What Detergent Should I Use With a Steam Cleaner?

Laundry Detergent

• Use the laundry detergent you already have in your home instead of purchasing a separate cleaner for your steam cleaner. Fill your water tank to the fill line and then add a teaspoon of laundry detergent for every quart of water used. Use the steam as you normally would, and add more detergent and fresh water if needed to complete the job.

White Vinegar

• If you want to steam clean as well as sanitize, you can use hot water and white vinegar in your steam cleaner. Fill your water tank to the fill line with hot water and then add a cup of white vinegar to the tank. Use the steam cleaner as you normally would. When using vinegar, it is best to run the machine over the area slowly to give the vinegar enough time to get into the carpet. If needed, add more water and vinegar to the tank. The odor of vinegar may last a few hours to a day after you run the machine, depending on how much was used.

Soap Flakes

• If you want to steam clean your carpet and also give it a scent that will last a while, you can use soap flakes and a scented essential oil in your steam cleaner. When using soap flakes, you need to dissolve the fakes first by pouring 3 1/2 cups of water in a saucepan and heat it to boiling. Pour approximately 1/3 of a cup of soap flakes into the boiling water and stir until dissolved. Once the soap is dissolved, let it cool and then add six drops of the essential oil, as well as 2 teaspoons of washing soda. Stir until it's all mixed in and then add the solution to your machine's water tank. With this mixture, there is no need to add any extra water to the tank.

Considerations

• When using any type of cleaner for the first time, regardless of whether it's a commercial cleaner or one you are mixing yourself, you should test the cleaner on a small out-of-the-way section of the carpet to test for colorfastness. If the color of your carpet bleeds even the tiniest bit, you should not use the cleaner on your carpet. When testing, wait approximately 24 hours before deciding if the cleaner is safe for your carpet.