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Want to try a homemade carpet shampoo recipe? Make your carpet last longer and save money too!
This is a high suds carpet shampoo. It's actually the suds and scrubbing (provided by you) that do the tandem job of lifting the dirt and smells from rugs and plush furniture. The lavender and ginger essential oils will help if animals smell are a problem.
Before tackling the entire job, test-clean any light or unusual fabrics - better safe that sorry! And remember not to soak your furniture; use only the suds for cleaning. Lavender Ginger Suds Upholstery Cleaner & Rug Shampoo 4 cups water 1 cup white vinegar 3 tablespoons sodium Lauryl Sulfate 2 teaspoons baking soda 1/8 teaspoon lavender essential oil 1/8 teaspoon ginger essential oil Mix all ingredients together and fill a handheld rug/upholstery shampoo bottle half full. Shake the bottle vigorously and shampoo your furniture or rug using small circular motions. Try not to penetrate fabrics with much more that a thin layer of suds, but scrub the sudsy area well. General Carpet Shampoo 1/3 cup soap flakes 3 1/2 cups boiling water 2 teaspoons of washing soda 6 drops vanilla essential oil (cuts urine & smoke odors) 6 drops peppermint or wintergreen essential oil (mild disinfectant) Stir the soap flakes into the boiling water until they dissolve. Let cool to room temperature, then add washing soda and essential oil. Mix and put in glass jar or bowl. Spot test a small, inconspicuous are of your rug first to test for color stability of the fibers. To use, shake well and gently scrub into carpet with a brush, then let dry and vacuum. Avoid saturating the carpet to prevent stretching. Shelf life: Approximately 6 months. Carpet Shampoo This carpet cleaner recipe makes enough for a 10' x 13' room. If you can't find soap flakes, you can use 1/4 cup borax instead. Test the outcome of this substitution on a small area first. 2 cups baking soda 1/2 cups soap flakes 20 drops lavender essential oil 8 drops rosemary essential oil 1/2 cup vinegar 2 cups warm water Combine the baking soda and soap flakes in a plastic bowl. Add the essential oils and mix well, breaking up any clumps with a fork. Sprinkle the mixture on the carpet. Add the vinegar to the warm water in a bucket or pail. Dip a clean sponge mop into the bucket and squeeze out as much excess liquid as you can. Gently go over carpet with the sponge mop, working in sections. Wait at least an hour and then vacuum again. Great Gift Idea: Green Cleaning Basket Fill a plastic tote with homemade carpet shampoo, dry carpet cleaner and deodorizer, all purpose cleaner, laundry soap, window and glass cleaner If you like my free recipes and would like to contribute, please leave a donation so you can enjoy the spirit of giving too. |