Cleaning
Natalie Francisco
Have you ever had a tough stain on your carpet that just won’t come out? Maybe you spilled red wine or last night’s dinner, and no matter what you do, that smear is still on your carpet. Of course, everyone would love to steam clean the stain away, but not everyone owns or can afford to rent one. A hack to steam clean that spot with ordinary household items is to use your clothing iron and distilled white vinegar.
Trust us, the iron and vinegar will clean up tough stains like a steam cleaner. But how can these two combined tools do this? The iron will produce steam that opens the carpet fibers’ pores, releasing the stain, Better Homes & Gardens explains. Then the vinegar comes into play. The versatile household product acts as an addition to removing the stain since vinegar is acetic acid, making it a good stain remover, Laundryheap says. This solution is also often used as a natural alternative to the harsh chemicals in household cleaners. Using vinegar and an iron creates the perfect stain remover.
Steam clean with an iron and vinegar
Switlana Sonyashna/Shutterstock
To use this steam cleaning method, you will need an iron, distilled white vinegar, water, and a cloth. Best Life recommends mixing the vinegar with water in a 1 to 3 ratio. First, you will pour or spray some of this vinegar and water solution over the stain like you would with any other household cleanser. Then, you need to cover the smear with a wet cloth; if it’s not wet, the next step will burn the fabric instead of steaming out the smudge. After your iron has heated up, press it into the cloth for about 30 seconds.
If this process didn’t completely get rid of the stain after the first 30 seconds, add more of the vinegar solution and press the iron over the cloth in 30-second intervals until the stain has been removed. Keep this method at hand whenever you spill something around the house as it will clean even the toughest of blemishes out of your carpet or other fabrics.
