How to Deep Clean Carpet on Stairs without a Machine?

Clean carpeted stairs provide an instant cozy look to your home. Along with dirt accumulation, your children and pets also cause a mess on your stairs. That’s why deep cleaning your carpeted stairs is necessary besides regular vacuuming. This guide will teach you how to deep clean your carpets on stairs without a machine. So, if you don’t have a vacuum cleaner, you can clean your carpeted stairs with the following methods. 

Methods to Deep Clean Carpet on Stairs

1. Diluted Vinegar

If you cannot afford to buy a commercial carpet cleaner, you can use the traditional means of cleaning carpets. Vinegar is one of the oldest ingredients to use for fabric spot cleaning. Hence, you can use diluted vinegar to clean your carpeted stairs. You can clean carpets on your stairs within a few minutes by following easy steps. 

• Take a half-filled bucket of water and add ¼ cup of white vinegar. 
• Dip a scrub brush into the bucket solution and use it to scrub every step of your stairs. Ensure that the cleaning solution goes deep into the carpet fabric. With circular, vertical, and conical strokes, thoroughly clean every step. 
• After reaching the stair’s bottom, discard the bucket of solution. Take fresh and clean water into the bucket. 
• Take a dry towel, soak it in the clean water bucket and use it to wipe down the carpeted stairs steps. Wring out the towel tightly after drying a few stair steps. For quick-dry, turn on the fan. 

To enhance the cleaning efficiency, you can add 1 teaspoon of table salt to the vinegar and water solution. It helps remove stubborn stains from the carpet on your stairs. Besides this, you can also add a few drops of essential oil for scent. The essential oil will make your carpeted stairs smell fresh. 

2. Baking Soda Solution

Baking soda is a famous household ingredient used in many cleaning products. It is an economical option to opt for your stairs carpet cleaning. You can deep clean the carpet on the stairs with baking soda even without any vacuum. Please follow the given steps for a good cleaning of your carpeted stairs. 

• Take a spray bottle and half fill it with warm water. Add ¼ cup of baking soda to the bottle. Do not use baking soda more than the recommended quantity; otherwise, you will have to vacuum your stairs afterward.
• Now sprinkle this solution on entire stairs by starting from the top. Let the solution leave for 2-3 hours at least so that it can absorb unpleasant smells and dirt from the carpet. 
• You don’t have to vacuum baking soda because we recommend adding only ¼ cup of it that is easily dissolvable in water. Use a dry towel or cloth to clean the stairs after the baking soda solution gets dry. 
• If you see any stains on the stairs, you can sprinkle baking soda powder over them. Let it leave for a few minutes, then clean it with a damp cloth. Repeat the process if needed. 

To increase the cleaning efficiency, you can combine baking soda with white vinegar. This powerful solution mixture can remove stubborn stains from your carpeted stairs within few minutes.

3. Laundry Detergent

Laundry detergents are not only suitable for clothes, but they are also effective against carpet stains. Moreover, laundry detergent is readily available and economical to clean carpets on stairs. The below-mentioned method is one of the easiest methods to clean your carpeted stairs with laundry detergent. 

• Take a bucket, and half fill it with warm water. Add ¼ cup of liquid detergent to the bucket. Do not add more liquid detergent than the recommended amount, as it can make your carpeted stairs soapy. 
• Now take a soft scrub brush and dip it into the detergent solution. Start cleaning the stairs with this brush from top to bottom. Use circular strokes to remove dry, stubborn stains from the carpet. These strokes will also help eliminate debris from the stair corners. 
• After reaching the last step, discard the bucket solution. Add clean and cold water to your bucket. 
• Take a dry towel and dip it into the clean water bucket. Start cleaning the stair steps from top to bottom. It helps wipe the detergent solution from the carpet. Repeat this step to wipe off the detergent solution completely from the stairs if needed. 

This process doesn’t require vacuuming, but if you add excessive laundry detergent to your water bucket, you may need to vacuum the stairs. 

Best Homemade Carpet Cleaners

If you don’t have a commercial carpet cleaner, you can use your homemade cleaner to remove stains on the carpet. You can easily make effective homemade cleaner in two different ways.

Vinegar, Salt, and Essential Oil Solution: To make a strong and effective homemade cleaner, you will require one part of vinegar and two parts of water. Add one teaspoon of table salt into the vinegar solution. Add a few drops of essential oil to give a beautiful fragrance to the cleaning solution. Agitate the whole solution and add it into a spray bottle to mist over carpets. 

Baking Soda and Vinegar: Baking soda and vinegar are two powerful homemade cleaning agents. Add one cup of vinegar to a cup of water. Also, add one tablespoon of baking soda to this solution. Mix it well before adding it to the spray bottle. Spray this solution on the stained carpets in your home to clean them perfectly. 

How to Clean Carpet without Rug Doctor?

Rug doctor cleaning machines and solutions provide instant and effective cleaning to carpets. But if you don’t want to use rug doctor products, you can choose alternative methods to clean your rug. Following tips and methods will help you clean your carpet without any professional help at home. 

• Take one part of white vinegar and three parts of water into a bucket. Mix it well. Dip a scrub brush into this solution and rub it over the rug. Your scrub brush’s circular motion helps remove the stubborn stains from the carpet. Take a clean cloth or towel to blot up the access moisture. 
• You can also use laundry detergent to clean your carpets. Add warm water and one tablespoon of liquid laundry detergent to a spray bottle. Mix it well and spray on carpet stains. Let it leave for a few minutes, and blot the excess moisture with a dry towel or cloth. 

Final Words

Although vacuuming is best for regular carpet cleaning, it may not be effective against stubborn carpet stains. To clean your carpeted stairs without a machine, you can opt for various homemade cleaners and laundry detergents. Try not to use an excess of any ingredient as it may ruin your carpet or become hard to wipe off. 

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What does baking soda and vinegar solution do on carpet stains?

Baking soda is a powerful alkaline that has fantastic cleaning properties. It produces carbon dioxide gas when combined with vinegar. So, the oxidative gases produced after mixing baking soda and vinegar are highly effective against carpet stains. These gases remove stains from carpets and other fabric in a few minutes. 

2. How to keep the carpet on the stairs clean?

In regular cleaning, you must use a stiff broom first to loosen up the dirt accumulated on your carpeted stairs. After using a broom on the stairs, use a vacuum cleaner to remove dirt or debris. If you want to clean your carpeted stairs deep, you can spray laundry detergent and water solution on the stairs after vacuuming. After cleaning, blot up the excess moisture from the carpet with a dry paper towel or rag. 

3. How often should you clean your stairs carpet?

Regular vacuuming of carpets on your stairs helps maintain the cleanliness of your home. Besides this, deep cleaning of carpeted stairs depends on the activities in your house and the foot traffic on your stairs. It is recommended to deep clean your stairs carpet after every three months.