Homemade Kirby Shampoo mix I remember using.

This is just a recounting of the handful of times I used my Kirby G7 to shampoo. If you want to try the recipe, do so at your own risk of you, your Kriby, and your carpets.

A few years back my dad got me a Kirby G7 for my birthday off of Craigslist. It had all of the basic accessories that I think you would've gotten from a salesman, including the shampooer. However, the lady that sold us it forgot to include the bottle of Kirby shampoo that was shown in the pictures, so when I finally decided to use my shampooer, I looked online to see if anyone had tried making a homemade alternative to the Kirby stuff.

Sure enough, I came across a blog that showed the recipe for one. It consisted of water, white vinegar, rubbing alcohol, and liquid dish soap (though I don't remember ever using rubbing alcohol). For the dish soap, I used Green Apple Dawn soap.

I used the stuff with both the shampoo system and the sprayer. When I used it in the former, the stuff came out alright, not as foamy as normal Kirby Shampoo, but I preferred that. However, the stuff that was collected in the recovery tray was dirty water, almost as if it were a carpet extractor. I'm not entirely sure what to make of the results. I'm thinking it did a good job, but it was done in a round-a-bout way. I haven't used the shampooer in years, as the job of carpet cleaning has been transferred to my Steam Vac Dual V (All Terrain), mainly because I've heard the Kirby Shampoo systems can be damaging to carpets. Heck, I haven't used the G7 as much anymore since it's Tech-Drive pedal is broken off of it. Still, it did get stuff out of my carpets.

Has anyone ever followed this recipe or a similar one? Or what are your thoughts on it?

Here it is, BTW: threelittleferns.com/2012/12/hom...


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Post# 475367 1/31/2025 at 12:09 by AmtrakSebo1997 (Vacmasterthegreats basement)
Checkrate/Likes This is just a recounting of the handful of times I used my Kirby G7 to shampoo. If you want to try the recipe, do so at your own risk of you, your Kriby, and your carpets. A few years back my dad got me a Kirby G7 for my birthday off of Craigslist. It had all of the basic accessories that I think you would've gotten from a salesman, including the shampooer. However, the lady that sold us it forgot to include the bottle of Kirby shampoo that was shown in the pictures, so when I finally decided to use my shampooer, I looked online to see if anyone had tried making a homemade alternative to the Kirby stuff. Sure enough, I came across a blog that showed the recipe for one. It consisted of water, white vinegar, rubbing alcohol, and liquid dish soap (though I don't remember ever using rubbing alcohol). For the dish soap, I used Green Apple Dawn soap. I used the stuff with both the shampoo system and the sprayer. When I used it in the former, the stuff came out alright, not as foamy as normal Kirby Shampoo, but I preferred that. However, the stuff that was collected in the recovery tray was dirty water, almost as if it were a carpet extractor. I'm not entirely sure what to make of the results. I'm thinking it did a good job, but it was done in a round-a-bout way. I haven't used the shampooer in years, as the job of carpet cleaning has been transferred to my Steam Vac Dual V (All Terrain), mainly because I've heard the Kirby Shampoo systems can be damaging to carpets. Heck, I haven't used the G7 as much anymore since it's Tech-Drive pedal is broken off of it. Still, it did get stuff out of my carpets. Has anyone ever followed this recipe or a similar one? Or what are your thoughts on it? Here it is, BTW: threelittleferns.com/2012/12/hom...

Post# 475375 , Reply# 1 1/31/2025 at 20:29 by Blackheart (North Dakota)
Checkrate/Likes *Hmm.....* I don't like the idea of applying dish soap to carpet in any amount. It's something that's made to be rinsed away. I know Kirby soap will leave some residue but I think the vast majority of it would crystalize as that's what it's intended to do.

Post# 475392 , Reply# 2 2/2/2025 at 16:53 by Human (Pines of Carolina)
Checkrate/Likes I have several Kirby shampooers that I've never used and an unopened jug of shampoo. I offered to use one to shampoo the carpets at my church, and if they ever take me up on it, I might use the Kirby brand the first time, then switch to the home-brewed recipe. Reading the feedback on the Web site AmtrakSebo1997 gave the link for, it appears the homemade stuff works well, although some folk reported that it doesn't foam up as much. I suppose it could make a difference which brand of dish soap was used, as there is vast variation in formulations between brands. I would personally avoid those with hand lotion/moisturizers in them and stick to ones like Dawn or Ajax with stronger de-greasing properties. The concentrated formulations like Dawn Ultra would probably require a little less soap in the mix, while the cheap, watered down brands might require a touch more. The nice part is everyone can tweak the recipe to their liking.

Post# 475396 , Reply# 3 2/2/2025 at 18:59 by AmtrakSebo1997 (Vacmasterthegreats basement)
Checkrate/Likes *Human* I wouldn't recommend testing it on somebody else's carpet, in case it damages it. I just used it to shampoo my room, and not much outside of that.

Post# 475424 , Reply# 4 2/4/2025 at 10:19 by AmtrakSebo1997 (Vacmasterthegreats basement)
Checkrate/Likes *Blackheart* I would've thought that the mixture would've replicated the "crystalization" process, but I'm no chemist. I do remember it leaving the carpet a little sticky, but I did vacuum it once it was dry as per the directions.