Homemade Dry Carpet Cleaner

A simple, natural, and non toxic DIY homemade Dry Carpet Cleaner to lift stains, deodorize, and kill built up bacteria. Learn how to clean your carpets naturally.

I’m a big fan of shampooing carpets. It’s always amazing to see the difference after a good deep clean. But carpet shampooing is a CHORE, man.

Moving furniture, allowing drying time. It’s a lot to do.

With little kids, we especially don’t have time to do this process often, with furniture out of sorts and floors that can’t be walked on.

I save the deep shampooing for maybe once a year, or to spot clean some really bad spots that just won’t come out.

For weekly cleaning, I use a dry carpet cleaner that works phenomenally.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase, but you will not be charged a penny extra! And mama, I never recommend products I don’t love or believe in.

The powerful, natural, carpet cleaning ingredients

Baking Soda

Baking soda is a great all natural deodorizer that can also lift stains and tackle mold and mildew.

Salt

Sea salt lifts stains and adds some grit to clean your carpets

Cinnamon & Cloves

These work to deodorize and freshen carpets to get rid of that dirty carpet smell, while also providing an antibacterial element to your cleaning.

It’s good to note here that you’ll want to try a little on a small square of light colored carpet to test. Since they’re both brown, they might leave some discoloratioon.

I’ve never had an issue, but it can depend on your vaccuum and the type of material. I have an alternative to these below, so hang in there!

Ingredients for your simple carpet cleaner

• 2 cups baking soda
• ½ cup sea salt
• 2 tsp ground cloves
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

Alternately, you could use essential oils in place of the ground spices.

Just add 15 drops each of cinnamon and clove essential oil, or 30 drops of your preferred essenital oil.

Lemon, lavender, orange, and peppermint are all powerful essential oils that will do a great job getting rid of icky smells and bacteria.

How to make your dry carpet cleaner

1. Add baking soda and then salt to a shaker. A reused parmesan container works great for this!
   
2. If using essential oils instead of spices, add the oils into the salt. The salt absorbs the oils and helps them disperse throughout the cleaner.
   
3. If using the spices, you can add them whenever.
   
4. Shake the container (after tightly capping it, of course) until all of the power cleaners are mixed thoroughly.
   

To use your new homemade dry carpet cleaner

• First you’ll want to vacuum the area thoroughly, going in all directions to pick up as much dirt as possible.
  
• After vacuuming, you’ll sprinkle a thin layer over the carpet.
  
• Next you’ll take a broom and sweep it all around, grinding it into the carpet. You’ll also want to sweep it in various directions to really work it in.
  
• Note: You can let your kids have a dance party on it, if you want to be a fun mom 😉 (have them wear masks if you’re concerned about them breathing in the fine baking soda dust).
  
• Vacuum the area thoroughly after the baking soda has sat for 15 minutes. You can leave this in the carpet for multiple hours, as well. I like to leave it in overnight for a through cleaning every few months.

To spot clean

This homemade dry carpet cleaner can work great when you need to spot clean for various stains, like red wine and ketchup (because adults and kids live here, right?).

After you blot the wet area as much as possible with a dry cloth, rinse the spot with a mixture of water and dish soap (1 tsp soap to 1 cup water). Blot it with a dry cloth to get it as dry as possible. Then sprinkle a small amount of this dry carpet cleaner over the damp area. Let it sit for at least ten minutes and then work it into the carpet. Allow to completely dry and then vacuum the area.

Getting blood stains out of carpet

A few years ago I had an experience where I stubbed my toe when I was going in to nurse my son early in the morning. As I stood up after nursing him, I noticed blood around the chair. Apparently I really stubbed my toe, causing a nice gash. We were renting our home at the time, and the carpet was cream colored.

Cue panic.

After researching what to do, I found the saving-grace tip that worked.

Hydrogen peroxide, mama.

It doesn’t work quite as well on old blood stains, but if you catch it fairly quickly, hydrogen peroxide is what to use!

SO if you are dealing with blood stains on your carpet, instead of reaching for the dry carpet cleaner first, grab a bottle of 3% hydrogen peroxide and poor a little bit over the spot.

It should fizz and bubble. As it does, blot with a dry cloth or paper towel. Repeat this process until the blood is all lifted. Then go in with a light sprinkle of the dry carpet cleaner, rubbing it into the spot, and leave it until the spot is completely dry.

Then vacuum the area thouroughly.

Note: If you have dark carpets, be wary of this. Hydrogen peroxide is a mild bleach, so you might want to seek a different method for blood stains.

Do you have pets in your home?

If so, you can add ½ cup to 1 cup of this awesome, amazing, all natural stuff! It will kill any little critters, like fleas or ticks, by working through their outer layer and, essentially, drying them out.

I seriously love it.

If you buy a bag, it’s extremely versatile and multipurpose, making it totally worth it. I should get this as housewarming gifts for all of my friends, now that I think about it.

Here are some other uses for it:

1. To deter ants and other insects by lining window sills and outer perimeter of house with it
2. In homemade face masks and scrubs as an exfoliator
3. In a DIY toothpaste or tooth powder if you’re sensitive to baking soda

Some people even add a spoonful to water or juice and drink it to help get rid of candida and worms…but definitely do more research on this before doing it!

And that’s it! Easy, right? Clean & fresh carpets, here we come!

Here are nine more DIY cleaners that are actually effective (and cheap!) Head over to this post for these easy DIY recipes.

Comment below with any questions you have or any stain-busting methods you use!

Kids come with all kinds of stain-making abilities. I’d love to hear your stories!