I have a cleaning company and am about to start doing carpet cleaning, Im trying to find a inexpensive solution.. that works well..Vinegar or Ammonia?
Clear club soda works fairly well for spot cleaning on carpets. Club soda is simply carbon dioxide infused under pressure into water. It works in two ways: CO2 in water forms a mild carbolic acid which has an oxidizing effect on many stains; the bubbles go into the carpet fibers and help lift dirt to the surface where you can get it by blotting or with a strong shop vacuum. You can buy club soda anywhere or make it yourself with a soda maker. Lately, I've also been using a solution of Oxyclean for some yellow stains. Of course for greasy stains, a solution of dish detergent used with a fingernail brush works great. (Dish detergent is formulated specifically to capture and hold grease.) I use a solution of vinegar for cleaning piano keys, windows and mirrors but have not found it useful on carpets. Good luck with your new business.
If you came to clean my carpets with ammonia, I'd run you out of town!!!! Use the recommended cleaning solution for the machine you have and stop trying to rip off your prospective customers.
The only time that I would use vinegar on a carpet is to spot clean a stain like coffee, cola, or chocolate. You mix 1 part vinegar and 2 parts water. Sponge it on, and then keep blotting it with clean cloths until it's gone.
Also, be aware that mixing certain substances can be deadly. Mustard gas, which can severely damage the respiratory system, even kill, is created by the mixing of two commonly used chemicals. Sorry to say this, but I find it somewhat odd that you are running a cleaning company with no basic household knowledge of chemistry. Perhaps this is an age thing, because I know that any woman over 50, who has raised a family and kept a house, would know the positives, negatives and dangers of using substances like vinegar and ammonia.
Ammonia will destroy carpet. Vinegar will do nothing to clean it. This is not about the best cheap cleaning product, it is about professional equipment. If you can't drop $1500 on an entry level dual motor extractor, you have no business doing carpet, because you aren't really cleaning it.
