So here’s how to remove those ugly and annoyingly stubborn blood stains.

First off, you will remove a blood stain based on where it is. Blue jeans require a different cleaning method than jewelry, for example. So let’s take on the most common victims of pesky blood stains and discover how to make them spotless.

What about fabric? Well, there are so many different kinds of fabric out there! Since a lot of clothes are made of nylon, cotton, and polyester, let’s talk about how to remove blood stains from those types of materials. If a blood stain hasn’t set in much, you can wash the clothes with cold water and usually that will do the trick. However, if this doesn’t work, you still have options. You can soak the blood-stained fabric in liquid laundry detergent, warm water, and ammonia. Then you can scrape or brush off the blood and lightly blot it with a cloth. After the stain disappears, rinse the fabric with water.

For items made of vinyl and most copper and gold jewelry, you can simply apply sudsy water to the blood stain and you’re good to go. Note, however, that silver should be washed with warm water – not cold water.

As well, many materials don’t require very intensive work to get a blood stain out. For concrete, sandstone, marble, brick, and granite floors, for instance, only a sponge soaked in cold water is necessary. For marble, if cold water doesn’t work, you can add powdered detergent to the mix. Same goes for sandstone, concrete, brick and granite – except typically liquid detergent is better in these cases.

Carpets are a lot more challenging than those smoother, rockier surfaces. You’re going to have to rely on some more sophisticated products to remove a blood stain from a carpet. But you might want to mix the carpet stain solution with some detergent as well (in addition to water, of course). It’s crucial that you only gently blot the stain; if you are too aggressive, you’ll only rub the blood more deeply into the carpet, rather than remove it. If you still are looking at that blood stain after all this effort, you might have to turn to ammonia. Use a cloth to gently rub the ammonia and water onto the surface. Let the carpet dry on its own.

(Unlike with many stains that don’t survive when attacked by vinegar, ammonia is more of the standard go-to cleaner for blood stains.)

Leather and suede materials are especially unique when it comes to stains, and blood stains are no exception. They must be handled carefully. Mix some water with the suds from a mild soap (like Dove), and lightly apply it to the stain. Make sure you don’t spread the stain! After this, you can apply some leather conditioner to the area.

If you have a blood stain on wallpaper, you need to try to remove it as quickly as possible. Because once blood gets comfortable on such material, it will stay there for ever. Again, use a cloth dipped in cold water to battle the stain. Make sure the cloth isn’t soaking wet, however, as water can carry the stain to other parts of the wallpaper. After you’ve softly rubbed the stain with the cloth, get a drier cloth to help it dry. You will actually use this same method for wood! However, wood should be exposed to water for less time than the wallpaper.

An additional tip that you might find useful is that peroxide apparently can get rid of an especially irksome blood stain. But considering that peroxide has powerful chemicals, you’ll want to research it before you go around attacking stains with it left and right!

The basic rule of thumb for a blood stain, or any stain for that matter, is to deal with it right away. You may like to put chores off, but when it comes to this, you can’t afford to procrastinate. We all will endure cuts and bruises in our lifetime, but we don’t have to have permanent reminders of it on our clothes, furniture, floors, and walls. And it’s not likely your guests will want to have reminders either!

So hopefully this article has enlightened you about how to clean blood stains and you can make sure that when the color red pops up in your house, it is part of a planned color scheme and not an unplanned accident.

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It’s not so simple, though. You can’t just throw the mattress in the washer or even wash it off in the backyard with a hose. Well, I suppose that you could, but a hose and a bucket of soap are not the most effective cleaning methods, nor are they the best for your mattress.

Proper Mattress Cleaning Methods

By now, you’re probably regretting not buying one of those airtight mattress wraps that keep just about everything from living in your mattress. Don’t fret. The good news is that when you are through giving your mattress the cleaning of its life (even if it’s brand new from the store), you can then go back and wrap it to keep it sanitized and free from life’s little accidents and side effects.

There are numerous mattress cleaning products on the market. However, discerning the good from the bad—and the totally worthless—takes more than just a willingness to read the back of the package. Remember that products are also a form of advertising, so their recommendations might be a little slanted. You should be cleaning your mattress once every three to four months under normal circumstances; more often if there are frequent spills, pets, or accidents. Cleaning a spot on a mattress is not the same as cleaning the entire mattress.

Start by choosing a product that you feel comfortable with. Steam cleaning is a great and thorough method for cleaning a mattress; however, not everyone is comfortable with the idea. Dry powders generally do not penetrate the mattress fibers well enough to do anything more than leave a pleasant aroma behind. There are numerous detergents that mix well into a solution that will allow you to thoroughly clean the mattress. Many people are perfectly happy with diluting their regular laundry detergent with about 5 cups of water for their cleaning needs. This is the cheapest and often the most effective method.

Once you have chosen your cleaning weapon of choice, you will want to attack your mattress vigorously with a vacuum cleaner. Suck up as much dust and debris as possible with the appropriate attachment before moving on to the next step. It’s recommended that you attack all four sides of the mattress.

After that, you can either scrub the mattress with a mild solution of detergent or steam clean it (my number one pick). Either way, you will want to approach the cleaning process methodically to ensure you clean the entire mattress evenly. Do not saturate the mattress, as you are simply trying to use minimal moisture to attack the remaining “ook” that lingers in a well-used bed. Creating a sopping wet mattress will only invite mildew, mold, and a strange, wet mattress smell that isn’t too far from the scent of a wet dog.

Stains from inevitable accidents—whether from a dog, child, or other sources—are a much harder beast to tackle once they’ve been left to sit for a while. As soon as the incident has been discovered, the mattress should be cleaned thoroughly. Initially, a wet stain shouldn’t absorb any more fluid. Use a few cloths or paper towels to remove as much moisture as possible from the area. This might take a while, but a little patience here can really pay off in the long run. Once you’re sure you’ve soaked up the moisture, scrubbing with the same solution of detergent and water should be enough to lift the stain. A little lemon juice can help with aroma issues and color problems. If at all possible, the mattress should spend some time sunbathing, as the sun’s intense rays can have a bleaching effect on stains.

Never, ever put a bed back together while the mattress is still wet. Regardless of the detergent or solution that you used, a wet mattress is still a wet mattress. Why go through the hassle of cleaning it only to encourage mold growth? Putting even a slightly damp mattress into a mattress bag will only lock in that growth, creating a haven for it to fester. This would completely defeat your efforts. Even if it means camping out on the couch, the mattress should always be given sufficient time and space to dry thoroughly before returning it to its proper location and purpose.

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Five Steps to How to Clean Pen from a Leather Couch

1. First of all, as with most stains, the longer it sits the worse it gets. This means that you should act as quickly as you notice the stain in order to make your job easier.
2. Next up is blotting the stain. Remember that when you are ‘blotting’ you aren’t rubbing it into the leather (or any fabric for that matter) but are instead using a clean, dry cloth to firmly press down on the stain. With an ink stain on leather, you may want to try using a cotton ball. Just be sure not to wipe it in further.
3. Once you have blotted all you can get off, you should get a clean cloth and moisten it just a little. Use soft circular movements to see how much of the stain you can lift. Circular motions will help you to avoid making marks in the leather that you will not be able to remove.
4. If the stain is still there, use saddle soap. There are also other types of cleaners that you can use available in almost any drug store. Just make sure to read the label. You might even want to contact the manufacturer or look at the label on the bottom of the couch to see if a cleaning product is recommended. If you don’t have any leather stain removal products handy, mild shampoo and some water may just do the trick.
5. Let the stain dry. Facilitate the drying process by blotting again with a clean and dry cloth. Let it sit for a few hours so you can see what type of damage is left. There might not be anything. If the ink pen that made the stain dug into the grains of leather, there may be a permanent mark left that any amount of stain fighting won’t get out.

Learning how to remove ink pen from a leather couch brings up another point. Many consumers think that since they are buying leather, the sofa cannot or doesn’t need to be treated by the manufacturer with a scotch guard or stain protectant. Nothing is further from the truth. Before you bring your leather sofa home, ask the manufacturer to pre treat the sofa. They can also use products that will make the leather more supple, reducing the amount of time it takes to break in.

If the stain is not coming out, or has been left by a permanent magic marker, you may want to contact a professional cleaning company or the manufacturer directly to see if there is anything that they can recommend. Often they will see solvents. It is important, if possible, to know exactly what kind of ink made the stain.

When it comes to removing stains, there are of course timeless, tried, and tested home remedies as well. One is to slice a tomato in half and blot the ink stain with the inner side of the tomato. The acid in the tomato is supposed to help break down the chemicals in the ink, making it easier to remove. You can also use milk, following the same steps as above. Remember however, if your leather sofa is light in color, that using a tomato or any solvent that is dark in nature – may cause a stain to the leather bigger than the ink itself. Whether you use milk or tomato, the stain area needs to be blotted dry afterwards.

Also, in order to not ruin your leather furniture, NEVER use products that are sandy or granular in nature – even if they dissolve in water, to remove ink (or anything else) from leather furniture. The scouring nature of these products can leave permanent divots in the leather and weaken the hide making it more prone to tearing.

When you know how to treat stains, even something that seems as terrible as ink on a leather sofa – there is virtually no need to worry. Remember that furniture is meant to be lived on, and that sometimes – especially when you have children, accidents happen. At least with the leather, 9 out of 10 times, you can rest assured that the damage is not permanent. Plus, it’s the battle scars in your house that make it a home!

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How to Effectively Remove Cat Urine Stains

Removing the stain with household cleaning products is ineffective. Uric acid contains crystals and salts that are reactivated by moisture, whether when cleaning or during humid conditions. Ammonia-based products are the worst to use, as they contain ammonia, which is also found in the urine. These cleaners can actually attract the cat back to the spot instead of deterring them.

Enzyme cleaners are the only effective way to treat urine stains and odors, as they break down the crystals and bacteria.

The damage caused by cat urine will depend on several factors such as the cat’s age, diet, and sex. The first step is to clean up as much of the fresh urine as possible. Use a paper towel or white rag to absorb the liquid, pressing firmly for thirty seconds rather than rubbing. Repeat until the area is dry. Then rinse the spot with cool or room temperature water. Follow up with your choice of cleaning methods, such as:

• Baking Soda: Sprinkle over the affected area and rub it in. Let it dry, then vacuum the excess powder. This method works well on surface odors but doesn’t deeply penetrate.
• White Vinegar: Mix ½ cup white vinegar with 1 quart of warm water and sprinkle over the stain. Cover with towels and apply weight to apply pressure. After a few hours, remove towels and brush the area to raise the carpet nap.
• Hydrogen Peroxide: Spray a 3% hydrogen peroxide solution on the area, then blot with a clean, white cloth until dry. A pet odor neutralizer may be needed to fully remove the stain.

Unfortunately, it’s not always easy to predict where your cat will urinate. Cats can sometimes urinate on hardwood floors or upholstery, so here’s how to handle those situations:

• Hardwood Floors: Blot the puddle with paper towels, then wash the area with white vinegar. Blot dry and apply a commercial pet odor neutralizer.
• Upholstery: Blot the stain with a clean towel, then apply a solvent in a circular motion. Dry with a cool hairdryer.

Commercial pet odor and stain removers are effective if used properly, as they break down the enzymes. Consult your local veterinarian or pet supply store for product recommendations.

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First off, what is a stainless steel appliance? Despite its misleading title, stainless appliances – basically, objects made of stainless steel – are some of the most difficult to keep clean. Something made of stainless steel has a lot more chromium (at least 10 percent more) than its peers, and thus won’t rust or fall prey to various chemicals. While these items are not as vulnerable to rusting, staining, and corroding, however, they have other problems unique to themselves. They’re long lasting but can be a challenge to keep up with.

So before you get to scrubbing down your silverware or cutlery, better get in the know about how to clean stainless steel properly. Especially since more and more folks these days are investing in stainless steel ovens, dishwashers, refrigerators, and commonly barbecue grills – the question of how to clean stainless appliances is constantly popping up.

Whether you’re just curious about how to maintain your appliances or you want to remove frustrating smears and fingerprints (which commonly plague stainless steel), grease, buildup, or even get rid of plain old stains (don’t take the word “stainless” too literally!), there is an answer for you here.

Steps for Cleaning Stainless Appliances

First off, it’s important to routinely clean stainless steel, as the protective layer that so beautifully prevents corrosion is hindered if there is dirt or food buildup blocking oxygen from interacting with the steel. In fact, the more you clean stainless steel, the better. You can actually help improve how chemically resistant your appliance is by wiping it down frequently! This is not the case for other appliances, made of wood or plastic, etc. Those appliances might actually wear and tear if they are cleaned too often.

Furthermore, in order to find the best method of cleaning for your appliance, you have to answer two major questions: “What is the finish of the steel?” and “What kind of grime am I dealing with?” Appliances with epoxy paint should be treated differently than those with a simple perforated design. (There are more than a dozen stainless steel finishes!) As well, dirt should be handled differently than grease, etc.

But, for the most part, make sure you have some vinegar on hand. Instead of buying expensive cleaning products like steel wool and steel brushes, go with some vinegar and scouring powder (which can be bought or made at home). Brushes can actually lead to rusting, whereas vinegar is harmless. After you take to the steel with some vinegar, then rinse it well with warm water. Water will often leave ugly spots on the steel however. If this is the case, just make sure to immediately and thoroughly dry the stainless steel surface with a towel or two.

Probably the most difficult things to ward off for stainless steel appliances are surprisingly, stains, and also, fingerprints! They cause more of an aesthetic problem than anything. Use a glass cleaner to tackle these problems. Also, sodium carbonate will often do the trick. Again, always follow your cleaning by rinsing the steel with some warm water.

For grease and other oils, you’ll probably want to get some cleaners designed specifically for them. You just have to check that those products are okay for stainless steel before you use them.

As a rule, try to simply keep up with your stainless steel by frequently cleaning it with mere water. Water will take care of buildup in most cases. However, sometimes you have to use solvents to keep your stainless steel shiny and spotless. Just avoid using solvents that have chlorine as an ingredient. Detergents containing chloride are the last thing on earth you should ever put on a stainless steel appliance! In general, however, you have to be careful with powerful solvents. If you’re smoking while cleaning or confound to a small place, don’t use them.

It’s probably a little disillusioning that stainless steel really isn’t quite “stainless,” and can be difficult to maintain in its own right. However, the advantages of stainless steel trump the disadvantages and as long as you clean your steel appliances regularly, you and your barbecue or oven or flatware should be in good shape and last a long, long time.

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First, a few caveats:

Get to the stain as soon as possible so it does not set.

Rubbing can cause the stain to set, so always dab gently, no matter which cleaning method you choose.

Where time allows, test the stain remover on a small, inconspicuous area first to ensure it does not damage the fabric or carpet.

If the garment you spilled on is dry clean only, it is probably best to let a dry cleaner take care of it.

Commercial Wine Removal Products

For both clothing and carpeting, modern science has devised several stain removal products.

If you have spilled wine on yourself, you can use a standard laundry stain remover. Some people recommend Shout. After diluting the stain with water and dabbing up as much liquid as possible, spray the stain with Shout and let it sit overnight. Use warm water to blot up the remaining stain.

For carpets, many people recommend Oxy Carpet Cleaner. It lifts stains and provides some degree of stain protection to the area.

Another product that is highly recommended is Wine Away. This stain remover was specifically created for wine stains on fabric and carpet. Wine Away does not use bleach or phosphates and is derived from fruit and vegetable extracts, making it safe for use around children and pets. This product has been endorsed by many high-profile consumer magazines. If you drink a lot of red wine, Wine Away might be a smart investment.

But what happens if you don’t have any of these products on hand? As our mothers and grandmothers did, you can turn to a few good home remedies.

Home Remedies for Removing Wine Stains

Perhaps the best known home remedy for red wine stains on clothing or carpet is club soda. For clothing, moisten a clean cloth with club soda and then blot the stain. For carpets, pour the club soda on the stain – the carbonation will lift the stain right out.

Another option is white wine, which neutralizes the red wine. Simply pour a little white wine on the red wine stain and gently blot the area with a thick towel. Follow up with your standard cleaning method to wash the stain out.

If you have neither club soda nor white wine on hand, use the one thing that every household is sure to have: salt. Sprinkling salt on the stain prevents it from setting until you can get your hands on an effective stain remover.

Baking soda is another common pantry item that can help combat red wine stains. The general procedure is as follows. Blot up as much of the stain as you can, then pour cold water on the stain and blot again. Continue the cold water/blotting until you cannot remove any more stain. Apply a baking soda/water paste, let it dry and then vacuum. If the stain remains, use a standard carpet stain remover.

If you had no choice but to let the stain sit, you can try soaking older stains in a solution of equal parts lemon juice and water or equal parts vinegar and water.

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How to Remove Cat Pee from Your Duvet

What’s worse than climbing into bed after a long day, ready to settle in and drift off into a well-deserved sleep, only to realize that cold, wet feeling at your feet is cat urine? After getting over the initial shock (and perhaps resisting the urge to chase your cat down and plaster her to the wall), you now have to strip the bed, make it up with fresh sheets, and deal with the cat pee before it settles in permanently.

Start by using dry cloths or paper towels. You want to remove the urine, not spread it through the fibers by adding more liquids. Soak up as much as possible before moving on to the next step of treating the stain and eliminating the odor.

Removing cat pee from a duvet is a two-step process: first, you need to remove the stain, which isn’t too difficult, and then tackle the odor, which can be next to impossible. The stain can typically be removed in the wash cycle. Most comforters and duvets can withstand a gentle cycle. Treating the spot itself, however, can be tricky. Never, ever use ammonia-based products—ammonia smells too much like cat urine and will invite your cat to mark the bed again.

Never mix ammonia with bleach, either, but you probably already know that. For a duvet that can handle a bleach-and-water solution, this is an acceptable option. However, very few duvets are perfectly white, as eggshell tones are in fashion this year. And if you have a brighter-colored duvet, you may be in for a challenge.

Soak the stain in a pretreater. The Oxyclean line does deliver on most of its promises, except for being colorfast. Oxyclean can often leave white staining on colored fabrics. Trust me, I have enough faded, whitish-out blue shirts to confirm this. Also, Oxyclean requires complete dilution before use, which can be difficult with front-loading machines.

Enzyme-based products are the best for removing cat pee. They are specifically designed to tackle both the stain and the odor. However, if a cat repeatedly pees in the same spot, the odor can become permanent, no matter what you try. Cat urine is naturally designed to ward off predators and rival felines, so the strong aroma that benefits wild cats can quickly ruin your comforter or duvet with just a few solid dousings.

Once you’re sure the pretreater has soaked in and you no longer smell the urine when you hold the duvet close to your nose, wash the comforter on a gentle cycle until you’re absolutely certain the smell is gone. For most machines, this takes two cycles.

If you’re still using a laundromat, keep the area your cat has peed on continuously soaked in fresh water and enzyme-based detergents. You don’t want it to dry out until after you’ve had a chance to wash it thoroughly and remove the lingering scent.

Some people debate whether to throw the duvet in the dryer or to dry it outside in the sun. In my opinion, the answer depends on your climate and the time of year. The sun is a great natural bleaching agent and can help deodorize the duvet while it dries. However, if it’s January and you live in Minnesota, the sun isn’t likely to offer much help. If possible, drying the duvet in the sun will make it easier to get rid of the smell.

When removing cat pee from a duvet, always, always, always smell-check before drying. Even pressing your nose close to the area, you might not be able to detect any lingering odor until the duvet is fully dry. If, after drying, you still notice a smell, you’ll need to repeat the process until your comforter or duvet smells like it should. In the meantime, you might want to consider keeping your bedroom door closed until you figure out why your precious cat insists on christening your bed.

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Sofas are a significant investment, chosen for comfort and style, but they endure considerable wear over time. Crumbs, dirt, coins, and even socks often hide beneath the cushions. As one of the most used pieces of furniture, sofas face a variety of stains, and leather sofas are no exception. Leather, being a unique material, requires specialized cleaning techniques to maintain its shine and longevity. This guide covers essential tips for cleaning and caring for your leather sofa, addressing common stains while preserving its beauty.

Understanding Leather and General Cleaning

Leather sofas, typically made from finished leather, differ from unfinished leather and require specific care. There’s no one-size-fits-all solution for cleaning, as leather types and stains vary. However, general cleaning is straightforward for most finished leather sofas. Use a slightly damp, soft cloth with mild soap (avoid harsh or abrasive soaps) to gently rub away grime. Wipe the area dry with a clean cloth. Once dry, apply a leather conditioner, available at most stores, to keep the material supple and prevent cracking.

Caution is key when cleaning leather, as the wrong product can discolor or damage it. Always test cleaning solutions on an inconspicuous area, such as the back or underside of the sofa, and wait to observe the results before tackling visible stains.

Addressing Common Stains

Different stains require tailored approaches. Here’s how to handle the most common ones:

Ink Stains
Ink stains are notoriously tricky but can often be removed by spraying the area with hairspray and wiping it clean with a soft cloth. If this doesn’t work, consider professional assistance to avoid further damage.

Water Stains
Water stains are ironic culprits on leather sofas, often caused by overly wet cleaning cloths. Use only damp—not soaking—cloths to clean, allowing the leather to air-dry naturally. Once dry, apply a leather conditioner to restore moisture and prevent stiffness.

Grease Stains
For grease stains, gently blot the area with a clean cloth to absorb excess oil. Sprinkle talcum powder or cornstarch over the stain and let it sit for at least four hours to draw out the grease. Wipe away the powder with a clean cloth, and the stain should be gone.

Pet Urine or Blood Stains
If your pet leaves a urine stain on your leather sofa, or if you spot a blood stain, act quickly with a clean, damp cloth to remove the stain. Both urine and blood contain proteins, making them responsive to similar cleaning methods. Allow the area to dry naturally to avoid water damage.

Protecting Your Investment

Leather sofas are durable but delicate, tolerating only a narrow range of cleaning products. While it’s tempting to address stains immediately, using the wrong solution can cause irreversible harm. Don’t panic if a spill occurs—whether it’s a child’s soda or a pet’s accident. Follow these cleaning tips, act with care, and test products in advance. With proper maintenance, your leather sofa will remain a stunning centerpiece in your home for years to come.

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Does your house smell like pet odor? If so, how can you effectively remove the offending smells without removing your pets?

A clean, fresh-smelling house without the overbearing chemical scents of many cleaners is possible. It does, however, require some preplanning, the right supplies, and a bit of elbow grease!

The First Step in Removing Pet Odors from Your Home

This is the surprise step that few pet owners think about when discussing removing pet odor from their surroundings: the health of their pet. If your pet has a medical condition that is causing the smell, how can you expect to get your house to smell clean and fresh?

Conditions like incontinence, urinary tract infections, infected anal glands, chronic diarrhea, ear infections, lip fold dermatitis, leaking lumps, and blocked male cats all have one thing in common—they all create unpleasant odors. Before you spend your valuable time and hard-earned money cleaning the house, ensure that your pet doesn’t have a treatable medical condition causing the malodors. Otherwise, it will be all for naught!

The Easy Clean-Ups!

One of the simplest ways to remove pet odor from your house is to regularly wash your pet’s bedding and anything else they may sleep on. If your pet has a favorite spot on the couch or your bed, cover it with a sheet or washable blanket to make cleanup easier. Bedding, your bedding, curtains, pillows, slipcovers, throw rugs, and your pet’s bed are all washable—take advantage of the washing machine and keep the fabrics in your house clean and fur-free.

Secrets to clean, odor-free fabrics? Add baking soda to the wash, avoid machine drying the fabrics, and if an offensive odor lingers, use a pet waste enzyme neutralizer available at most pet stores.

Dirty kitty litter is another easy-to-remove stench. Cats prefer a clean litter box, so use clumping litter and clean it daily. If the litter box is old and scratched, consider replacing it and cleaning the old one for recycling. Protect the new box by ensuring the litter is deep enough and the box is cleaned regularly.

Removing Pet Odors from Carpet

Pets and carpets are like kids and playgrounds: all about serious play and covering as much ground as possible! Both dogs and cats love to explore, learning the feel of new carpet and sniffing out all the new smells. Along with these smells, sometimes comes “marking” behavior. While this is normal, it’s no longer socially acceptable in our modern, often antiseptic world.

To clean the smell, you first need to locate it. Feces are easy to find, but dried urine can hide in dark carpets. Your options? Get on your hands and knees for a serious nose workout, or purchase a black light from your local hardware store. Black lights make bodily fluids fluoresce, making it easier to spot stains. A word of caution: black lights show every bodily fluid stain, so be prepared for “too much information”—an old carpet can tell quite a story, possibly one better left unheard!

If the accident is fresh and your carpet has a stain-resistant coating, gently place a paper towel over the wet spot and allow moisture to soak up without applying too much pressure. Excess pressure will push the liquid deeper into the carpet fibers. Once the pooling liquid is absorbed, apply pressure to clean up the remaining dregs.

To Shampoo or Not to Shampoo

The jury is still out on how effective regular steam cleaning is for your carpet. Harsh chemicals can break down carpet fibers, shortening their lifespan. However, unpleasant stains and odors will also reduce the lifespan of your carpet. Spot cleaning with a high-quality carpet cleaner and pet odor neutralizer should be the first step in maintaining your carpet’s freshness.

If spot cleaning doesn’t help combat pet odors, hire a professional carpet cleaner to tackle the problem. Experts in this field know how to remove pet stains and odors without over-cleaning and damaging fibers. Replacing wall-to-wall carpet is a huge investment, so it’s worth protecting by hiring professionals to help maintain it.

Is one area of the carpet worse than the rest? Sections of carpet can often be replaced if they are too worn or stained. Have a private carpet layer come into your home to offer suggestions on how to replace damaged areas and provide an estimate for the work.

Paint – The Last Resort to Removing Pet Odor

As surprising as it sounds, long-term, strong odors can be absorbed by paint. This is especially true for urine, whether from a tomcat spraying the walls or a stinky kitty litter box sitting in a small room for too long.

The easiest solution? Repaint. Paint can help seal in bad odors, giving your house a new, cleaner scent. Odorless and odor-removing paints are now available, making them perfect for homes with multiple pets and kids!

Removing pet odors from your home takes some effort. The most important step, however, is ensuring that your pet is healthy and happy, followed by removing the scent and possibly retraining.

A clean, fresh, pet-odor-free house is possible—even if your home sometimes feels like a zoo!

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Truer words have never been spoken. There is nothing more futile or frustrating than trying to keep a neat and tidy house when it’s inhabited by a bunch of tiny saboteurs. Some moms have been known to have nervous breakdowns while attempting to maintain a house that looks like a museum. Others, wiser moms, have surrendered to the fact that little Johnny is intent on spilling any obtainable red liquid all over the beige carpet in the living room. Yep, just robotically whip out the spot remover and hope for the best. Have you considered hardwood flooring?

No sooner is one room in the house wiped up, dusted, vacuumed, straightened, and given the white glove treatment than the room that was cleaned beforehand is in a total state of disarray. Of course, it wouldn’t be complete without one whirling dervish named Susie standing in the middle of it all. There’s no time to scold—you must now go back and redo what was just undone while Susie puts her signature touch on the rest of the house. Like a dog chasing its tail, you are stuck in the never-ending cycle, the thankless job, called “housework.” You’re either carpet cleaning, washing clothes, or dusting from dusk to dawn.

The Never-Ending Task of Housework

There is no light at the end of the housework tunnel. Unless you want to become one of those strange hoarder people who always make the six o’clock news with their fascinating mountains of refuse spilling out of the windows, you’re in the cleaning thing for the long haul. And don’t dare miss one day! If you do, you’ll fall so far behind in the housework that your head will spin along with the laundry. Got the flu? Get up, wuss! Didn’t you know that motherhood is not for the weak? Those dishes are calling your name, and there is no one standing in line waiting to wash them. Unless there’s a hot meal sitting in the kitchen for them, your kids—and probably your husband—ain’t going in there. Peek in and see the tumbleweeds rolling through, and make sure you grab your broom to clean those up while you’re at it.

I’m not sure many new moms realize the havoc that such small and cute kids can wreak on a house. When your first child is a newborn, there really isn’t that much more to do in the housekeeping department. Yes, there’s a lot more laundry, particularly of the spot-removing nature, but besides that and sterilizing a bottle or two, you can maintain a fairly tidy domain—unless you’re too exhausted. It’s when Junior starts to become mobile that things go downhill fast. Remember how those blowouts were mostly contained in those cute onesies? Well, now Baby is zipping across the floor while letting loose. And projectile vomit? It used to be aimed at Mom and Dad, but now it’s covering the cushions on the couch.

Once kids start eating finger foods, they must be confined as best as possible. Do not have a fun Friday Pizza Night on the floor in front of the TV with a toddler holding a slice. That kid will paint the room with it. Also, give up on the idea of buying new furniture until your kids are at least tweens and can be held responsible for their messes. If anything, make them promise to keep their chaos confined to their bedroom. And please, keep the door shut!

Some kids are a walking mess. Matted hair, a perpetually runny nose, and food-encrusted clothes make for a proper ragamuffin. No amount of grooming improves these innately slovenly children, and they like to leave evidence of themselves all over the house. Sticky little fingerprints cloud the windows, and trails of crumbs are deposited on the floor like they’re trying to find their way out of the forest. These kids are affectionately called “fixer-uppers,” and they need a little extra attention and training in the personal hygiene department.

Taking kids to visit a home where no children reside can be a real eye-opening experience for all parties involved. Kids always see a new place as an exciting world to be explored, and most of the time, conquered. Pristine furniture quickly gets climbed on, and delicate, fragile collectibles will soon make the acquaintance of our good friend Super Glue. Parents are mortified and apologetic, and the homeowners usually feign delight in the zest and spunkiness your children display. Maybe those questionable kid leashes you see children strapped into at the mall aren’t such a bad idea after all!

Martha Stewart once said that she loved to wake up every morning and see how much she could do in one day. Most real moms just like to see how much they can do—and then redo—on a daily basis. What makes things worse is if your husband is as bad, if not worse, than the kids. After all, bigger people make bigger messes, right? The black, crumpled socks strewn across the bedroom floor are bigger. The shoes that didn’t quite make their way into the shoe closet…again…are bigger. Grown men also typically eat more food, so more dishes are generated, waiting to get a good scrubbing.

If you feel like you can’t keep the house clean enough or you’re just too frustrated to try, you could always hire a cleaning person. Of course, you may have to pick up extra hours at work or a part-time job to pay them. Then you have to deal with the guilt of paying someone to clean when you could be doing it yourself at no cost. If anything, it could free up some time during which you could create something like a quilt or a scrapbook that is permanent and out of the reach of small, curious hands. Maybe a sense of fulfillment and accomplishment is all you really need.

Keeping a kid-filled house clean can be quite a challenge. At the end of the day, children don’t really care how tidy the house is, but rather how much time they got to spend with their beloved parents. So put down that scrub brush and read Junior a book…before he tries to see if it can be flushed down the toilet.

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