If you are looking for a way to clean your carpets, and you have ammonia lying around the house, then it is possible that you may be tempted to use it. Is this a good idea? Does ammonia actually work as an effective cleaning agent? Or will the chance of harming your carpet fibers outweigh any potential benefit from using ammonia? Let's take a look at some pros and cons of using ammonia to clean carpets.
- Cleaning carpets with ammonia can be a good option if you are in an emergency situation and need your carpet clean ASAP. If this is the case, then it might not matter as much to you that there could be potential long term side effects of using ammonia on your carpet.
- Another pro would be that it's cheap! Ammonia is relatively inexpensive when compared to buying other cleaning agents for use on carpets such as vinegar or hydrogen peroxide. This makes sense though because these other home cleaners don't work nearly as well either (unless they are mixed together). Cleaning products containing ammonium chloride cost around six dollars per gallon versus three dollar gallons of vinegar at stores like Walmart or Home Depot.
- Cleaning carpets with ammonia will release toxic fumes which means that it should really only ever be used outdoors or somewhere well ventilated. This makes sense because what we're dealing with here is concentrated hydrochloric acid!
- Cleaning carpets with ammonia can easily ruin them over time due to the fact that it breaks down fibers overtime when left untreated after use (something any other cleaner wouldn't do). Cleaning carpets with ammonia, even if it's just as effective or more so than other cleaners in the short term, could lead to increased long-term costs due to having your carpet replaced more often.
- Cleaning carpets with ammonia might not be the best idea, but that doesn't mean you have to suffer through a dirty and smelly carpet. There are plenty of other (less harmful) ways to clean your carpets such as using products like Scoot Cleaner or Chem-Lab Carpet Cleaner from Walmart which can both be applied by machine in any room without lifting furniture and won't release toxic fumes into the air while cleaning.
- Another alternative would be wet vacuum cleaners for use on dry surfaces such as hardwood floors, tile, stone, linoleum flooring etc... this is more effective than traditional dust mops because it relies on water droplets rather than just cloth/dry dirt particles making contact with the ground.
- Cleaning carpets with ammonia might not be a good idea, but you can still use it to clean other things in your home like hardwood floors and kitchen cabinets as well! Ammonia is used in products such as Scrubbing Bubbles Cleaner or Mr Clean All Purpose Cleaner which both have useful applications for cleaning purposes outside of just carpeting.
Yes, we should be using ammonia to clean our carpets. The pros outweigh the cons by a significant margin because it is affordable, provides instant results when needed (especially if an emergency), and has multiple uses around the house that don't involve damaging furniture or decreasing quality over time.
I would say that there are better options out there. In terms of effectiveness alone (assuming you have time), either white distilled vinegar mixed with hydrogen peroxide OR baking soda will work wonders when used together on dirt stains without risking damage to your carpets over time like an ammonia based cleaner might. Don't risk ruining your carpets with ammonia if you can help it. Cleaning your carpets isn't a difficult chore to do, so don't make it any more so than necessary!
Harry Virk is the director of CleaningPro Auckland. He has years of experience in the cleaning industry and his company is expert at providing exceptional cleaning services in Auckland. He has a passion for helping people and making sure that their homes are clean, tidy, and ready for visitors.
