Time seems to go by so much faster now that I'm not going to work. I thought it'd be the other way around. I expected my days to go by so slow, since I am home all day, every day, with the kids.
Anyway, after a long rainy weekend, it's time to steam clean the carpets again. With 3 dogs running around indoors, it is very easy to get these carpets nice and dirty in just 2 days! Since I've tried to severely cut my budget, especially when it comes to cleaning products, I have been putting off buying a refill for my steam cleaner. Even the cheapest brand of carpet shampoo costs me about $15.00, and I can never find a coupon for it!
After much research (I love research!) I came up with my own concoction. Here it is:
1/4 cup free and clear Purex laundry detergent
1/2 cup white distilled vinegar
a few drops of essential oil, if desired
Add mixture to soap dispenser in steam cleaner, and top off with water (to fill line on the dispenser).
This seems to get the dirt out of the carpet much better than the shampoo I was buying. Also, adding the vinegar helps rinse the carpet to get out soap residue.
I have a toddler and an infant, so keeping the carpet clean is an absolute must! Here are a few steps that I take to make sure the carpets are not only clean, but free of chemicals:
1. Rinse carpet with hot water prior to using "shampoo" setting on cleaner.
2. Use shampoo setting so that it uses the least amount of shampoo as possible. It will still clean the carpets!
3. After cleaning the whole carpet on shampoo setting, change the setting back to "rinse" and use only water, to help eliminate residue that may be left on the carpets.
I realize that this will take more time, and literally more energy, but I hate the idea of my daughter crawling around on a dirty floor, or on a carpet filled with chemicals!
Oh, and for the laundry detergent, I recently bought a 110-load bottle of Purex Free and Clear for just $4.99!
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