There can be a fine line between manually spot-cleaning and shampooing your carpet without a machine. Ultimately, manual shampooing will recreate the full process of applying the (often diluted) product and then extracting it. While machines often use suction to extract water, if you’re doing it on your own, then you can mimic the process by misting water or your diluted solution directly onto carpets, and laying down absorbent towels and standing on them to soak up water, according to Pleshek. His advice is consistent with the directions on the label for the Puracy Professional Carpet Cleaner Machine Detergent for applying products by hand, with the exception of using a saturated towel to apply and agitate the shampoo. Ultimately, the larger space you’re tackling, the more labor-intensive this can be (and the more towels you’ll need), so we recommend some careful planning and lots of patience if you pursue this method. Consider trying it out with an area rug or small section of your floor before committing to an entire room.