Cleaning: What products work best on what?

[jomuir]

You poor thing, I'm getting queasy just reading about the mess!

Reminds me of the time my little nephew vomited fish all over the house. I hate fish to begin with, the smell took forever to leave. Ugh. Natures Miracle helped a lot, but it still took time to fade.

[Jaynie]

I am relieved to report that we are all still alive, internal organs intact (despite hub's claim that he has "barfed up a lung".) Dogs are back to their normal selves (a little TOO much energy), and finally able to eat small amounts. A day of rehydration and we should all be doing fine.

Nature's Miracle in the red spray bottle (label says MAXIMUM) did a fantastic job on the innards of the sleep number mattress. Instead of spraying it on the zip-off top, I took off the sprayer and poured the rest generously. This really hurt as the stuff is $14.99 a bottle at Petsmart, but cheaper than a new mattress!

Since it smells like a 20 mule team has been through the house, I have tried adding Borax to the laundry, and a borax and water solution on surfaces. Works wonders!

Vinegar is working in some areas - others need a combination borax, vinegar, Oxyclean, bleach (but not with vinegar), or whatever my dehydrated little brain can come up with. (Don't try the liquid dishwasher detergent. Bad karma results.)

I figure by the time I get the place cleaned (and it's slow), I'll either have earned an MS in chemistry or invented the next miracle cleaner.

[Internette]

I find dawn dish soap mixed with peroxide works wonders, mixing it fresh and putting on stain takes out ink and blood and many vomit stains on a beige carpet. When I worked in a blood lab I used this mixture for blood stains. The degreaser in the dawn breaks then down and the peroxide will bubble and the stain actually lifts and lightens before your eyes. I believe the mixture is 2 parts dawn 1 part peroxide, shake it up and squirt it on the stain.

[mellie]

Originally Posted by Internette

I find dawn dish soap mixed with peroxide works wonders, mixing it fresh and putting on stain takes out ink and blood and many vomit stains on a beige carpet. When I worked in a blood lab I used this mixture for blood stains. The degreaser in the dawn breaks then down and the peroxide will bubble and the stain actually lifts and lightens before your eyes. I believe the mixture is 2 parts dawn 1 part peroxide, shake it up and squirt it on the stain.

Good old Dawn Blue dishwashing detergent !! I use it mixed with ACV as a cleaner for just about everything and I also dilute it and mist Sally and Pumpkin before taking them outside during flea season. Good stuff.

[Melt1109]

I defer to all the advisers here and I have fake hardwood (vinyl made to 'look' like wood grain) but I am cleaning up a few accidents and cat up chuck: so far odor ban from home dep$t has been a miracle and though strong smelling I find it good smelling. There are two smells pick the one you like. My first bottle was a gift so can't look up name or fragrance. May not help your problem but thought I'd throw it out there as once I clean accident or cat up chuck she never ventures there to sniff or lick, respectively, again. On had three accidents in crate and don't have recurrence and accidents were my fault.

Best wishes! Thanks,
Melanie

[Jaynie]

Thanks for all the good suggestions! I had to get pretty creative, as there was contamination of one sort or another on virtually everything it could possibly be on. Here are my take aways learned from the event:

1) Nature's Miracle Maximum Strength is worth every penny. It did an awesome job on the mattresses and the carpeting. It also was good as a pre-treater on the leather sofa.

2) Never, EVER put dogs in the den, fall asleep upstairs. You will ALWAYS return to a trashed room. Shelties with kleenex tendencies will find each and every shred of tissue and turn it into messy snow and lie there looking innocent when confronted.

3) Husbands are ALWAYS sicker than their spouses.

4) Adding borax to laundry soap gets out urine odor, even if said urine-soaked clothing has been sitting in the YIKES basket in the garage for over a week.

5) Insist that you self-professed terminal spouse do his own plunging when he stops up those blasted low-flow toilets.

6) Once everyone in the household is sick, you will inevitably run out of everything you need for survival.