[JordysMom]

that I can put in my steam cleaner. I have yet to find a recipe for that. Anyone?

 

[peekyboo]

I've used both Oxyclean and Simple Green in my carpet cleaners w/o a problem. I'd put a scoop of Oxyclean in the water tank in my Hoover. With the Bissel (it has a seperate cleaning solution tank), I filled up the little tank a third of the way with Simple Green, rest with water. I'm going to try mixing Oxyclean in it sometime this week, put a scoop in, fill the rest with water.

Both have worked really well on the carpets for me.

 

[CJNeeley]

I've used white vinegar in my Little Green on the couches but haven't yet tried it on the carpet (we had hardwood floors before) yet, but I plan to this weekend so I'll let you know how it goes.

 

[JordysMom]

Thanks for your replies.

Yes, CJNeeley, let me know. I've tried to use Borax and water in the past, but I guess I didn't dilute the Borax enough first, because it didn't really do a great job, and it gunked up my cleaner.

 

[JLav]

I just moved into a new house and the carpets were in really bad shape! I just finished shampooing them (for the fifth time) with Oxyclean...it worked better than anything. I added 1 scoop to the tank and then filled it with really hot water and shook it up to make sure everything was dissolved. I started out using Bi-O-Kleen in the tank and spraying the really bad spots with Oxyclean...but that made the rest of the carpet look dirtier in comparison!
Good luck on your carpets!

 

[CJNeeley]

Ok, wanted to report back in with you. I was only so-so happy with the vinegar in the carpet shampooer (I fill to the cleaner fill line with white vinegar). I don't know if is the vinegar or my shampooer (cheap one from Big Lots that was a floor model) but in order to get out any spots I had to use the brush hand attachment--at which point, they came out great, but I have a Little Green so if I can't clean the floor with the vaccum floor cleaning part that's exhaustingly tedious and a little useless.

We have more carpet to clean at the new place (in the next couple of days, probably even tonight) before the furniture and boxes are delievered and we're going to try the Oxyclean so I can let you know if it was the vinegar or the machine. I'm thinking it could be the machine...

 

[CJNeeley]

Sorry I didn't get back to you before our trip. I tried the oxiclean last week before the movers came and hated it. Even with the scrubbing attachment it didn't work as well for me as the vinegar, but for some it apparently sounds like it works better--hence previous posts--so I'm not sure what that depends on (maybe it is about what the dirty spots are). One quick tip, I want to suggest you premix the oxiclean/water because I had a bugger of a time trying to shake up in the resevoir because of its awkward shape, fortunately hubby was there at the time but I think if I were to do it again I shake it up in an empty gallon jug or something. But I have definitively decided a big part of my problem is my machine/its floor brush. It just sits too high and doesn't hardly touch the carpet (but I've heard the ones with the rotating brushes are just too hard on the carpet so I'm not sure what I should look for) so it just can't rub anything out.

I personally found the vinegar to be easier and for me it also happened to be more effective. But I'll still keep my eye out for other things to try.

Good luck with yours, CJ

 

[Silliest]

It depends on your water's mineral content and what your stains consist of to some degree.

I use a homemade recipe:

1 cup washing soda, in about 2 cups almost-boiling water, and stirred until *almost* dissolved (it never seems to *totally* dissolve)
add to tank
add 1 cup hydrogen peroxide to tank
fill tank with hot water.

Do *not* pre-mix this stuff or leave a full tank of it overnight. It expands! <LOL!> (don't ask how I know that <heh>)

You can also spot-treat *really* nasty stuff with a 1:1:1 ratio of washing soda, hydrogen peroxide and water, but be sure to dissolve the washing soda in the water first.

I still have to break out the hand-tool occasionally, but this takes care of *almost* everything stain-wise.... now if something is *stuck* on there, or if there's a greasy/fatty substance involved (I am never buying go-gurt again, it turns to *plastic*) vinegar sometimes works a lot better, but I don't like vinegar as well for overall cleaning.

 

[RubySweet]

We have really hard water here if that makes a difference & I have a Hoover with the little spinning brushes. If I'm doing the furniture I just use white vinegar. When I do the carpets I put in a little squirt of soap along with the vinegar. I'm going to try the oxy clean though, I never thought to put that in there!

 

[babybugmama]

I just use really hot water and vinegar. To spot treat I have an *all purpose* solution I use: Borax, hot water, a little dish soap (washing powder would work too), and tto.

 

[Still_Learning]

what exactly is washing powder?

 

[babybugmama]

It's in the laundry aisle, usually close to borax. It's just washing powder...someone help me here! It doesn't have most of the crap as I understand it.

 

[Gemini]

I use peppermint Dr Bronners and it makes my house smell WOOOONDERFUL!.

 

[Artemisia]

we use the lavender Dr. Bronners here..works great!

 

[nitareality]

On the advice of the lovely ladies here two nights ago I used Dr. Bronners Peppermint and Bac-out, a very dilute mixture, in my steam cleaner and am amazed with the results! I was truly skeptical, I have two dogs and 3 kids and my white carpet (came with the house) was spotted beyond belief and had an overall dingy cast to it. I felt we had a dog smell too. The carpet looks great now and smells fabulous!