Homemade Spot Cleaner

Anyone who knows me knows that I am an animal lover and I always have a menagerie roaming about in my house.
With one dog, two cats, and a toddler, my carpet gets disturbingly mungy.
The best commercial carpet cleaner I have found is Woolite's Oxy Deep. However the smell of that cleaner bothers my husband's sensitive smell.

On my neverending quest to find frugal and natural alternatives I've found my own homemade carpet cleaner and has been tested and approved by me!
This recipe comes courtesy of Karen Logan in her book Clean House, Clean Planet.


Go Spot Go Stain Remover

Ingredients: Liquid dishwwashing detergent (not soap). I use Ivory.
Glycerine (found it at the craft store in the cake decorating section).
Water

Be sure to use a clear, not colored, liquid dishwashing detergent.

What Else You'll Need: a 16-oz squirt or spray bottle.

How to Make: Mix 1/4 cup liquid detergent with 1/4 cup glycerine and 1.5 cups of water. Pour into a squirt or spray-bottle.

How to Use: This "wet spotter" is especially good for ballpoint ink, marker, newsprint, coffee, tea, juice, jams, bbq sauce, and mustard as well as those nasty carpet spills.
Glycerine has natural stain removing qualities: it makes that stain so slippery that it just has to rinse out. With tougher stains, you won't always get all of the stain out, but with a little bit of knuckle rubbing you'll get at least 50% of it out. You can use this on upholstery as well. Be forewarned: this formula can take a lot of rinsing to get out, so don't squirt on too much. A little goes a long way. Do not use handwashing liquid soap for this recipe because it can set sugar and fruit stains. Use a regular liquid hand-dishwashing detergent such as the kind at your kitchen sink.

Commercial Brand (Shout) vs. Go Spot Go (22-oz. spot remover): $2.67 vs. $1.62.
Using about 1/4 cup liquid detergent will cost you 14 cents; 1/4 cup glycerin, about $1.48. You'll save $1.05 each time you refill the bottle!