Out Damn Spot!

I have kids. Two of them. And though we have rules about food and drink in the living room, they aren't always followed.  Sometimes Cheerios get eaten while sitting on the couch, or a cup containing something other than water (namely milk) drips on the carpet and never gets wiped up. We've lived in our house for a little more than two years now and our carpets show every minute of it. Initially, I was excited to have carpet. Our previous home had pine floors throughout and the thought of squishy, delicious carpet between my toes seemed luxurious after all that cold, hard wood. 

But oh, how I'm whistling a new tune. I pine (no pun intended) for hardwood floors again. A floor where milk, juice, pee, vomit and a variety of other fluids could be easily wiped up without a trace.But instead, I have spots. Little bitty, here and there, unexplained little spots. What I need is a steamer but I don't have one, nor do I have the cash to rent one. Plus, most steamers and carpet cleaning companies use harsh chemicals to get your carpets sparkling clean. Hardwood floors are not in the budget so it is I who will have to wage war on all those damned spots, eco-friendly cleaning solution in hand. Here is the recipe I used:


You will need...


-Water
-Baking Soda
-White Vinegar
-Bucket
-Scrub Brush
-Headband (to keep your hair out of your face while you scrub like there's no tomorrow)

Fill bucket with one half gallon of water. Add one half cup of vinegar. Add one quarter cup baking soda. Mix it around with your hand until it makes a goopy paste that you can spread on your carpets. Get your scrub brush and dip it into the solution. Attack those pesky spots. If you're feeling extra plucky, you can scrub your entire carpet with the paste but I didn't because really, who has time to scrub 1200 square feet of carpet with a scrub brush? I just hunt and pecked for spots. Allow the solution to dry and then vacuum. 

Though certainly more labor intensive than just spraying with carpet spray from the store, it worked just as well. The hardest part was keeping the kids fingers out of the paste while it dried. And yes, the house smelled vinegary while the concoction dried on the carpet but as soon as it did, there was no smell whatsoever. And best of all, a large majority of those little mystery spots are gone! Of course I found some later, after I had already finished, but I'll wait to scrub them until they grow in numbers and threaten to overtake the living room. Anyone know where I can get sustainable hardwood floors at a killer price? No? I guess it's just me and my scrub brush...