A couple weeks ago I was sitting on the couch watching TV, just getting ready to gather up the dogs for bed. Usually that time of the evening the boys are chewing their toys on the floor or just lounging. Chaos suddenly got up and started trotting down the hallway towards the back room where the crates are. It seemed odd so I called his name thinking maybe he had managed to snag something he shouldn’t have and was taking it back to his den to destroy. He came walking back out slowly and made it almost in front of me before promptly emptying his stomach on the rug.
If you have a human child or have been around children, you’ve had the pleasure of seeing “the look” they get just before they throw up. Well, dogs get that look too. At least mine do. I knew Chaos was going to vomit right before he did so I was already on my feet and heading to the laundry room to grab the magic solution.
Having several furry kids means there tends to be several messes that come out of one end or the other from time to time. It’s not the best part of being a pet parent nor the most exciting topic to discuss, but I’m sure we can all agree sharing tips on the subject is always helpful. There are several tricks we use for winning the battle against the icky stuff so today we are going to go there. Caution: this post may not be suitable for those with week tummies or a strong gag reflex or planning to eat in the near future.
The magic solution isn’t really magic of course (or is it?) but it does do things the countless other cleaners we’ve tried do not. All you have to do to make your very own magic solution is to buy white vinegar, plain vodka and an empty spray bottle. We just get the grocery store brand vinegar and the cheapest vodka at the liquor store. Fill the spray bottle with equal parts of vinegar, vodka and water. Then spray away and wipe with a rag.
Why does this work you ask? Well, it’s just as simple as the solution itself. The vinegar takes out the stain. The vodka takes out the smell. And the water dilutes it enough so there’s not the glorious smell of vinegar circulating through your house.
The magic solution is something I was told about back when the boys were still puppies. Back then carpet covered the whole main room and bedrooms so that’s where most of the accidents occurred. I spent so much time spraying and scrubbing the same spots over and over again trying to get them out with other types of cleaners but mostly to no avail. The proof was when the carpet was ripped up and all the stains were visible from underneath. There are still several stains on the carpet in the bedrooms but eventually that will be replaced.
The first time I tried the magic solution I was shocked. No intense scrubbing, no coming back to the spot 3 more times after the first and no harsh chemicals to try and keep the furbabies from licking. Just spray enough to wet the entire area, let it sit for a few minutes and then wipe using light pressure. We’ve used this on dog tinkle, poop and vomit as well as cat poop and vomit and it does the job for all of it. Cat pee and older stains are a different story but unfortunately that will have its very own post. The magic solution has also been used on all kinds of surfaces including carpet, wood flooring, upholstery (couch and seat of car), bed sheets, comforter, mattress, counter tops, linoleum, wire dog crates, the dog beds and our wool area rug. I am happy report that no new stains have been added to the pre-magic solution collection.
No more stains is pretty impressive when you consider what sort of messes the magic solution has tackled. Chaos has been on and off steroids over the last year and that can make it difficult to control his bladder and bowels. He also has a sensitive tummy so although he is housebroken, he’s had the most accidents inside out of the bunch. What’s worse is that he will lay down and bow his head and get the big, sad puppy dog eyes like he did something bad. We never punish him for things like this that he just can’t help but he apparently feels bad none the less.
Then there was the day he had explosive diarrhea in his crate. I warned you this was coming. Chaos’s crate sits in the back bedroom next to the closet and just in front of the back wall. The day his tummy hurt and he couldn’t hold it until someone came home, the room looked like a muddy crime scene. It was all over the crate tray and bars, splattered onto the back wall and closet doors (luckily they were closed), speckled all over the carpet around his crate, all over him and even his brother Ares who was in his crate on Chaos’s other side. Of course they both had to be bathed and basically the entire side of the room had to be all but hosed down in magic solution. The majority was disposed of with paper towels and a garbage bag while wearing rubber clothes. And then the magic solution pulverized the rest on the walls, doors, carpet and crate.
Just last week Chris was out of town working and I had gone to get a shower after working out. When I came out the boys were laying outside the bathroom door. Chaos was on steroids for a few days last week so we were making sure to give him extra bathroom breaks but I checked around just in case. I didn’t find any puddles or piles anywhere or smell anything so I thought I was in the clear. But when I went to bed later that night my foot discovered a wet surprise as I got under the covers. I had not thought to check the bed but when I pulled back the comforter I saw the puddle that had gone through it onto the sheets, the mattress pad underneath and down to the mattress. I stripped everything, sprayed the wet parts with magic solution and threw it all in the washer. I then sprayed the mattress and wiped it and then let it air dry and slept on the other side of the bed. In the morning it was as if it had never happened. Pretty magical, huh?
We don’t call this stuff the magic solution for nothing. Although we do mostly use it for the icky stuff, there are plenty of other things we have used it for like spilled coke, A1 and even a little blood that got on Ares’s hoodie from a boo boo. 95% of the time we have used the magic solution to clean what I’ll call fresh stains, as in we actually saw them happen or caught them when they hadn’t dried yet. I can attest to the fact that it does work on dried vomit, thank you Piper the puker. She adores the canned fish flavored food but she leaves a little pile of vomit somewhere around the house nearly every time she eats it. I‘m not the puke police so I don’t just go around checking for vomit all the time but I do get the pleasure of finding it later on and sometimes it’s already dry. I will talk later about other ways we fight the icky stuff but for now, go make yourself a bottle of magic solution and make your furry life a little easier.
Oh and maybe wait a little while to have a snack…sorry guys. Do you have a type of magic solution for the icky stuff? Let me know!
No comments
Post a Comment