Carpet cleaning...

[kitsunepilot80]

So I finally decided on a color for my walls (a nice tan/beige to offset the blue carpet and bedding) but my next problem lies in the filth in the carpet

Comments

[jme718]

the problem with carpet shampoo is that it always leaves some residue behind on the carpet which actually attracts more dirt (soap cleans by binding to dirt and grease). in our first apartment, the carpet cleaners hired before we moved in left an insane amount of soap in the carpet. i was vacumming it up for the first two months we lived there.

anyways, whenever we cleaned the carpets, the only thing i used was hot water and vinegar. the acidity of the vinegar will break down any remaining shampoo residue and pull it out of the carpet, along with all the dirt the soap is attached to. if your carpet is in pretty yucky shape you may need to use a cleaning product on the stains, but i would definitely do a few washes of either just hot water or hot water/vinegar first beforehand. and make sure the water is as hot as you can get it without it being boiling.

here's a link about how to use vinegar: http://www.doityourself.com/stry/floorcarpetcleaning

it also explains why shampoo is bad.

hope that helps.

[desi_lou_tattoo]

I second the vinegar! I use it for so many things.

Also try a cleaner called Winning Colours. I got it at Home Depot in the paint section. It is skin and colour safe. I used it to get paint off of my jeans. You can pretty much use it for anything.