Drying time for Mustard’s clean carpets was the easy part, they were quite heavy when wet and difficult to hang.
Why is it that if furmily members (cats, dogs, whatever) have to pee, poop or puke in the house, they always head for the nearest carpet?
Just, why?
I’m presently having a bit of a challenge with my 115 pound Great Pyrenees Winston (who I couldn’t love more), peeing in the house once in a while, mostly during thunder and lightning storms. Night time is worse because when he sees the lightning flash, it freaks him out because he knows the thunder is soon to follow.
He doesn’t pee if I’m with him to comfort him, but if I’m asleep, or out, his nerves sometimes just get the better of him. I’ve been proud of him lately because there have actually been a couple of times he didn’t head for the carpet. That’s a good news/bad news thing, because one stormy night I awoke to hear him pacing up and down the hall, so I got up to comfort him, stepped into the dimly lit hallway (bare feet) right into a huge nerve spawned puddle of pee, the size of Lake Winnipeg. At least it was warm.
Poor Winston. He was so terrified. So I cleaned it all up and stayed awake with him. The problem is when he pees when I’m not around, usually on the carpet, and I don’t discover it ‘til it’s dried up. Thank goodness it’s generally on an area rug.
Pee on a rug is a lot like an iceberg. What you see on the surface is usually a lot smaller than you’ll find underneath. I do have the home carpet cleaning machines, which I use on the wall to wall stuff, and they work fine. But the area rugs present the opportunity to be much more thorough.
That’s because, I roll them up, and take them to the car wash! The outside stall is convenient, because I can spread the rugs out on my trailer, give them a really good cleaning, and rinse, then take them home and hang them over the fence to dry in the warm sun.
If there’s no outdoor stall at your nearest wand wash, just take them in and use the car mat clips to hold them up, and wash away. You may have to fold it in half if the carpet is fairly large. And should someone waiting to wash their car yell, “Hey, this is a CAR WASH!!!” just tell them “Laurie Mustard told me to do this, I’ll be out of here in no time.” I’m sure that will put a big smile on their face and they’ll be happy to wait as long as it takes. In other words, try and pick a time to go when the place is fairly quiet. That would be good.
Cautionary note. If the carpet you’re washing is thick and fairly large, it would be good to have someone with you to help lift it. You don’t want to have to ask the guy waiting for a stall to “give you a hand,” because you might not like what you get. Wet carpets can be extremely heavy. And if you don’t have a truck to put that big heavy soaked carpet in, you probably shouldn’t consider even attempting this.
And when you get home, if you don’t have someone to help you lift it on to the fence, you’ll probably end up leaving it in a pile beside the fence, which is when some big dog will come along and pee on it.
Even standing on my trailer beside the fence, I had a very challenging time hauling that wet carpet over the top.
You know what? Forget I ever suggested any of this. Just get someone to clean it in your home. Much more practical, and ultimately, probably cheaper. I do it, because I can, and because I’m a little crazy. Happy weekend gang!
Comments and column ideas welcome at lmustard1948@gmail.com
