A lot of you don’t know how useful white vinegar can be around the house, it can be used for so many different things from cleaning the toilet and sink to counter tops and inside of electrical appliances. Due to it being very high in acidic properties it works as a brilliant antibacterial cleaner. It also has antiseptic ingredients meaning that it can also tackle and kill mould. But this is not what we are here to explain today, today we are focusing on how to clean your carpets using white vinegar.
Table of Contents
How to clean your carpets using white vinegar
Removing carpet stains and odours from your carpets is made easier using white vinegar as a cleaner. As well as it being extremely easy to get hold of from most of your supermarkets and corner shops, being made of natural ingredients it is perfect to be used in households with children, pets and allergy sufferers. So onto the carpet cleaning.
Whenever cleaning a carpet for the first time like with any products you should always complete a test patch first, this needs to be a patch of carpet that cannot be seen that you can test the cleaning process on to ensure that your carpet will not be damaged by the process. Usually inside of a cupboard or behind an item of furniture will be best suitable.
To complete the test, moisten a towel and dampen it with the white vinegar, apply directly to the carpet and let it sit there for a few minutes before blotting it up. Don’t rub it to remove it blot it. After 24 hours have passed, return to the tested area and look for any colour change or fading and feel for any texture change between the tested area and an area that hasn’t been tested.
Stain Removal
White vinegar is particularly useful at removing Fresh stains from your carpet fibres. These spills and stains can include food spills, pet urine and feces, or just your everyday muddy footprints. It’s always best to tend to the stain as quickly after it has been caused as possible. This is to ensure that the spillage does not have a chance to set into the deeper fibres of the carpet, the longer that a stain is left the more the stain has a chance to bond with the fibres making it considerably more difficult to remove. So please tend to it as quickly as possible.
Any solid matter from the spill should be scooped up and any remaining liquid should be soaked up before the cleaning process is started, remember always blot any liquid up do not rub at it. This will cause the stained area to spread and you may end up with a bigger area to treat than to begin with. Always use colourless towels to clean the area, coloured towels could cause colour run and leave you with a stained carpet.
Once all the solid matter and liquid has been soaked up you can spray a 100% solution of white vinegar onto the stained area for a few minutes and then blot it up with a clean towel, repeat this process until the stain is no longer visible. Lastly, allow it to completely dry. You will be left with a strong odor of vinegar whilst the carpet is still wet, however once completely dry this should disappear. Due to the strong scent of the vinegar that will also eliminate any odors that may be present before the clean, leaving your carpet smelling fresh once the process is complete.
Using this method is perfect for in-between deep cleans and for attacking spills quickly. It’s so simple that anyone can complete this cleaning process meaning that you don’t have to call a professional carpet cleaner every time something is spilled. White vinegar is alway a useful item to have stocked in your kitchen cupboard, for many reasons.