Underlays

Cleaning my carpets. Can I add bleach to my steam cleaner if my carpets are tan?

I have heard that bleach won't turn your carpets white. Is this true? Will it ruin my carpet? Is it true that vinegar gets the dog smell out of your carpets? Thanks for your feedback!

Public Comments

1. only if you use bleach with color guard... i'd strongly reccoment sticking to the steam cleaning formula though... mixxing chemicals can be very dangerous. vinegar masks the dog smell with the horrid smell of vinegar...
2. It all depends on the material of your carpet some will go white some won't.Try a corner and see what happens perhaps you have a spare piece of carpet.Vinegar is good and there are so many products on the market Rug doctor Vax etc
3. Vinegar gets the dog smell out (or you could bathe your dogs regularly). The vinegar smell dissipates once the carpets are dry. After a few hours you won't smell it. I would never use chlorine bleach on anything, let alone a carpet. It might just perhaps be okay for the carpet itself, but there is the carpet pad and the subfloor, which are probably not chlorine-safe. I would also not want any pets or humans to be in constant contact with a carpet that had been doused in chlorine bleach.
4. I would use color safe bleach. and dilute it very very well. i have used diluted lemon fresh pine-sol in my carpet cleaner when we had a dog. it wasnt a piney smell, but lemmony fresh! and it discenfects and smells good!
5. Not a good idea! For one thing it will discolor the carpet, and I wouldn't mix bleach with the detergent for the cleaner. I have found that hoover makes a real good cleaner, it is for pets but it seems to work best.
6. I wouldnt use bleach on my carpets. It could discolor the carpet, and the fumes could make people sick. I use vinegar in my steam cleaner(no detergents!) this cleans the floor and gets smells out-including cat urine! Soaps leave a residue that actually attracts dirt! Vinegar doesnt discolor the carpet(mines burgundy) And the smell is minimal and goes away once the carpet dries.
7. I have tan carpet and have definitely put bleach in my hoover steam machine, but use caution. Try it in an area that is covered by furniture. Not only does it do a great job for cleaning, but it disenfects as well