Thrifty Thursday: ...and MORE Homemade Cleaning!

We had a great response to our first homemade cleaning resource here and brief sequel here .  Here's a little more natural cleaning wonder for you!

This weekend I witnessed a miracle before my very own eyes! There is a house that I visit frequently that happens to have skylights. Unfortunately, those skylights happen to leak when there are heavy rains and we happened to have heavy rains this past weekend. The homeowner has a couple of carpet stains where these leaks occur and has tried EVERYTHING...Resolve, Bissell steam cleaner, Professional carpet cleaners. The stains fade but never go away. On a whim, the homeowner conjured up a little natural wonder figuring there was nothing to lose. Um. You won't believe it but the stains DISAPPEARED! It was a miracle. I wish I had before and after pictures.

Have any stubborn carpet stains? Don't give up and definitely don't spend a fortune. Give this thrifty, environmentally friendly, natural concoction a whirl. I've witnessed firsthand. I really, really works.

Homemade Carpet Cleaning for the Impossible Stains

• Use water to start. A spray bottle gives you more control, so you can apply water carefully without spreading the stain. Spray, let it soak in for a moment or two, and blot it with a clean white cotton cloth or plain white paper towels. Repeat this process until you no longer see dirt transferring to the cloth. That may be enough to get it all, but if not, on to the the next step...
• Mix about 1/8 teaspoon of Dawn or Joy dish washing detergent into two cups of warm water. Apply this (that spray bottle works well.otherwise be careful and use your finger tips) to the spot and work it in very gently (no heavy rubbing or you might damage the fibers). Blot the spot with a clean cloth or paper towels and repeat the process until you see no more stain transfer on the cloth.
• Rinse the area repeatedly with plain water, removing it between applications using a wet/dry vacuum cleaner or by blotting it up with a cloth.
• Dry the spot quickly with a fan blowing on it. Fast drying prevents any dirt that is lower down in the fibers from migrating up to the top where it would be visible.
• If that procedure is not enough, you can try removing dirt stains using 3% hydrogen peroxide. Apply it with the corner of a cloth or with cotton swabs. Let this stay on the fibers for an hour. Blot it. Rinse.

Try it and let us know! Happy Thursday. Have a Thrifty one!