DIY Steam Cleaner Solution

[FitStash]

Holy shit this elixer is expensive ($15-20 per bottle).  Last time I bought it for my steam cleaner was pre-MMM so I didn't pay much attention, but this time I shopped with my middle finger and decided to find an alternative.

I thought maybe I could use laundry detergent since it's cheap and carpet isn't too far from fabric anyway.  I did some research of other people doing it before I tried it, and it turns out people have all kinds of crazy ideas (this was one of them).


Long story short, it worked out really well.  My apartment smells a little like a fresh load of laundry, the carpets are clean, and I didn't shell out fifteen bucks to do it.  (I already owned the cleaner btw, so no rental or anything)

[meadow lark]

Excellent I'll try that next time.  I've used white vinegar, but I'm not sure how well it worked.  I have a lot of stains, and it felt clean with the vinegar, but stayed stained.

[NumberJohnny5]

I use vinegar too.  Carpets in the house we're renting were pre-stained, so I care not about stains, only actual cleanliness.  Cleans good enough for me, plus there's less stains now than when we moved in a year ago.  I think the most important thing is HOT HOT water.  For liability reasons, I wouldn't recommend water so hot it'd burn you...but the hotter it is, the better it seems to be at cleaning.  Liquid laundry detergent sounds like a possible replacement for carpet cleaning solution, just make sure it's not too sudsing (wouldn't try hand dishwashing detergent for this reason).  Too many suds = stopping every minute to empty out a waste tank that's full of suds (and very little actual water).