See that? That’s how much I believe in my method. I actually, intentionally, poured wine all over my carpet. The things I do for this site!
So lets say this was an accidental spill. Red wine. Muddy tracks. Or . . . pet pee. First – and quickly – you’ll need to grab your rags and your vinegar spray bottle. Every green-cleaning household should have these on hand! Rags can easily be made out of an old towel or tee shirt. You can always recycle an old spray bottle, perhaps leftover from your ‘chemical’ cleaning days. Fill it with a 1:1 solution of vinegar and water.
1) Lay the rag down over the spill and using either your finger tips or the heel of your hand, blot the spill. DO NOT rub it in! Press *down* and let the rag soak up the spill. Rotate the rag so that a dry area covers the spill, and repeat. Like this:
2) Continue blotting until you’ve soaked up as much of the liquid as you can.
3) Take your vinegar and spray the area – liberally. Get it good and wet. Then let it sit for maybe 5-10 minutes.
4) Now you just need to soak it all up. The blot method will work again here, but you can scrub it if you want. Scrubbing can be pretty satisfying, ya know??
Your stain should be removed, though you may not be able to tell with the carpet still damp. Don’t worry – just check back on it the next day.
Now, if you’re concerned about odor (like with puppy piddle), the next day you can sprinkle the DRY spot – and only once it’s dry – with baking soda. Rub it in, let it hang out for a few hours, and then vacuum it out.
BONZAI!
Melisa
February 9, 2010
Augh! Perfectly good wine, wasted! (;
Thanx for the tip!
Kate
February 10, 2010
For pet urine, I dump Borax on it – pulls it right out of the carpet!!
jenni s-g
February 10, 2010
I’ve even used this method on old stains and it works pretty well. One thing to note for already-set-stains is that it may take some time (this won’t be the quicker-picker-upper method), but I’ve cleaned up mystery dark spots on my unfortunately beigeish carpet (oh, the dream of hardwood) with liberal vinegar and much blotting.
Shiloh
February 10, 2010
Hydrogen peroxide will completely remove wine and blood stains, also.
Sayward
February 10, 2010
Thanks for all the tips everyone! I’m glad I’m not the only one out there with a green carpet cleaning method. I’ll have to try all of these!
@ Melisa – Ha! That’s exactly what my husband said. =)
Kaye
February 11, 2010
Though I hope my pup doesn’t have an accident, she probably will at some point or another. :p I’ll have to try this sometime soon.
Sarah
February 12, 2010
@Shiloh Hydrogen peroxide can also bleach stuff, so be careful on fabrics and whatnot. I used that on my diapers for a bit when my son had a bad infection in a fun area. They got brighter and disinfected 
I have a question about keeping vinegar in the plastic spray bottle. I’ve had bad luck with spray bottles-the vinegar tends to eat straight through the rubber… gasket? on the sprayer. These are professional grade too since I’ve long run out of recyclable sprayer bottles. So, it’s useless in a matter of months.
I also keep some in an old wine bottle with a pour spout, but sometimes I need to spray. Any way to prevent this or a certain bottle people have had good luck with?
Also, vinegar is the perfect antidote to the smell of kitty pee-even on playsilks… Eww!
Sayward
February 14, 2010
@ Lily – You’re welcome!
@ Kaye – Aw yep, it happens. My poor 4 year old pooch just had one today!
@ Sarah – Hmm, I’ve never had that problem but I’ve only been keeping my vinegar in the spray bottle for a little under a year. I don’t really know what to tell you, except that I’ll have to research that. And I’ll definitely keep an eye on my own bottles,s o thanks for the heads up!
ann
June 14, 2010
You said: “sprinkle the DRY spot – and only once it’s dry – with baking soda”
Just wondering why the dryness is so important? I’ve cleaned a few kitty barf marks with baking soda AND vinegar (Gasp, wet!) with good results. (I let the fizzing happen, then blot, then vacuum later.)
But now I’m nervous that I did something terribly wrong! Not ‘end of the world’ terribly wrong, but still…I am curious. thanks!
Sayward
June 14, 2010
@ ann – It’s because some liquids (like red wine!) can react poorly with the bs/vinegar and leave a discolored mark (like green!) In this recipe, the baking soda is only acting as a deodorizer, once the mess is clean and dried.
But no worries, if you haven’t had a reaction you haven’t done anything ‘wrong’! Just something to be aware of in the future.
11 Comments to Natural 'Homemade' Carpet Cleaner: Stain Removing Method