Carpet cleaning can cost a lot of money, especially if you hire a professional, but what is the cheapest way to clean a carpet if you are looking to save some money?
The cheapest way to clean a carpet is to use baking soda – a common household item that is inexpensive and can be used to tackle carpet stains effectively.
Let’s take a look at the benefits of baking soda for cleaning a carpet and a step-by-step guide for using it on your carpet to achieve a great result.
Why Is Carpet Cleaning Expensive?
Carpet cleaning is expensive in most scenarios because it requires either renting a carpet cleaning machine or paying a professional to use one to clean your carpet.
These machines, which work commonly using a system that circulates steam, require electricity and specialised cleaning solutions which adds to the cost. Once you factor in labor costs or the costs to rent a machine, carpet cleaning can become a pretty expensive job.
Is It Worth It To Use A Carpet Cleaning Machine?
Carpet cleaning machines are very good at what they do, and if your carpet has been neglected for many years they are the only option you should consider if you want to get your carpet back to its original state.
If you maintain your carpet regularly though and clean up any spills as soon as they happen, you may find that it is unnecessary to use a machine on a regular basis.
Baking soda is our personal method for a cheap, easy and convenient way to maintain your carpet so you don’t need to spend money on professional carpet cleaning as often – although you should really look into it at least once per year.
Benefits Of Using Baking Soda To Clean Your Carpet
So, why do we recommend baking soda so highly?
Cost
Baking soda is very inexpensive, and you will struggle to find any other cleaning agent that can be used on a carpet for a similar price. Baking soda also works perfectly well by itself, so there is no need to worry about other cleaning agents or products that could increase the price.
Cleaning Properties
Baking soda is highly absorbent, which means it can tackle a lot of different types of stains such as those that are greasy – like an oil stain – and those that aren’t, like a spilt drink of tea for example.
Baking soda is also great at removing odors due to this, which is another reason why you should consider using it.
Availability
You can find baking soda in almost every general store that you step foot in, and that is assuming that you don’t already have some at home to begin with.
The last thing you want is to have to wait days on end ordering a specialised cleaning agent when you can simply grab some baking soda and be ready to go straight away.
How To Use Baking Soda On A Carpet
There are a couple of different ways that you can use baking soda on a carpet, and these depend on the type of stain you are tackling or if you are simply doing a general clean.
General Clean
If you are want to do an easy clean all over your carpet then there is a very simple way to achieve this using baking soda.
Before you go to bed, sprinkle a moderate amount of baking soda all over your carpet and use a brush to work it into the carpet properly. Allow this to sit overnight, and in the morning use a vacuum to go over your carpet and remove the baking soda.
By allowing the baking soda to sit around for a good amount of time it will absorb or attract any stains and dirt which can then be picked up as you vacuum. We recommend doing this once every couple of weeks as part of a healthy carpet maintenance routine.
Non-Greasy Stains
Stains that contain no grease include things like soft drinks or wine, and these can be addressed using baking soda.
Once you notice the stain, act as quickly as possible and sprinkle it entirely with a generous amount of baking soda. Afterwards, apply a small amount of water to make the baking soda damp. It is crucial that you only add a small amount of water as you don’t want the stain to spread.
Let the baking soda do its thing, ideally overnight, and vacuum once ready. This should work for most non-serious stains, but you may find that some tougher stains like wine – especially if they have sat for a while – can be more stubborn and you may need to repeat the process.
Greasy Stains
Stains that contain grease, like oil from fatty foods, can also be addressed with baking soda.
To do this, first make sure that any solids are removed and the stain is all that is left. You can then sprinkle a generous amount of baking soda onto the stain and leave it overnight, this time not adding any water.
Vacuum in the morning and see whether the stain has been removed or not. Some greasy stains can be especially stubborn, and you might need to use dish soap to fully deal with them.
If the stain is still there after using baking soda, apply a small amount of dish soap using a damp cloth to the stain. Work the soap into the stain in circular motions and then clean the area with some clean towels or a rag, blotting this time.
Final Thoughts
Baking soda provides a cheap and easy way to clean your carpet that can be applied to many different types of carpet stains as well.
If you have any other cheap methods you like to use on your carpet, then please let us know by getting in touch!
