and a cat. My carpet looks like there have never been pets in here. Hope this helps you.

I’ve found vinegar, distilled white stuff, reduces soap bubbles, I add 1/4-12 cup to empty recovery tank. I use it in a Downy ball in laundry to remove traces of laundry soap, due to allergies.
Good luck.

You can buy Awesome at Walmart. Do you have a Dollar General in your town? That’s where I buy mine.

Who cares!

You will if you get cancer, autoimmune disease and neurological diseases. Europe does not have the companies lobbying in Washington. It is all about profit not health when they allow these things in our environment.

I agree ..! Good lord… Just about everything is bad for you… step outside, take a deep deep breath, and BAM..! Hope you like the toxic air. Let us know how the third arm works while cleaning carpet. If its faster, I will try to grow one also.

I don’t think we need to worry about what Europe has banned. Simple green has removed the toxic chemical that was controversial. Please stop trying to fear monger people.

I used many of those and eventualy they do ruin the machines .They start leaking and there you go to buy a new one you can use one without soap for an emergency but for a constan cleanning you will be taking a big chance.

With respect to this recipe “ruining” a machine, you should first understand that all fluid-handling machines employ rubber (or similar) seals. Same as a car. These seals do not (and cannot) last forever. One cannot predict when any seal will fail, an example being a car. You cannot know when you will suffer an oil, gas, or coolant leak. But it WILL happen if you own/operate the machine long enough if you do not preemptively replace hoses, etc..

You should scrutinize each ingredient in this recipe for its damage-inflicting potential….

Liquid Tide, 2 Tablespoons…. heck I use this in my washing machine all of the time. And I *KNOW* my clothes washer has lots of rubber and plastic seals and hoses! Look at the dilution: the recipe begins with 2 Tablespoons of Tide in a full gallon of water (a gallon is 256 Tablespoons). That gives us a concentration of 2/256 or just 0.78%. My machine’s instructions say to add 5 ounces of concentrated cleaning solution to one gallon of fresh water. One ounce is equal to 6 teaspoons. So we have 30 teaspoons of concentrate to add to a gallon of fresh water in my carpet cleaner. Of that 30 teaspoons of concentrate (recipe), 0.78% will be Tide. This means we have 0.234 TEASPOON of Tide being added to the GALLON of hot, fresh water going into the machine. Yes… less than 1/4 teaspoon to a gallon of water. Simple test here is to add 1/4 teaspoon of Tide to a gallon of water and see if you can feel, smell, or even taste the difference. No, I do not think Tide is going to harm my machine.

Downy Fabric Software, 1 Teaspoon…. I will not even bother with the math on this one, as you can see from the previous analysis that there will be less than 1/8 teaspoon of fabric software in the gallon of water running through your machine.

Awesome cleaner, 1/4 cup…. out of all of the ingredients, this is the one I would investigate most closely. I do not, after all, use it in my clothes washer. As it is formulated for general cleaning, it may be perhaps the harshest ingredient. The math on this one is very easy also, as 0.25 cups is equal to 4 Tablespoons. The analysis therefore is the same process as for the Liquid Tide, but the numbers are all doubled. so you end up with less than 1/2 teaspoon of Awesome cleaner in your machine with a gallon of hot fresh water. I tested this the same way… I added 1/2 teaspoon of Awesome directly to a gallon of water. I could not smell, feel, nor even taste any difference.

A proper analysis of this recipe yields a safe conclusion. It is not likely to accelerate wear of your machine. The “warnings” by manufacturers MAY be valid in that IMPROPER concentrations of fluids may be harmful. Mixed properly, however, there is likely little harm in ignoring the marketing claims.

. . . Really Sean!!!!! . . . . . Thanks Freddie for that wonderful analysis

This recipe was great for a large bacheor suite and my bissell proheat machine. I increased the recipe amounts & ratios a bit. Five yrs. Of dirt gone! The water was gross. My carpets are gleaming clean. You can use essential oil if dont want downy. Tea tree or grapefruit kills a lot of microscopic stuff & smells great. Got everything at dollar tree for 1.25 each. Amazing. No pricey cleaners or carpet cleaning companies for me!

Yes, as I explained in my analysis (above), you should definitely not run 100% Simple Green through your machine. I have no doubt a 100% concentration would be harmful to both the machine and the carpet. Added to your machine as a substitute for the Awesome cleaner, however, at a final concentration per the recipe of approximately 1.58% or 0.468 (less than 1/2) teaspoon in a full gallon of clean water in your machine is unlikely to have any negative impact.

Indeed, if one wishes to consider an overlooked – but very real – factor, one might look at mineral content of the water you are using. If you have heavily mineralized (aka:not “soft”) water, you are effectively running small rocks – microscopic sand – through your machine. These particles work themselves into the crevices around the seals, eventually destroying them and leading to leaks. If one wishes to maximize lifespan of the machine, and the carpet as well, you should use only softened (demineralized) water.

OxyClean is peroxide so I’m thinking of using liquid peroxide, it’s a brightner/whitener. I just don’t have the Downy or “awesome cleaner”. I do have downy sheets so I’ll soak them in some hot water for a little bit then add that.

I have had customers tell me they use it to clean carpets in there rent houses. Nothing but raves.

I have found the Awesome Cleaner at Dollar General, Dollar Tree and Walmart.

I found awesome at Walmart as well as the dollar store

Haven’t tried Simple Green, but was wondering if Greased Lightning would work instead of Awesome..

You could buy it online or just use any other all purpose cleaner, that’s just what the awesome cleaner is.

Dollar General sells Awesome products.

She said dollar general.

lmao totally awesome is at every single store across the nation walmart dollar general dollar tree family dollar Kmart and even in some grocery stores now go get it tiger lol

You can buy both Awesome products at Family Dollar.

Please don’t take chemical matters in to your own hands, ask someone who has had to study, and or deals with the effects these chemicals can have on your carpet. There is a good chance your carpet is now completely ruined, and a guaranteed chance your carpet warranty is voided (albeit looking “nice” after the cleaning.)
If a cleaning step includes getting soap or dust out of your carpet AFTER you have already cleaned it, then your carpets wont be staying clean very long if they are even still intact after a few cleanings with this harsh chemical concoction.
-Professional Carpet Cleaner

I mixed vinegar and hot water in a bottle. Spray the Kool-Aid stained area. Place a white towel over it and put your iron on the towel. You may have to do this a couple of times but it will remove the stain. I have 4 children and this has been an absolute miracle stain remover method.

I have gotten red Kool-Aid out of beige carpet many times with spray OxyClean. It must be done immediately after the spill, or it will be set in.

To remove kool-aid stains from carpet (even old stains), try this:

•2-3 teaspoons dawn dish soap •1/2 gallon of hot water (I have never measured exact, I just use a medium size bowl so this is approx)
•clean white towel, I use an older one
•steam iron

Agitate the water to mix well and create suds. Preheat iron, making sure it’s on steam setting. Pour enough soapy water directly onto the stain to saturate, set remainder aside for repeat treatment, if needed. Place the towel over the stain. Use the hot steam iron on the towel, moving iron in diff directions and applying some pressure, esp with the tip of the iron, this helps by getting deeper into the fibers. Work it like this for a few minutes, then pause. Check the towel, reposition, repeat. The stain will transfer from the carpet onto the towel. You will see this progress, but be patient as some stubborn stains take several repeats. Well worth your time and effort. You may be able to wash/bleach the towel afterward, but it may become a shop rag.

When I managed an apartment community, a well known professional carpet cleaning company techician shared this method with me. Over 13 years, we saved so many carpets that would otherwise have had to be replaced because of stubborn stains! I have used this method on my own carpet with wonderful results. (I also have teenage daughters and found this works on makeup stains as well.) Use plain hot water to flush out any soap residue.

Good luck

Pool bleach disintegrated my daughter’s bathing suit when it spilled on her when she was a pool attendant. To save her skin she had to jump in the pool. I would not suggest using pool chlorine on carpets. As for Simple Green, I have seen displays with gold fish swimming in it. I have never had any problems, and it works great. My husband is pretty up to date on stuff to use in our house, not only for us, but for our pets. Two of our dogs will be 16 years of age this year. No health problems. Hasn’t harmed our birds either. We always dilute products to make them last longer.

Clorox Clean Up splatters and bleached my black tank top and black leggings. It is very powerful.

For dog urine, feces, sour milk, etc., you need enzymes that will actually eliminate the odor causing proteins, rather than mask to smell. Rug Doctor makes a product like this, make sure it has enzymes/enzyme action listed on the bottle.
To find the specific spots, use a black light (the soiled area will illuminate when the black light hits it). Treat the spot, don’t be stingy either. The animal urine went through the carpet to the pad, so must the enzyme treatment. Let set in the spots, allowing the enzyme to work, perhaps overnight… the odor will actually get worse at first because it’s been activated, but it does work given enough time.

My family rented a rental house many years ago. I smelled cat urine on inspection, they sent their carpet cleaners back out, who just did a repeat routine clean. No help there. Took matters into my own hands and used the method above. 2 day process, but so worth it!