Last updated:
Nobody enjoys cleaning up dirt, spills, and stains, but it’s a lot more stressful when it happens on your carpet. There are many products out there that can remove all the dirt and sometimes even the stench that gets trapped in your carpet. The problem is most of these products promising deep clean and instant freshness contain very harmful chemicals. Just like that stubborn spot, these chemicals can stay trapped in the fibers of your carpet for a long time.
Fortunately, there are many homemade and ready-made non-toxic carpet cleaners to combat all your carpet woes. Keep your home safe with these products and keep your carpet good as new.
Tips for Non-Toxic Carpet Cleaning
Non-toxic carpet cleaners are much milder than commercial and chemical cleaners. While it’s definitely the safest way to clean your carpet, it may not be as strong as chemical cleaners. Here are some simple tips to make the products as effective as possible:
- Remove the spill, dirt, or whatever mess is on the carpet as quickly as possible. The fresher the mess, the easier it will be to take out
- Before applying the product, get as much of the mess out as you can. If the mess is dry, vacuum the area to lift out as many particles as possible. If it’s wet, blot off the liquid as much as you can
- Blot, don’t scrub, the mess. Blotting keeps the mess in one area instead of spreading it even more on the carpet
- If you have an odor problem, deodorize your carpet regularly. Odors come from dirt and bacteria that have become lodged in the fibers of the carpet. If you deodorize your carpet regularly, this will stop the problem from happening in the first place. When your carpet starts to stink up, that means the cause has been in the carpet for quite some time already
Home-made Cleaners
Baking Soda
The holy grail for any kind of homemade cleaner, baking soda is excellent for spot cleaning or deodorizing your carpet. Mix it with water to create a paste and rub it on the spot with a stain or dirt. You can also sprinkle it straight on the carpet. Leave it for at least 10 minutes and pass through your carpet with a vacuum cleaner. This helps lift off unwanted smells from your carpet.
If the stain is a bit more stubborn, you can mix a cup of baking soda with a teaspoon of liquid soap. The soap helps loosen up the dirt and stain a bit more. Apply the solution on the spot and blot dry.
Vinegar
Vinegar is another common household item that does a great job with cleaning. The smell puts off some people, but it dissipates pretty quickly once you’re done cleaning. You can spray pure white vinegar onto stains and blot them up with a clean cloth. If you have a steam cleaner, you can also use vinegar in place of the chemical cleaner. The room will smell like vinegar for a while, but it will disappear once the vinegar dries.
If you want to get rid of particularly strong odors, you can mix
- 1 tablespoon of vinegar
- 1 tablespoon of baking soda
- a cup of warm water.
Spray it all over your carpet and let it dry. There’s no need to vacuum the solution afterward, but you can do it to get rid of some residue if you notice any.
Ready-Made Cleaners
Better Life Stain & Odor Eliminator
This product is a good all-around cleaner. It can be used on carpets, sports gear, furniture, and even laundry. It can even remove tough stains like blood and pet excrement. It’s color-safe, non-toxic, biodegradable, and scented with natural botanicals. Just spray directly on the stain or problem areas and blot with a dry cloth.
Biokleen Carpet and Rug Shampoo
No products found.
Biokleen is a plant-based cleaner that uses the power of citrus and grapefruit seed extracts. There are no residues, fumes, or artificial fragrance and colors making it an extremely safe product to use for your carpets. It’s also a concentrate so you get more cleaning solution out of a single jug.
Puracy Natural Carpet Detergent
Puracy is also a plant-derived cleaner that works very fast on your carpets. It removes soil, odors, and stains from not just your carpets but even upholstery, rugs, and other washable surfaces. You can use it for manual cleaning and you can use it for carpet cleaning machines as well. The formula is even hypoallergenic so this product is a good pick if you have family members who are sensitive to chemical formulas.
Aunt Fannie’s Cleaning Vinegar
As the name suggests, this is a vinegar-based cleaner infused with different scents to leave the room with a more refreshed smell. It’s a multi-purpose and multi-surface spray that you can use to solve your carpet problems. You can spray the product directly on the problem spot and scrub the area till the stain is removed.
It’s not technically a carpet cleaner, so it’s much more effective on solid surfaces like kitchen counters and tabletops. However, it still works on fibers like carpets and upholstery. If it’s not too much of a big job, Aunt Fannie’s Cleaning Vinegar will do the trick.
Earthworm Carpet and Upholstery Cleaner
This carpet cleaner is a bio-enzyme-based cleaner. It’s fragrance-free as well so it won’t disturb people with sensitive noses. Since it’s made with natural enzymes, it’s also safe for all members of the family, including furry ones. You can spray the product directly on the stain and let sit for around 10 minutes. Once the product has seeped through, blot with a dry sponge or cloth, or scrub lightly if the stain is stubborn.
So, there you have it. Lots of different and non-toxic options for carpet cleaning that you can use right now. Less harm to you and your family, and in many cases, way cheaper than the expensive chemical products!
We broke down a long time ago and bought a carpet cleaner. We have three kids, we had two dogs, a husband in construction… our carpets get really dirty really fast.
We use Dr Bronner’s Sal Suds and it works out fine. Are our carpets 100% clean and sterile? Probably not, but they’re clean enough. Not as well as a professional would do it, perhaps, so I just clean them a bit more often. I don’t mind. I’m saving quite a bit of money, I’m guessing.
robins last blog post..That’s a Lot of APLS
Hello, I’m not sure where you live, but there is a small franchise called Citrusolution and they claim their cleaners are environmentally friendly. I’ve used them in my house a few times now and I am always pleased with the results. The house smells like oranges when they are done and he always shows me when he’s done the huge amount of pet hair he was able to get out of my carpets that day. Ew. But they are pretty small still, mostly in the south. Here’s the parent company website:
http://www.c4.coop/cleaning_process.html
I’m in the same boat as you regarding the state of my carpet. Nature Brite works wonders on those spots, but what about the rest of the floor? I’m going to try to find out about options NOT in our area, and then maybe I can convince someone around here to go more “green”.
i used a company called oxifresh- they claim to be a “natural, safe” alternative, but I didn’t actually ask them specifically like you did. But there wasn’t a strong fragrance after they left so that was encouraging.
Gidgets last blog post..Weekly Surf Spots
Perhaps you should invest in a steam cleaner. You use just water–no chemicals or soap or anything. This is supposed to clean 99.9% of germs/bacteria/etc. I’ve also heard that you can rent those Rug Doctors at the grocery store and fill it with plain old water. Our real estate agent actually recommended that method. She said the soap leaves a residue and carpets get dirtier faster when you use it. Surely some professional could come over and steam clean everything?
This is my advice, coming from someone who has never used a steam cleaner and doesn’t have any carpeting in my new house. I think it’s good advice, though!
Rebecca (Green Baby Guide)s last blog post..Make Better Packed Lunches with a Copy of Vegan Lunch Box (Giveaway!)
Very neat suggestions. The steam cleaning doesn’t actually remove the stains and that is an issue. My area is very not green on the company front.
I received a free sample of a product called FIZZION recently. My boyfriend used it this weekend and was amazed at the results. It is an eco-friendly product that comes in tablet and you drop them in water and they fizz like Alka-seltzer. He spayed it on the spots then steam cleaned the carpets with water and it looks great! They have a website at fizzionclean.com.
http://people-friendlyproducts.com/why.htm
this is a “everything” product i came across last year. we haven’t tried it on our carpets yet but i have been able to do some other amazing things with it. i have gotten oil stains out of already washed and dried clothes. that is amazing to me! anyway, worth checking out the site cuz it’s organic and your child could eat it…that’s what sold me:) mine actually broke into the cleaning cupboard and sprayed it into her mouth and eyes(she has a thing for spray bottles). she was fine and it was nice to not have to worry. i called poison control out of curiousity for what they would have to say and they thanked me for choosing to have such a natural safe product in my home. i just tried there laundry bar and got old poop stains out of our cloth diapers…love it!
Vinegar helps remove stains and odors if you scrub it into the stained area. I think this needs to be done shortly after something is spilled.
This isn’t a long term deep cleaning solution but you can deodorize your carpets with baking soda. Liberally sprinkle it all over the carpets and then vacuum it up – it really does work.
I think the best solution is to not have carpets. 🙂
Kim Woodbridges last blog post..WordPress – How to Find the Best Free Themes
Not sure where you live but http://www.ecovian.com lists green cleaning services in a number of cities.
We just moved into a rented apartment and there is carpet that they cleaned with some awful chemical. It still smells after a month and makes us feel nauseous and gets on our lungs (sore throat). My question is how do I get this poison out of the carpet?
The manager couldn’t care less and and says the smell will fade.
I rent a rug doctor and use a safe, non-toxic cleaner called Sol-u-mel and another called tough and tender. You can’t buy them at any store so I can give you the info on where to get it if you would like to email me at hailey@saferforyourhome.com. IT WORKS BETTER THEN THE TOXIC CLEANERS WITH NONE OF THE SIDE EFFECTS!
DMS Carpet Cleaners Connecticut offers a safer way to clean your carpeting. We use products from a company called “Bio-Kleen”. Now this is not just a plug..as this company offers a carpet shampoo available for home use! We sell it locally but it can be purchased at drugstore.com. This stuff works effectively for our professional operations and will do wonders for your home machines!
I can’t say enough about Citra Solv. Dilute it and use it for cleaning everything. Use the Citra Spot on really bad areas. It’s natural and smells great without using any chemicals!
.-= greencleaningmom´s last blog ..America’s Pastime: Laundry =-.
wowgreen Carpet and Upholstery cleaner can be put in the carpet cleaners you rent. My friends have used 2 bottles in the carpet cleaner tank and had great results. non-toxic, all natural check out my website wwwdotwowgreendotnet/21463
You have options. There is a company called Biokleen they are in Washington State. They have a product that you can use in your home machine. Also, When hiring a professional you can ask that they use a product such as biokleen. It is easily available and when used in a high powered truck mount you will get amazing results! My company DMS Carpet & Upholstery Cleaners Greenwich Ct. uses the Biokleen line of commercial cleaners and have been doing so for the past four years. So..who said it's not east to be green?
You have options. There is a company called Biokleen they are in Washington State. They have a product that you can use in your home machine. Also, When hiring a professional you can ask that they use a product such as biokleen. It is easily available and when used in a high powered truck mount you will get amazing results! My company DMS Carpet & Upholstery Cleaners Greenwich Ct. uses the Biokleen line of commercial cleaners and have been doing so for the past four years. So..who said it's not east to be green?
I believe every word of yours that we use toxic cleaning products very often. We need to switch to green cleaning solutions to protect our environment and our families.
I understand your frustration and there is a simple solution. Von Schrader is one company that manufactures a professional carpet cleaning machine that uses Green seal approved detergents. The alkaline based product doesnt leave a residue and there is no cosmetic smell. It is a very reliable cleaning machine and gives excellent results. Keep in mind that the quality of the work is up to the operator always. Contact Von Schrader and ask them if there is a company near you that services your area.
If you are going to steam clean your carpet I wouldnt recommend a rug doctor or what you can rent at a store. You will leave residue and cause more harm then good, plus lose valuable time. If you use just water, well dirt plus water equals mud. You must have the patience to extract the water that you put in your carpet. If not the carpets will be left wet for a long time and the deep down dirt will wick up. Secondly by using only water on the soil in you carpet, which is alkaline based, there is emulsion to help you transfer the soil to the machine.
If you cant find a Green seal product using company and dont want to do it yourself but remain safe with products that come into your house. I would have them steamed cleaned with a acidic rinse solution. This will neutralize the alkaline based dirt in your carpet. That is about as close you can get without using chemicals in house. But remember, without allowing the company using alkaline based pretreatment, you run the risk of those heavy traffic areas not coming as clean as you wanted.
Good luck!!
it's funny that a lot of people think carpet cleaning still leaves residue, and as a result this seems to be pushing green carpet cleaning, as most think at least the residue left will be non-toxic, which is completely untrue, in the past maybe but no longer do professional carpet cleaning machines leave any residue, unless the clean is done by someone untrained
Truck mount carpet cleaning equipment is the best way to get your carpets cleaned, thoroughly flushed and rinsed and depending on how much power your carpet cleaner’s machine has, it will even leave your carpet relatively dry without the aid of any additional equipment.
carpet cleaning lakewood
Excellent stuff with wonderful information! I'm new here and loving the post! Thanks for sharing this great info!
This is great information. I appreciate the sincere appreciation. Thank you.
Carpet Cleaning Vancouver
It’s a very good post I have come across.I really like this post very much.It’s a very appreciated post.Thanks for sharing.Keep blogging. Thank you for bringing a well thought out and reasoned comment to the discussion.
Carpet Cleaning Vancouver
There are many “Green” cleaning services on the internet…are you sure there is nothing in your area?
very inspirational! I'm impressed with his work.
If you want rug cleaning at your house then you should find out what specifically you need to start this. You prefer to make sure that the area area rugs in your home are as thoroughly clean as they can be, and not holding onto just about any dirt and debris that could result in your loved ones to become ill. That is why making use of organic products to wash these types of rugs are recommended when it comes time to eliminate and loosen virtually any undesirable dirt and debris from your home. There are a number of approaches for area rug cleaning, and you can be certain you need to do so correctly by reading ahead.
Excellent stuff with wonderful information!
I wanted to say thank you to you for this excellent read!! I have you saved as a favorite to view fresh stuff you publish.
cool plugin, i get a lot of coment and add to my site as loyal visitor.
There’s definitely nothing wrong with being pro-green. I honestly think it’s more safe for our kids and the people at home to be using less harmful ingredients for cleaning the carpet. There are products like these available in the market and there are absolutely carpet cleaning companies who apply environment-friendly cleansing products too. If there’s none, then I guess this can be a very great opportunity to start a carpet cleaning business in your area specialized in using organic products.
Dear
friend,
Cleaning
the carpet in your residence can be a cumbersome job and could consider some
time to get done. There are a good deal of items that require to be done, like
relocating the furniture, finding the right cleaning answer, and many others.
It would be best to timetable it on dates when you have a long weekend or for
the duration of spring cleaning, as lengthy as the moments function for you.
Proper arranging also enables you to be a lot more productive in cleaning. You
can take help form carpet cleaning Carlsbad.
thanks
Use a wet vac to sketch out as much liquid and floor from the flow or pet occurrence as possible. Use as much pressure as possible to press into the recognize to sketch out the the water within the support. Do not use a side smooth side smooth towel yet, which will just press it coming back down into the rug.West palm beach rug cleaning
The professionals of a carpet cleaning service such methods that don’t harm the environment and the carpets. They have experience and expertise in their work. So, we surely can depend on them.
Mold removal
Woodbridge Fungus Aid provides Mercantile and Residential air
wellborn testing which includes aerotrap testing. Fungus Aid also provides magnitude, video
heave & swob samples. Change Aid
provides good edifice reasoning with detailed magnifier of touch and
recommendations.The Acquired Home Services Examination present help you realize
the systems and mending requirements of your object. Our technically astute inspectors gift support
you with a quality study and a home owners enchiridion that gift force
conditions that may touch the cured elliptic abode and construction examination
which answers serious questions and allow a utilizable course of the
dimension.Moulding Aid utilizes the fashionable technologies, techniques and
equipment to insure roaring remediation for all size jobs. Change Aid
technicians are insane finished the IICRC as Applied Microbial Remediation
Technicians and are continually present further upbringing classes which
enables Dirt Aid to remain at the front of the remediation business http://www.sureshotpest.com/