Carpets and Rugs, Dogs and Rugrats

Will Truman

Will Truman is the Editor-in-Chief of Ordinary Times. He is also on Twitter.

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19 Responses

  1. Vikram Bath says:

    >mildew

    Dude. Get a dehumidifier there soon.

    Our dog has the opposite behavior of yours. He won’t go into the basement. He will crane his neck and look, but he doesn’t seem to trust the wooden stairs.Report

  2. Mike Schilling says:

    This happened in our car once: the windows were open (because it never rains in California between April and October) and, well, you know the rest. Solution: Sprinkle baking soda all over the carpet. Be generous with it. Let it sit overnight, then vacuum it up.Report

  3. Anne says:

    Awww She is adorable

    I strongly second the dehumidifier idea if you don’t have access to one there is a product called damp rid that is a jar with crystals that you place in a damp area and they suck the moisture out of the air. Wet vac if it is still wet if you can get under to the pad check to make sure there is not existing mold that has just been reactivated by this latest wetting.

    Baking soda may help you can also rent a steam cleaner and use white vinegar to help kill any mold or mildew spores.Report

  4. Turgid Jacobian says:

    Baking soda, vacuum. Fine powdered borax, vacuum. Consider a wipedown with diluted bleach for wallsReport

  5. ScarletNumber says:

    Bad for my back, bad for my legs

    This is why people in their 30s shouldn’t have kids.Report

  6. Kazzy says:

    Holy crap… the babies start moving?!?!?Report

  7. Jason Kuznicki says:

    If you don’t want to treat with baking soda, Febreeze really works. It contains a chemical binding agent that snags odor molecules very effectively. It will however leave whatever fragrance it was packaged weith. (I’m a bit confused on how exactly this fragrance does not itself disappear into the chemical black hole, but whatever.)

    The story is that Febreeze originally worked TOO well: They sold it as an unscented deodorizing product, and no one would buy it. Why not? It made things stop smelling. At all. But what consumers really wanted was flowers and citrus.Report

  8. Mad Rocket Scientist says:

    Anti-Icky-Poo

    It’s mostly for pet odors, but it’ll eat make short work of other biologicals as well.Report

    • Morat20 in reply to Mad Rocket Scientist says:

      I had to recommend Nature’s Miracle (another anti-pet mess product, one I’m quite fond of) to a friend because his daughter had, apparently, decided that the toilet AND the carpeted entry way into the house were identical in terms of “where big girls go potty”.

      It works really well for the end result of biological processes.Report

      • zic in reply to Morat20 says:

        My suggestion, too.

        Spray it down, let it dry.

        And the dehumidifier. (And I should point out that a basement maintained at a constant temperature and humidity is perfect or a piano. . . )

        I do recommend having a mold test; black mold can be lethal. If there is any, the homeowner’s insurance should cover abatement.Report

  9. Will Truman says:

    So today we confirmed that that the leak is ongoing and that the landlord knew that there was a likely clog.Report