Tips for Steam Cleaning Carpets — Now that the holidays are over and the kids are headed back to school, I think it is time to whip out my steam cleaner {THIS is the one I have} and give the carpets a once over.
I needed to wait until everyone would be out of the house long enough to let the carpets dry before they walk on them. We had a busy holiday season, and I’m a little scared to see what the ol’ steam cleaner pulls up.
If you’re in the same boat, here’s a couple of quick tips for getting the most gunk out of the carpet with the least amount of effort.
Tips for Steam Cleaning Carpets
If possible, try to clean the carpets on a warmish day. Super humid or cold days make drying time exponentially longer.
Vacuum first. Get all of the loose dirt, pet hair, dead skin {ew!} up with a regular old vacuum cleaner, that way, your steam cleaner can actually clean instead of grind the dirt in further.
Treat stubborn stains. A steam cleaner is not magic, but it’s pretty close. Treating tough stains prior to starting the process will loosen the grime, so when you swipe over the spot, it’s ready to relent.
My Favorite DIY Carpet Cleaner Recipe:
1/4 cup Fabuloso Cleaner
1 scoop Oxiclean {approx. 1 tablespoon}
1 teaspoon Snuggle Fabric Softener
1 teaspoon Dawn Dish Soap
Hot water
Directions
In a 1 gallon {or larger} bucket, mix together the Fabuloso Cleaner, Oxyclean and the Downy Fabric Softener. Add in 1 cup hot water and still until the Oxyclean is dissolved.
Pour mixture into a 1 gallon sized jug and fill 2/3rd of the way full with water. Add Dawn Dish Soap then finish filling your gallon jug to the top with water.
When it’s time to clean your carpets, simply add about 1/4 cup of the concentrated carpet cleaner mix to your hot water tank before filling up with water.
Happy Cleaning,
~ Mavis
Lindsey says
This is on a different topic, but if you are looking for an interesting book to read you might try How To Be A Victorian by Ruth Goodman. The book starts in the morning and proceeds through the day, so you see how their lives were arranged for 24 hours. All sorts of interesting trivia (like the fact that “knock me up” comes from an era when the poor could not afford clocks so a guy got paid for going from house to house at the time the owner specified, using a long pole to tap on the bedroom window and wake up the resident).
Tammy says
Oh my goodness that sounds like a fun book!
Wynne says
Also with Ruth Goodman, there are a series of BBC documentaries about historical life. I started with Tales from the Green Valley (available on YouTube) which is 12 monthly episodes of life on a 1620ish Welsh farm. (Perhaps how the Pilgrims lived, too.) I think this may be the first series, and Goodman went on to do Victorian farm, WWI farm, Secrets of the Castle, and other programs.
Krista says
Thanks so much! We recently purchased a Hoover Carpet Washer and tried another DIY recipe for cleaner, but it was really soapy. This looks like the perfect mix of ingredients.
Tammy says
I don’t know how a home steamer compares to the ones you can rent, but the last time we rented a carpet cleaner (because my daughter had a stomach bug and puked multiple times all over her room…) we used JUST water and the carpets cleaned so well. I didn’t want to use the harsh chemicals in her room, and had read that water worked so I thought we wouldn’t lose anything for trying it!
Kayla says
What do you do to pretreat a spot on the carpet?
Helen in Meridian says
You know your kid is all grown when he asks for a Rug Doctor Carpet Cleaner for Christmas and he isn’t even married. I will give him your recipe to try in his new carpet cleaner.
Milissa says
I just use vinegar, hydrogen peroxide, a tad of castille soap and a dash of essentials oils. I may go over the spot several times, but we have animals and a crawling baby, so we stay away from the harsh chemicals.
Mike Jones says
What portion of Vinegar,Hydrogen peroxide, to How much liquid? Thank You!
Cory Waltmathe says
Thank you for the tips and information, this is really a big help for me. Now I know how to steam cleaning and what are the recipe for a carpet cleaner recipe.
Gwen says
I add some Hydrogen peroxide to my steam cleaner, even when I’m using store bought cleaner, for a bit of disinfectant.
Jenn Davies says
I didn’t even think about checking the weather when I have the carpets cleaned, but it makes sense. Would you recommend waiting until spring instead of doing it now? I don’t like waiting forever for the carpet to dry. Any little tip that speeds the process up is worth trying, in my opinion.
Alex Jennings says
Thanks for posting this article, Mavis! You’re awesome! My dogs shed their fur all over our carpets, so you can imagine how desperate I am for a good carpet cleaning service. I usually use vinegar to clean, so this shouldn’t be too difficult to adjust to! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Anne says
What is the actual measurement of Oxyclean?
Mavis Butterfield says
1 scoop Oxiclean {approx. 1 tablespoon}
Cecilia says
Why do you use fabric softener in your carpet cleaner?
Christina says
What is the ratio of cleaner to water for the hot water tank? I have a rug doctor so I think thats about 2-3 gallons in the tank as compare to other steam machines are smaller; only about 1 gal.
Crystal Bailey says
Thank you so much for this amazing mixture. I was able to pick up three of the ingredients at my local dollar store. I had the soap and of course hot water at home. So a $3 carpet cleaning solution was an ideal solution for me.
I added 1/2 cup of white vinegar and doubled the Fabulouso to get through a pretty stubborn pet stain that my daughters little puppy left me this morning.
I am pleased to say this mixture plus my Bissell SpotClean ProHeat Pet Portable Cleaner was the exact combination I needed.