carpet cleaning without using 'wet' hoovers?

[beanie35]

My carpets have some mud staining in 'traffic' areas of the house. I have tried using hot water to which I have added some washing powder and scrubbing with a small brush, but although it makes the carpet smell nice, it doesn't get rid of tough stains. Do I really need to hire a steam cleaner? Dp and I out of work at the moment so money is very tight, any suggestions or alternatives?

If it's not too big an area, then perhaps try Vanish Carpet Foam... it isn't cheap, about £4.50 a can, but it seems to go pretty far, and it's great for stains. I think I'll get 2 cleans of my rug from the can I bought, and the rug is a good 2m x 3m...

Have you googled carpet stain removal? There may be a home remedy somewhere? Always worth a look!