Yesterday, I was going to clean grout using a mixture I found on Pinterest. Here is the link:
Cleaning Grout
I sorta knew it wasn't going to work after I mixed it. Seems to me grout cleaner should be thicker. It really didn't do anything on the grout, maybe a little, but I still had to scrub it with a brush. Not what I wanted. I wanted instant spray on wipe off. Is that possible?
Now, what was I going to do with all the "grout cleaner" I had mixed up?
I decided to tackle a long awaited chore, cleaning carpet stains. We have quite a few. For many years, we had a wonderful dog, a black lab. We lost her this year. She was old, and couldn't walk anymore; we had to say goodbye. I miss her so much. But I don't miss the dog hair or the carpet stains. Her name was Baby, and she was allergic to fleas. Early on, she became an inside dog. A LARGE inside dog, who loved to roll in dirt every time you let her out and would do so every time unless you kept her on a short leash. We could never find her leash. Get the picture?
On top of heavy traffic area stains, and some spots where she loved to sit, we had some isolated carpet stains throughout the house. I have no idea what this one is, except that it probably involved body fluids. Ew!
I was going to use another solution from my pinterest cleaning board, but I did not have any clear dish soap in the house. I figured the "grout cleaner" should be safe on carpet, and it wasn't as if I could make it worse. I put the solution in a spray bottle, sprayed it on lightly, and used a scrub brush to work it in.
It looked pretty hopeful. It started disappearing right away. But, not all of it. And then when it dried, I could still see some staining. Not bad, but not gone.
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| Still Wet |
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| When almost dry |
Now what? Well, I wondered if I had any of the STUFF I normally use on carpet stains. It is something my husband picked up at an auto parts store, intended for use on car interiors. I sprayed the foam on, let it sit for a few seconds, and then wiped it with a damp cloth, per instructions.
It worked! When it dried completely, I couldn't see the stain. Here's the proof:
Now, what was I going to do with all the other, homemade cleaner? I had some other stains, some that looked more man-made. Literally. I'm pretty sure my husband walked in the house with grease or something on the bottom of his work boots because these little spots were in a few places on our bedroom carpet. Yes, I said were. The homemade solution worked well on those stains!
My conclusion?
If you have carpet stains and do not have or want to use commercial carpet cleaner, the homemade solution works pretty well on some stains. Worth trying if you have the ingredients on hand. I would cut the "recipe" in half so that you don't have too much on hand.
Tuff Stuff works really well on carpet stains. I think it is easier to use and I like the smell. You can get it in the auto dept of many stores or in most auto parts stores. In either case, test on a small spot first, to be sure it doesn't harm your carpet.
Now, I'm off to clean my Tuesday house. I may take the "grout cleaner" with me. Maybe I can find another use for it.....
I wholeheartedly agree about always giving homemade solutions a try! For one, they’re most often mild cleaners; which when do not work, wouldn’t destroy the carpet. You can just forget that you used it. Haha! On a good note, they work most of the time. You just have to know how to properly apply it. Before I forget, congrats on removing the stain! It seems so deep-seated and almost part of the carpet.
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