DIY Carpet Cleaner - How to Use Baking Soda and Vinegar

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Baking soda and vinegar work wonders for cleaning almost anything – and carpet is no exception! Whether you’re dealing with stubborn stains, unpleasant smells, or have an area rug that needs some freshening up, these natural ingredients not only work, but they’re also safe for pets, kids, and your carpet. Making your own DIY carpet cleaner using baking soda and vinegar is an effective method that’s cheap, simple, and avoids having harmful chemicals in your home.

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The way our home is laid out, you have to walk across the carpet to get to the bathroom or bedroom. Between a blue collar husband who’s often wearing dirty boots, little kids who are constantly running in and outside, and multiple potty training accidents for said children, our carpet gets, well – well loved!

Fresh, clean carpets and area rugs have a way of making the whole house feel clean. Still, using harsh chemicals is not worth it to me. Not only can they leave an underlying reside, but I’m also not excited about having my babies rolling and crawling around on them…

Thankfully, baking soda and vinegar offer a natural way to keep carpet fibers clean and fresh as well as removing tough carpet stains. They’re effective and inexpensive. Double win!

Why Use a DIY Carpet Cleaner?

Here are 4 reasons why I like using DIY carpet cleaner instead of using store bought cleaners:

No harsh chemicals. Commercial cleaners are made of some tough properties! The chemicals in most carpet cleaners you’ll find at the grocery store can cause everything from respiratory problems, allergic reactions, and skin irritations to potential neurological effects (like headaches and dizziness) and possibly even cancer, liver damage, or kidney damage. Butoxyethanol, naphthalene, and perchloroethylene are common substances used in carpet cleaners that tend to pose significant health risks.
It’s inexpensive. The cost of a store-bought cleaning solution can add up – especially if you’re using it often! Baking soda and vinegar are incredibly inexpensive.
Doesn’t cause buildup on your carpets. Many carpet cleaning soaps and detergents can leave a buildup or underlying residue on your carpets – especially if you use too much. If they’re not thoroughly cleaned and dried, soapy detergents can also leave too much moisture on your carpets that can lead to mold.
It works! From removing tough stains to getting rid of a lingering odor to freshening up your rugs, baking soda and vinegar are natural products that work!

Why Does Baking Soda Work?

Baking soda (or sodium bicarbonate), works for a few reasons. Not only is it a gentle abrasive (great for loosening dirt and debris!), but it’s also highly absorbent, has deodorizing properties, and is an alkaline substance. Since most stains are acidic, the alkaline in baking soda helps to neutralize the acids and dissolve stains.

Baking soda is an amazing multi-purpose ingredient that we use all over our house for all sorts of cleaning! We’ve seen it work wonders on awful cigarette smoke smells in our previous rental house, remove deep stains in clothing, and absorb lingering, stubborn odors in used vehicles.

(Our homemade stain remover for clothing is our go-to method for getting deep stains out of clothes – starring baking soda!)

Why Does Vinegar Work?

The acid in vinegar is excellent at breaking down stains and foul smells – yet not so strong that it damages fibers. It’s a natural disinfectant that can both destroy bacteria and remove odors. A small amount of vinegar can go a long way!

You can honestly use vinegar to clean all sorts of things in your home. From helping to disinfect counters, fruits, and vegetables to cleaning mirrors and eliminating hard water stains, this natural cleaner has many uses around the home!

Important: Use white vinegar for cleaning carpets – not apple cider vinegar or any other kind.

How to Clean Your Carpets With Baking Soda and Vinegar

Cleaning your carpets with baking soda and vinegar is pretty easy! You can choose to either use both ingredients or just the vinegar. Vinegar is great for removing odors. (We always keep a spray bottle of vinegar and water within reach during potty training sessions!)

Although these ingredients are safe for most types of carpets, it’s not a bad idea to spot test them in an inconspicuous area first. Some highly absorbent and delicate fibers, such as wool or silk, may not do as well with these cleaners.

What You’ll Need

Here are a few supplies you may need:

Vacuum
Spray bottle
White vinegar
Baking soda
(Optional) Essential oils – for areas with extra bad smells, such as lingering pet urine

The Vinegar-Only Method

The vinegar-only method is actually my go-to for most situations in our house. And it’s super easy! Using vinegar only is ideal for spot cleaning and taking care of odors.

For this method, simply use a spray bottle to make a vinegar solution of one part vinegar to three parts plain water. You can make as much as you want and keep it handy for whenever you need it!

For spot cleaning, urine, or other bad smells, simply spritz the solution on the affected area. Then, use a moist, clean cloth and some elbow grease to scrub the area.

Although you may notice a vinegar smell for an hour or two after cleaning, I’ve never had it linger for much longer than that.

How to Use Baking Soda and Vinegar

For tougher problem spots, larger areas, or stubborn carpet stains (think blood stains, coffee, wine, dirt and mud, and tough grease stains), the power of baking soda mixed with a little vinegar is an effective way to clean and freshen up your carpets and rugs! Using this method, you can give your carpet a good cleaning in just a few simple steps.

The first step is to vacuum the area thoroughly to remove dirt and debris.
Next, sprinkle a generous amount of dry baking soda over the stained area. Use your fingers or a scrub brush to work it into the carpet fibers.
After that, mix equal parts of white vinegar and warm water in a spray bottle and spray it over the baking soda solution. You might notice some fizzing – this is your carpet cleaner working to lift the stains!
Let the mixture sit for at least 30-60 minutes. For best results, and if you have time, you can let it sit for a few hours to really let it work into those stubborn spots.
Then, just vacuum up the dry baking soda. You’re done!

More Cleaning Hacks

We love using DIY cleaners to keep harsh chemicals out of our home, make cleaning safe around the kids, and to save money! Baking soda and vinegar are powerful tools that are cheap, simple, and effective for cleaning problem areas and freshening things up.

Here are some more DIY recipes and cleaning hacks that we find give better results than store-bought products.