When you own a furry pet, keeping the carpets clean is an ongoing battle against hair and stains. But because constantly purchasing new carpet cleaning solutions can rack up the costs quickly, one cleaning enthusiast shared a DIY way to clean for mere pennies on the dollar.
The scoop
Thalia (@retrodenverfinds) posted a video on TikTok explaining her hack. In it, she's using a Bissell carpet cleaning machine, but the solution works with any comparable device.
@retrodenverfinds ‼️✨EASY & CHEAP DIY CLEAN SOLUTION FOR CARPET CLEANERS! ‼️✨ Ingredients: -a few drops of @drbronner peppermint Castile soap. I LOVE having a big bottle of this soap around my house as i use it for so many other things like: ✨using as an all purpose cleaner ✨ ✨Floor/Mopping cleaner✨ ✨body wash✨ ✨shampoo✨ ✨plant spray for bugs 🐜 ✨ And the list goes on! It's so environmentally friendly when we can buy a product that serves more than one purpose, it saves on product consumption and also saves us time and money when we don't have to buy something for a single purpose! (You'll know you've added too much if it starts to foam when you add in the hot water! Be sure to dilute!) -Hydrogen Peroxide : you'll be using 1/2 cup to 1/4 cup dependent on how much you're planning to fill up your cleaning tank. If you're filling it up then go with 1/2 cup, otherwise start with 1/4 cup. What I love about this product is that we ALL have a bottle of hydrogen peroxide around the house, it serves great purpose for medical use but also cleaning! I use it to help scrub my bath tub sparkling clean and when deep cleaning old furniture pieces too! Last ingredient: -HOTTTT WATER! You'll fill up the cleaning solution tank with hot water and voila! You have your easy DIY cleaning method for rugs, upholstery and all things with fabric. I personally love how simple this recipe is and how accessible the products are. I made this recipe after finding that my rugs were exposing WAY too much of my messy habits 😶🫢plus having a puppy 🐶 and a furniture flipping business means that I track a lot of dirt in and out of my home, whether it's from old furniture pieces or my yard work or knives tiny paws racking up dirt hehe. I'd love your feedback in the comments if you think this is something easy for you to do yourself or if you have your own DIY methods?👇🏽 ✨Want to shop the products I used in this video? ✨ Click on the link in my bio to see the EXACT products I use for my DIY cleaning and furniture flips!💚 #cleaning #diyhomedecor #diycleaning #easyclean #furnituredesign #furnitureflip #foryoupage #manifestation #puppy #rescuedog #easyrecipes #cheaphacks ♬ Six Degrees - squale
Buying jugs of cleaning solution refills is both time-consuming and expensive, she explains. So instead, she began making a simple yet effective solution with two common, low-cost household ingredients: Dr. Bronner's castile soap and hydrogen peroxide.
Just a few drops of the soap is all you need. "The peppermint smell helps deodorize any odors and the soap does an awesome job of easily removing stains," she says with the video showing the efficacy of the product.
Next, she adds a quarter cup to a half cup of hydrogen peroxide, which acts as an oxidizing agent. Oxidizing agents are substances that help break down stains and odors on a molecular level, and this is a safe, odorless option.
After mixing these ingredients, Thalia explains, simply fill the remainder of the carpet cleaner with hot water and watch it work its magic.
Filming her dog, she adds that it's "puppy-approved."
How it's working
Keeping a carpet clean can extend its usable lifetime significantly. Not only does this keep unnecessary waste out of landfills, but it keeps owners like Thalia from incurring the expense of replacing it. (Even better, when the time does come to get a new carpet, buying a secondhand carpet and restoring it to like-new conditions is easy.)
As Thalia mentions, this method is also much more cost-effective than ordering premixed chemical cleaning solutions from Bissell and similar companies. While a single jug of that cleaner will run you about $20, an entire bottle of hydrogen peroxide is only about $5, and a jug of Dr. Bronner's — which, given that you only need a few drops per batch, will last years — only costs around $15.
And for those with pets and children, it's worth the time to seek more natural and chemical-free cleaners. Not only does this create a safer household environment free of the toxins you find in bleach and other commercially manufactured cleaners, but it also keeps the local environment safer. After all, those chemical cleaners all have to end up somewhere, and they often run into waterways and soil.
What people are saying
Commenters were eager to give the cleaner a try. "This is literally the exact vid I was looking for," one person enthused. "Thank [you] so much."
"Thanks for the tip!" another agreed.
As consumer interest in chemical cleaners is steadily dropping, the adoption of naturally derived, more environmentally friendly products has risen over recent years, according to data research group Civic Science.
"Love it," one person wrote.
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