As people try to stretch their budgets further and further, they are looking for new ways to save money.
One thing that you can do is to try to limit the use of or find substitutes for household cleaning agents.
Keeping your carpets clean I s very important because a dirty carpet can be a nesting ground for dust mites, molds, mildews, and bacteria.
This can be a very big problem for family members who suffer from allergies, if you have small children with compromised immune systems, or if you have pets who live their lives on your carpets.
That is why it is better to try to find less expensive substitutes for carpet shampoo rather than cut back on your cleaning efforts.
Some of the biggest carpet shampoo expenses are in the stain removal products.
Many household products and home remedies remove even the toughest stains.
For example, a past made of hydrogen peroxide and baking soda is the perfect concoction for removing stains and offensive odors caused by urine.
Baking soda is an odor neutralizer and hydrogen peroxide will kill any odor causing bacteria.
Blood stains can be difficult, but I have found that hydrogen peroxide works well.
You need to be careful when using harsh chemicals like hydrogen peroxide, because they could damage or bleach your carpet.
You always want to test these homemade recipes on a small inconspicuous part of the carpet first to make sure there are no ill effects.
Other common household products that you can use to fight stains are club soda and isopropyl alcohol, which is particularly good for removing ink stains.
Remember to always blot and not scrub.
The scrubbing can actually have the opposite effect than what you want.
It might drive the stain deeper into the carpet.
My favorite carpet shampoo recipe is a solution of vinegar, water, and dish detergent.
You want to add the vinegar and water in equal parts and then add about one tablespoon of dish detergent for every tow gallons of solution.
The small amount of detergent will give your shampoo just enough foaming action.
If the carpet shampoo machine you use is particularly sensitive to foaming you might want to cut back on this ingredient.
The first time I heard the recipe I said I would never use it because I did not want my entire house smelling like vinegar.
My friends assured me that it would not be a problem and sure enough, by the time my carpet was dry you could not tell that vinegar was used.
This carpet cleaner costs almost one tenth of what a comparable amount of brand name carpet shampoo would cost.
You can save some real money by substituting your store bought carpet shampoo with a homemade carpet shampoo.