Combine 2 cups of warm water with 2 cups of white vinegar in a bowl, and (slowly!) add 4 tablespoons of baking soda. Once you've stirred it all up, pour it into a spray bottle, and apply the mixture to the stained area. Let it sit for 5 minutes, and blot the spot with a clean, damp rag.
While some websites sing the praises of vinegar as an all-purpose cleanser, it simply shouldn't be used on carpet. Here's why … Vinegar is great for countertops, but it's one of the least effective solutions out there for removing dirt from carpet fibers.
For a homemade carpet stain remover, stir 1 teaspoon of mild dishwashing liquid into 1 quart of warm water, add ¼ teaspoon of white vinegar, and apply to the carpet stain. No matter which carpet cleaner you use, take care not to over-wet the stain, which can damage the backing. Let sit for 10 minutes.
If you choose to use vinegar and baking soda to remove old stains from your carpet, you'll want to mix about a half cup of each into about a gallon of water for large stains. For smaller stains, you should be able to simply spot clean using these chemicals without a need to mix them.
Some of the most effective household cleaners aren't meant to be mixed. You probably already know never to combine harsh chemicals like bleach and ammonia (or really, bleach and anything). But common pantry essentials that are often used for cleaning — like baking soda and vinegar — shouldn't be mixed either.
Yeah, white vinegar is also used for brightening clothes, bleaching and reducing stains, losing soap buildup, deodorizing, preventing colors from fading, cleaning washing machines, and softening fabrics. Indeed, a lot it does! What else do you need? Just pour some vinegar, rinse, and wash off the clothing, and voila!
Since it's a neutraliser, there is no need to worry about a stain. However, baking soda can leave behind a film of white dust that will need to be vacuumed up.
For synthetic carpets: Mix ¼ teaspoon of a translucent liquid dishwashing detergent, such as Dawn or Joy, into one cup of lukewarm water. For natural fiber carpets: Mix one teaspoon of translucent liquid dishwashing detergent, such as Dawn or Joy, into 1 cup of lukewarm water.
To remove stains with vinegar via pre-treating, you can dilute the vinegar with water (vinegar 1:3 Water) or soak in undiluted vinegar and allow garments to soak between 15-30 mins or even overnight depending on the stubbornness of the stain.
White Vinegar
To remove carpet stains with vinegar, blend one part distilled white vinegar with two parts water in a spray bottle. Use the spray to remove pet urine and rust stains. After absorbing any moisture with a clean white cloth, lightly spray the stained area with the vinegar mixture.
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.
Sponge the stain with club soda or a cloth dipped in warm sudsy water. If possible, prevent soaking the carpet. If a stain remains, add a few drops of ammonia to clear water. Sponge into the stain and blot, using great care with wool, as it is sensitive to ammonia.
White vinegar is key to removing yellow underarm perspiration stains and odor, removing mildew stains, whitening and brightening your clothes. Just adding 1 cup of distilled white vinegar to the final rinse will leave clothes feeling soft and smelling fresh.
Soak for 15 minutes in mixture of one quart lukewarm water, one-half teaspoon liquid hand dishwashing detergent and one tablespoon white vinegar. Rinse. Sponge with rubbing alcohol, using light motions from center to edge of stain. Soak for 30 minutes in one quart warm water with one tablespoon enzyme presoak products.
Which natural detergent comes out on top? Well, that would depend on its intended use. For instance, vinegar is potent at fighting mold while baking soda is great at fighting wine and coffee stains. The former is a better disinfectant but the latter is a phenomenal deodorizer.
Leave the mixture to rest for one hour, giving ample time for the vinegar to react with the baking soda, thus softening the stain. Gently scrub the stained area with the scrubbing brush and wipe off the mixture with a dry cloth piece. Vacuum the area to remove any baking soda and vinegar residue.
For cleaning the machine: You can use either baking soda or vinegar to clean your washing machine, but using both will give you a one-two punch, Maker says: “Do the baking soda first, as the baking soda will help to scrub, then the vinegar will melt away any excess debris and help to deodorize.” First, pour a cup of ...
Pour baking soda into the drain (about half a cup), followed by one cup of white vinegar. Cover the drain and let it sit for 30 minutes. After waiting, boil a kettle of water and dump all of the boiling water down the drain to flush out the loosened clog.
For those times when you need a little more stain fighting power, add baking soda to dish washing liquid, white vinegar, and warm water. Mix the ingredients in a spray bottle and you're ready to go.
Try Baking Soda + Vinegar
Sprinkle a layer of dry baking soda on the stain. Then, mix a cup of white vinegar with a cup of water and a few drops of dish soap in a spray bottle. The vinegar will foam when it hits the baking soda which will clean the stain. Leave it to sit for a few hours.
Certain types of fibers, such as wool, cotton, silk, and some nylons are particularly susceptible to permanent staining from coffee, tea, wine, etc. Be aware of hot liquids, especially. Of course, bleach and household chemicals (see below) can cause permanent staining as well.
A component of any type of vinegar is a mild acetic acid. It is this acid in vinegar that helps to remove detergent build-up and keep clothes looking bright and feeling soft. However, if the acid is left on fabric—especially dark fabric with unstable dyes—bleaching can occur.