One Hundred Dollars a Month

Now that the holidays are over and the kids are headed back to school, I think it is time to whip out my steam cleaner {THIS is the one I have} and give the carpets a once over.  I needed to wait until everyone would be out of the house long enough to let the carpets dry before they walk on them.  We had a busy holiday season, and I’m a little scared to see what the ol’ steam cleaner pulls up.

If you’re in the same boat, here’s a couple of quick tips for getting the most gunk out of the carpet with the least amount of effort:

1. If possible, try to clean the carpets on a warmish day.  Super humid or cold days make drying time exponentially longer.
2. Vacuum first.  Get all of the loose dirt, pet hair, dead skin {ew!} up with a regular old vacuum cleaner, that way, your steam cleaner can actually clean instead of grind the dirt in further.
3. Treat stubborn stains.  A steam cleaner is not magic, but it’s pretty close.  Treating tough stains prior to starting the process will loosen the grime, so when you swipe over the spot, it’s ready to relent.

My Favorite DIY Carpet Cleaner Recipe:

1/4 cup Fabuloso Cleaner
1 scoop Oxiclean {approx. 1 tablespoon}
1 teaspoon Snuggle Fabric Softener
1 teaspoon Dawn Dish Soap
Hot water

Directions

In a 1 gallon {or larger} bucket, mix together the Fabuloso Cleaner, Oxyclean and the Downy Fabric Softener. Add in 1 cup hot water and still until the Oxyclean is dissolved.

Pour mixture into a 1 gallon sized jug and fill 2/3rd of the way full with water. Add Dawn Dish Soap then finish filling your gallon jug to the top with water.

When it’s time to clean your carpets, simply add about 1/4 cup of the concentrated carpet cleaner mix to your hot water tank before filling up with water.

Happy Cleaning,

~ Mavis