The short answer is that you should not use vinegar for carpet cleaning. There is truth to the idea you can use vinegar as a natural disinfectant for cleaning but it cannot remove dirt or soil from a surface or from carpet.
Soak up any moisture from your carpet with a dehumidifier or several fans pointing downward. Once the area is dry, mix 2 cups of warm water with 1 cup of white vinegar, and spray the carpet. The powerful acidity in the vinegar will dislodge the odor-causing compounds and exterminate them.
Mix 2 cups of warm water with four tablespoons of vinegar. Spray the water and vinegar solution on the stain and leave to dissolve for 30 minutes. Use the piece of cloth to blot the area gently until the stain gets absorbed into the fabric. If the stain is a little bit tough, scrub gently.
To treat your carpet, mix white or apple cider vinegar with warm water in a ratio of one part vinegar to two parts water. Spray your carpet evenly and let it air dry. The strong smell of the vinegar will dissipate as it dries, taking the nasty odor with it.
Borax and baking soda are both excellent absorption agents. They will absorb the odors from your carpets, leaving them smelling fresh and clean.
There are many affordable, all-natural ingredients you can use to effectively eliminate odor. Three of my favorites are vinegar, vodka and baking soda. All three eliminate odors instead of merely covering them up with artificial fragrance.
'Leave a bowl of vinegar out overnight,' advises Saskia Gregson-Williams, cookbook author and founder of Naturally Sassy. 'In the morning, the vinegar will have absorbed all the unsavory smells and your kitchen will be as fresh as a daisy. '
'Avoid using vinegar on natural stones like granite and marble as the acid in the vinegar could not only dull the stone, but also cause spills to penetrate the surface of the stone leaving permanent stains and etching, since vinegar can easily damage any sealers applied to the stone surface,' explains Janice Stewart.
Sprinkle baking soda onto wet carpet areas, then let it dry for at least 24 hours. For tough stains, mix 1/4 cup of white vinegar with 2 cups water and pour onto the area before letting it dry for at least 24 hours. This will help remove odors and kill bacteria in your carpet. You may need to do this more than once.
You'll probably need to let it sit overnight, but the key is to wait until the vinegar has completely dried.
Not only does baking soda have some seriously formidable cleaning power in its own right, but it also does an excellent job of neutralizing odor—which makes it the perfect partner in crime for vinegar.
Rinsing is not necessary! If you're simply using a vinegar and water solution to wipe and disinfect, you won't need to rinse. However, if there's also plenty of dirt and grime you're wiping away, you may also want to rinse with some extra water.
To use white vinegar to deodorize a couch, pour white vinegar into a spray bottle and get to work on cushions and armrests! If you're concerned about the vinegar altering the upholstery, spray a small amount of white vinegar on your couch in a discrete location and wait overnight.
Deodorize the Room
To remove these musty smells, fill a dish with half an inch of white vinegar and leave it out in the room until the smell dissipates.
If you're worried that cleaning with vinegar will make your home smell like pickles, don't worry – the smell disappears pretty quickly, especially if you air out your space properly. Open windows and doors to encourage air flow. Once dry, you'll find that vinegar leaves a fresh scent.
After you finish cleaning a surface with vinegar, sprinkle a thin layer of baking soda over the area. Wait a few minutes for the baking soda to absorb the vinegar odor, then wipe it with a damp rag.
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So, keep the vinegar for use in your kitchen and bathroom, but don't let it get near your fabrics or rugs. “But what about those videos that shows vinegar removing stains?” you may ask. Trust us on this; the vinegar will not remove stains that are embedded in your carpet and may, in fact, harm your carpet fibers.