Cleaning Spit up from Carpeting

[genevieve]

My son spits up all the time. I am constantly scubbing my carpeting to clean it. I also have 2 cats who throw up. Between all 3 of them, I am considering purchasing the small portable Bissell carpet cleaner. I'm just wondering if it would be worth the money or would I be throwing away $100. I really don't want to spend more than $100 on this. I realize these machines are best for spot removal and do not replace professional carpet cleaning. I just need something for in between professional cleanings.

[ct]

I have the small handheld Bissell carpet cleaner (Dustbuster size) and while it worked okay for a year or so, the batteries on it don't recharge well anymore so I can only get it to work for a couple minutes or so (and it won't work plugged in). And of course the batteries aren't replaceable. Essentially I need to toss it in the garbage - I would not recommend getting one that is rechargeable - plug in only. It did work pretty good until the batteries died. Have you tried using Spot Shot? It is a spray foam type carpet cleaner and it works miracles - just spray it on, wait a few seconds and scrub the spot. I have 2 off-white area rugs that would be just wasted upon without it. They sell Spot Shot at most stores - even at Sam's Club - blue bottle with orange cap. I have a 2yo and 2 cats so I know about cleaning up messes too :)!! HTH and best of luck to you...

ct

[egoldber]

I also have 2 cats that are "spitters". We bought a small-ish Bissell carpet cleaner a few years ago (not a portable one, looks like a small professional cleaning machine) and I wouldn't really recommend it. It works OK, but I have found that it isn't really necessary to get stains out. It has come in handy a couple times when we had a water leak and had to "vaccum" large quantities of water out of our carpets!!!!

The best thing I have found is to use plain, warm water. Apply it to the stain and then blot it by stepping on the stain with a clean towel. Repeat over and over again! I somtimes have to do this 10 or 20 times, but it usually works. Carpet really shouldn't be scrubbed because that can damage the fibers. For exceptionally stubborn stains, Oxyclean usually does the trick for me.

Here's a link to an excellent guide for cleaning stains out of carpet. http://www.fabriclink.com/carpet/carpetstain.html

HTH,

[mama2be]

I second the oxy clean and don't know how I could live without it. We have 2 cats three dogs...when we go vacation our dogs get revenge on us and pee on the carpet or if they have upset tummies poop on the carpet accdiently. I use a scrub brush and scrub hard (I have a plastic bucket just for the occasions where I store the brush and mix my potion).

I then take a white old towel put it in hot water and drain out as much water as I can and place it on where the stain was and step on it and let it sit you can see the stain come up. Recently (and I posted this under lounge) I found a de-smeller that doesn't mask any smells it actually eliminates them. I got it at Sams and it is called ODOBAN...

[twins r fun]

We have a Bissell PowerLifter. It is not small/portable, but it gets the stains up great! The problem I see with it is that it's a big event to clean the carpet-not just a quick job. We have carpet in the dining room where the babies eat and we use it frequently in there and it pulls the stains right up. We also have 3 cats and it works on their messes, too. My dad bought ours so I don't know what the best price is, but here's a link for one for $99.00. Like I said, not quick, but effective.

www.productsforhome.com/vacuumstyle.htm#pdc

Nicole

[mamahill]

THANK YOU for that link! What a great resource - it is now in my bookmarks. I have 2 cats too and a drooling, spitting baby who likes to roll off her blanket and onto the carpet to drop her juices. Add to that a clumsy me who just spilled candle wax on her carpet... no wonder dh wishes we had hardwood... Anyway, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! Any other helpful household links would be great (ie natural cleaning rememdies, etc.). Thanks!

[Zansu]

We have four cats (three males, one with urinary tract problems), a recent sewer backup, and a five month old. My best home remedy is white vinegar.

For cat yack (an all-inclusive category for everything that comes out of the mouth), "accidents" (cats never do anything accidentally), and critter cleanup (e.g. lizard bits), I wipe up the mess, and then sponge the area with vinegar. My mom always diluted it with water, but I just use it straight. I like to make sure the carpet is well-dampened, and then use a clean cloth to blot up any excess liquid. It also works on all doggy messes too.

The vinegar gets rid of the smell and the stain. You can also use it to remove the mildew smell on laundry that sat in the washer too long, on scortched shirts, and to get the hem crease out of pants that have been let down. On the last two, you soak the garment in vinegar, wring it out, then iron. Smelly, but effective.

I buy it by the gallon at Costco.

HTH
Suzanne

[nitaghei]

I have the Bissell Little Green - it was about $60 at Target. I use Simple Solution carpet cleaner in it - and it's great for cleaning up small messes. Mostly one of my dogs - she used to throw up a lot - until her problem was diagnosed. We have a light grey berber - and I've had pretty good luck getting stains out - mostly dog vomit (sorry - but that's the truth).
Simple Solution is an enzymatic cleaner - available through most of the pet catalogs - Foster & Smith, J.B. Wholesale, Omaha Vaccine etc. I think I got it from New England Serum Co - they just changed their name to PetEdge.

I love my little Bissell! It's a lot easier than scrubbing the carpet. But I prefer using Simple Solution cleaner to the Bissell stuff!

Nita

[genevieve]

Thanks for all the advice. I never really thought about the OxyClean. My girlfriend recommended it for baby laundry (I add a scoop to every load.) I'm going to try it this evening on the spots. It's a little bit more work than using a portable carpet cleaner but cheaper!

I'll let everyone know how it works!

Genevieve

[mama2be]

In all honesty it does not take too much time, my nuckles at times hurt from being close to the carpet with the brush......just the scrubbing part, but I don't do it much...again I do put the towel down after which if you use a white one does actually "pick up" the stain.

Good luck!!!

[genevieve]

I used the Oxyclean. It did such a great job that I had to go back the next evening and do the area around one of the stains. I had a clean spot and it looked dirty around it. I think the Oxyclean did a better job than the steam cleaner I rented a couple of months ago!

Thanks!

Michelle