If you live in an active house as I do, you’re bound to wind up with carpet stains. A carpet cleaner is a must-have for any busy family, but most storebought brands contain harmful additives that don’t belong in the air. My Homemade Carpet Spot Cleaner With Essential Oils is the perfect way to get your carpets stain-free, naturally.
It’s gentle enough that even little ones can help clean. Not only does this DIY remove stains, but it also freshens carpets and makes them smell brand new!
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3 Toxins in Carpet Cleaners
It’s important to be aware of what chemicals are in your carpet cleaner. After all, carpets are where a lot of life happens in the home. Crawling, walking, playing..all are made better by cushy carpet! Many storebought cleaners contain horrific chemicals that negatively affect occupants of the house. Here are a few of the top offenders.
1. Naphthalene
This toxin can quickly dissolve dirt, so it’s a popular addition to carpet cleaners. Even short-term exposure to this chemical can cause damage to the liver and neurological system. (1) It can cause annoying side effects, as well, like headaches, nausea, and other flu-like symptoms. God created our bodies to give warning signals about poisonous substances, and this is a perfect example! There are natural ways to dissolve dirt that won’t harm you.
2. Synthetic Fragrances
To cover up the scent of chemicals, companies add more toxins through synthetic fragrances. There isn’t a lot of transparency in this area, and that fragrance label you see can include any combination of over 4000 chemicals. The FDA doesn’t require companies to share exactly what chemicals are used, but we know that many of them are known carcinogens. (2)
Essential oils are my top replacement for artificial fragrances; no nasty side effects are involved!
3. Perchloroethylene
This degreaser is a potent carcinogen, with studies showing that people exposed to this chemical have developed multiple types of cancer. (3) Minimal exposure leads to side effects like mood swings, skin and eye irritations, fatigue, and more. Inhaling the fumes of this toxin has devastating results.
Best Essential Oils for Carpet Spot Cleaner
Essential oils are optional, but in my opinion, they make a huge difference! They make a very basic cleaner smell amazing. Plus, essential oils can help clean. Here are some of our favorite EOs to use in this recipe. I encourage you to experiment and find what combination works best for your family.
- Tea tree essential oil is an anti-fungal essential oil that kills mold. It also deodorizes, so it works great on smelly stains, like pet messes.
- Lemon essential oil kills bacteria with its antiviral and antiseptic qualities. It leaves the room smelling citrus fresh, plus it’s a great mood booster.
- Eucalyptus essential oil kills dust mites, which like to lurk deep in carpet fibers. This EO pairs beautifully with lemon.
- Pine or Fir Needle essential oil is antiseptic and leaves a pleasant smell. This may bring back fond memories of your Mom cleaning with a pine-scented cleaner!
- Citronella essential oil wards off bugs, making it useful for pest control. We use this often during warmer months.
Safe Carpet Cleaning Ingredients 101
These simple ingredients are found in most pantries. They’re also highly cost-effective, making this recipe a must for anyone!
White Vinegar: Vinegar is a natural deodorizer, and it removes tough stains due to its acidity. White vinegar is what this recipe calls for, as other colors may end up making a stain worse. You wouldn’t want to turn a simple dirt stain into a balsamic vinegar-colored mess! If you’re worried about a vinegar smell, don’t be. Essential oils cancel out any scent vinegar may have.
Hot Water: When possible, I recommend using distilled or purified water. In our home, we use AquaTru’s water filtration system. It hooks right up to the tap! Regular tap water is linked to obesity, diabetes, and congenital disabilities, so it’s nice to know that even our water can be safe!
Liquid Soap: Liquid soap gives our cleaner its excellent foam! You can use Dr. Bronner’s liquid castile soap if you’d like. If you’ve made some of my other DIYs, you probably have a bottle or two on hand! I want to caution that in my experience, Dr. Bronner’s did not foam up as well as natural dish soap.
Essential Oils: You can use any essential oils from the suggestions above or create your own custom blend. We’d love to hear what you come up with! Essential oils are an excellent replacement for synthetic fragrances and make your home smell just as good.
Homemade Carpet Spot Cleaner With Essential Oils
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- ¾ cup hot distilled water
- 3 tablespoons soap (Dr. Bronner’s liquid castile soap or natural dish soap)
- 3 drops essential oils*
- Supplies:
- Stand mixer or large bowl and hand mixer
- Stiff brush to clean carpet
- Rag
- Glass jar for storage
- Place the vinegar, distilled water, natural soap, and essential oils in a stand mixer bowl or a bowl in which you can run a hand mixer.
- Whip the ingredients on high to create a lot of foam. The foam is what you use to clean the carpet.
- Use a stiff brush to scrub the foam into the carpet to remove stains.
- Wipe with a damp rag. Store in a glass jar.
- Shake the jar vigorously or mix the solution on high before each use.
Step One: Add All Ingredients
Add the vinegar, distilled water, natural soap, and essential oils to your stand mixer bowl or a bowl in which you can run a hand mixer.
Step Two: Create Foam
Whip the ingredients on high to create a lot of foam. Your mixture should look like the picture above. You want a lot of foam because that’s what you’ll use to clean the carpet.
Step Three: Scrub the Carpet
Use a stiff cleaning brush to scrub the foam into the carpet to remove stains.
Step Four: Wipe and Repeat as Needed
Wipe the foam off with a damp rag. If the stain is stubborn, you may need to repeat the process or let the cleaner sit for a few minutes before scrubbing.
Notes:
- This cleaner is safe for furniture too. I recommend testing the cleaner on a small corner to ensure it doesn’t change the fabric.
- You can store the leftover foam in a glass jar. Over time, the foam will deflate and return to a liquid form. To reactivate the foam, shake the jar or mix again.
