That’s the carpet stains, not the kids, in case you were planning on reporting me to the NSPCC. I love and adore my children. I love and adore my dog. I also love and adore the DH. But between us all- between the muddy shoes and the spilled beer and the potty training and the dog’s protest poos- our carpets get awfully stained. Once upon a time we had a Bissell Carpet Cleaner, which did an awesome job until someone broke it because he couldn’t wait for me to finish breastfeeding our baby.
So now I try and keep the inherited gold-coloured carpet in our sitting room as clean as possible before calling in our local carpet cleaning firm once every few months. And it was clearly an expensive carpet because it looks so spotless, people always think it’s new. In the interim, I have taken to laying down a large double quilted bedspread to cover the bulk of the floor whilst the children are around. It’s like a giant rug, but at least I can put it in the wash.
That’s not always enough, sadly, since the dog is very good at exploiting even the smallest patch of floor and wiping her muddy paws on it. And you can never control where the spills are going to go. Nor can you control small children. Which is how I found myself cleaning pink highlighter pen from the (also) gold wallpaper a few days ago. Whilst my back was turned dealing with this issue, the Dimpled Assassin did what she does very well and created a second child-mess on the sitting room carpet. The unprotected bit.
Naturally, after some under-breath-cursing, a change of clothes and a polite reminder that wees go in the loo, I soaked up the excess fluid from the carpet but, with one things and another, didn’t get around to dealing with the stain properly until it had dried. I have a vague recollection of the Carpet Man telling me that if I got a mark on the carpet, I should dilute some laundry detergent in a bowl of lukewarm water and use that to clean the stain. But all it gave me was a wet carpet.
So next I trusted pink. We are fans of pink in this house, which is not the real reason we buy Vanish, but for moments such as this. Dilute it in warm water, much the same as the detergent, scrub the stain and leave to dry. Vacuum thoroughly and can you see anything? I couldn’t. They have a host of stain removal tips on their website if you have a tricky stain issue.
I subsequently found some super carpet cleaning tips on Pinterest that I plan on trying out too, like this Magic Carpet Cleaner technique that Lizzie recommends:
1. Scrape up the liquid.2. Sprinkle baking soda or cornstarch on stain to let absorb for 10 minutes and then vacuum.3. Mix one tablespoon clear dishwashing liquid and one tablespoon white vinegar with two cups of warm water.4. Using a cloth, sponge the stain with the detergent/vinegar solution and blot until all the liquid is absorbed.5. Sponge off with cold water and blot dry.
Have you seen my Domestic Goddessery Board on Pinterest? It’s choc-full of ideas and solutions for home and garden.
*disclosure: I own the Vanish cleaner and did not receive remuneration for writing this post. Just in case you were wondering.*
Go on! You know you want to tell me what you think!