This is one of my very favorite cleaning tips! Once you try this, you will never use anything else.
I have always heard that cleaning your carpet using traditional carpet shampoo is a recipe for endless carpet cleaning. Apparently, when you clean using shampoo, the residue re-attracts dirt. The cycle seems depressing and hopeless. This is the "trick" for ending the cycle!
Three years ago when we moved into our home we were faced with a dilemma; the prior owners were smokers. Everything smelled like smoke! We painted and got new window treatments, but our real dilemma was over the carpet. The carpet wasn't very old and it was in pretty good condition, but there is no way we could live with the smokey smell. It was then that I discovered carpet cleaning using vinegar. I rented a cleaning machine from the grocery store and used vinegar in it exactly the same way I would use shampoo. I was amazed by the results. Our house has never had any lingering smoke smell and it took all of the spots out of the carpet.
With four kids, a dog and extremely light carpeting I find it necessary to clean my carpets at least once a year. I now use my own small steam cleaner (thrift store find.) For particularly difficult spots, I fill a spray bottle with vinegar and pre-treat the area, then follow with the steam cleaner using undiluted vinegar in the shampoo receptacle. I have not found any spots that couldn't be removed.
This method does cause my home to temporarily smell like pickles. To make the smell tolerable I try to choose a warm, sunny day to do the cleaning and leave windows and doors open. As soon as the carpet is dry there is no residual vinegar smell.
Besides being completely safe for my children, pets and the environment, the best part of this method is that it does not cause my carpet to re-attract new dirt like a magnet... and cheap, you can't get any cheaper than the plain ol' white vinegar that is already in your pantry!
