Hello, Dearest…
My baby boy turned three on a recent Sunday afternoon, and I was feeling a bit poignant about his graduation from baby to big boy. After all, once he is officially no longer a baby – that’s it. He is the younger of my two children, and we are blessed {and done} at one girl and one boy. Truett has recently experienced several milestones: pull-ups instead of diapers {it’s about time!}, a twin sized bed instead of his crib, and a definite desire to ‘do it himself’ as he grows more independent. I’m so proud of his progress, but I’m not ready to let my baby grow up too much.
Sometimes reminders that they are still little, after all, come in unexpected packages. Make that messy packages that make you wrinkle your nose and sigh in frustration. My reminder – a “thanks for everything mom” delivered three years to the day after my son’s birth – was an entire set of cream-carpeted stairs smeared with toddler poop. Yuck! I guess he’s not quite ready to grow up, after all.
In case you’ve ever suffered a reminder of this nature {or you have a pizza-stealing dog like mine} here is my recipe for removing #2 stains from your carpet – cream colored or otherwise.
Removing Poo from Carpet:
- Scrape solid material from the carpet using a metal paint scraper. For convenience, designate a “yuck” broom pan to wipe scrapings into. Laying a damp paper towel in the pan helps catch drips.
- Spray the affected area(s) with a laundry pretreatment containing the word “Oxi”. Let sit 5-10 minutes. Any brand will work.
- Using metal paint scraper, work the stained carpet into a lather. Scrape up as much of the liquid as possible, depositing into pan.
- Mix a container (any pourable cup) of hot water white vinegar and pour onto each stain, covering the stain. Immediately sprinkle the affected area with baking soda. This will work to further loosen the stain and to deodorize it.
- If you have a steam cleaner or spot bot, this is the time to bring it out. If not, allow the vinegar/baking soda spot to dry completely (24-48 hours) then vacuum the spot and repeat above steps as necessary.
Precautionary measures include putting leftover pizza away immediately after a meal to avoid doggie mayhem and duct taping the pull up to your wayward child. If you figure out a foolproof way to keep icky kid (or dog) substances at bay, pass it along! We moms need all the help we can get.
What is your favorite quick cleaning tip? Share it in the comments!
