Make Homemade Carpet Shampoo For Carpet Cleaner Machine With Laundry Detergent

by Rick

Have you ever considering making homemade carpet shampoo for your carpet cleaning machine using laundry detergent?

It is something a lot of people do. For example, a reader, Rick, shared with me the following:

Rick says:

I was doing a google search for possible homemade recipes to use in my steam cleaner.

I was amazed to read how many people use laundry soap in their cleaners.

I have been doing that for the past couple of years.

I always use the HE formula as it doesnt suds like regular soap will and I have an HE washer.

Taylor says:

Thanks for sharing this tip Rick.

You're right, that this is a common use for laundry detergent. A couple of other SR101 readers have shared similar tips with me.

For example, here's a reader who uses Cheer detergent for this purpose, and in addition another reader uses Gain detergent.

The question really is whether this is OK for your carpet, and your machine? After all, both are quite expensive items in your home, and should be properly cared for.

To a certain extent detergent is detergent, and it will equally clean one type of fiber, carpet, as well as clothes.

However, you do need to consider the additional things added to laundry soap, such as optical brighteners and enzymes when making a decision of whether you'll use this on your carpet.

I don't inherently think there's anything wrong with using laundry detergent for this purpose, but if you're concerned always test in an inconspicuous area first because this is not a normal use for this type of product.

In addition, I definitely like Rick's suggestion of using HE detergent since it doesn't suds as much. I think this is important for making sure your machine is not harmed for excessive sudsing.

If you're looking for a carpet cleaning machine make sure to check out these home carpet cleaners reviews here on the site to find one that fits your home's needs and budget.

Do you use laundry detergent for shampooing your carpets? If so, I'd love to hear what type of detergent you use, how much you add to your machine, and any other tips and tricks you've learned from using this product in this way.

You can also share your homemade carpet cleaning solution recipes here or read others that have already been submitted.

Related Links At Stain Removal 101

Lots Of Homemade Cleaners Recipes From Readers

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Go From Homemade Carpet Shampoo Recipe To Stain Removal 101