This was going to be a Saturday Photo entry, but I decided it’s too good of a story for that. So, onward:
Last Tuesday evening, I worked out on my elliptical for an hour, got in the shower and soaped up. Before I had a chance to rinse off the suds, Emma came into the bathroom in a panic.
“Lily’s bleeding from her head and her back and there’s blood all over the living room!” she told me.
I rinsed off, grabbed a towel and ran downstairs. Emma was holding Lily, holding a towel to the wounds. And then there was the blood. Apparently, Lily thought my living room would look much better with red walls and carpet because she used what turned out to just be a scratch on her ear to paint the living room. Red droplets covered the entire carpet and a few spots on the off-white flat painted walls.
Chris was out, so I called and asked him to pick up some OxyClean spot carpet cleaner — at least three bottles, please. Not to brag, but I know the stuff works. This, you see, was not my first time having to scrub blood out of my living room carpet. Although, last time, there was a lot less of it. That’s a story for another time and involves a large black cat rather than a small, obnoxious dog.
Although, for all I know, this incident also involved the same large black cat. Or a small white one. Or a small Siamese mix. I’m not sure — and will probably never know — which cat inflicted the mortal wound. It doesn’t matter. Lily hasn’t learned to stop chasing them, even after this particular incident.
I couldn’t do much until Chris got home, so I went back upstairs, finished my shower and then proceeded to clean what I could with the tiny bit of OxyClean I had in the house. Chris showed up shortly after with three bottles of OxyClean … laundry stain remover.
This, my friends, is probably a godsend if you have several loads of blood-stained laundry. It does not, however, work on carpet. Chris thought since it said it removed blood, it would be just fine.
Off to the store, which was ridiculously busy considering the time of night, but I guess it was just my luck. Three bottles of the correct cleaner later, I changed into shorts and a T-shirt, threw my hair up in a scrunchie and set to work with the carpet cleaner and what eventually turned out to be two old towels.
It took a total of four and a half hours, but the carpet no longer shows a single sign that it was once the scene of an attempted murder. I tried to clean the walls, but only managed to fade the spots. Someone suggested I try the Mr. Clean eraser. I’ll let you know if that works. It is flat paint, after all. Did I mention that? Nothing cleans flat paint.
And for those readers who like to drink, I’ll add that the Oxy stuff works on red wine, too. I learned that when a poor dinner guest spilled hers on my carpet. She panicked. I reached for the bottle. Everything turned out fine.
Ouch. Those are some brutal cats!!! My soon-to-be stepdaughter gets nosebleeds, usually in the middle of the night, so it gets all over the bed. When I was married before my husband swore by Oxy Clean and that stuff definitely seemed to work. I’ll get some for future use! Although I can’t help but think back to the Jerry Seinfeld bit on this subject:
“Now they show you how detergents take out bloodstains, a pretty violent image there. I think if you’ve got a T-shirt with a bloodstain all over it, maybe laundry isn’t your biggest problem. Maybe you should get rid of the body before you do the wash.”
I remember that Seinfeld! Chris bought THREE bottles of the laundry stuff. He said the people at Target probably wondered why he needed so much, since it says it gets out bloodstains. They probably weren’t thinking that, but I can imagine if someone had looked in my windows that night. I can see cop cars all over the place. 🙂
HOLY MOLY! That critter got blood everywhere! My goodness! Good call on the oxyclean. I use the laundry stuff, haven’t tried the carpet stuff though. Thanks for the tip:)
good to know about the oxyclean. courtesy of my dog and children, my carpet is atrocious.
the mr. clean magic eraser is awesome. we also have flat paint and it completely cleaned purple crayon off of the walls…also courtesy of my daughter.
That stuff is like magic. Seriously. You’d never know there was blood all over my carpet now.
I love your blog. I also love oxy clean laundry stain remover but had no idea that it will remove blood. I have never used the oxy carpet spot remover. You are a WONDERFUL writer!
Aw! Thanks, Richelle. 🙂
It says right on the bottle that it removes blood. It also says it removes a lot of other things, but Chris apparently thought the cashier was psychic.
I’m filing cleaners and their appropriate uses away in my mind for the future. I’ve been coming across tougher and tougher messes. Those look like OJ Simpson crime scene photos though – tough blow!
Even when Emma told me there was blood “all over” the floor, I did NOT expect what I saw!
outside pets!
Oh no! I could never do that!
But Lily spends a lot more time in her crate these days. If no one is downstairs with her and she won’t come upstairs, she goes in.
I have a friend whose daughter sprayed lots and lots of oxy into her mouth. When she called poison control, they told her not too worry: it’s pretty much just alcohol! =-O
That’s interesting. Whatever it is, it works!
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Oh my gosh! That’s a lot of blood! lol! Glad you know about OxiClean. I love that stuff, too. I just had to stop by and tell you congrats on being today’s FB at the SITSta-hood!! Holla!!
I would’ve FREAKED out with all that blood you had to clean up, I think I would’ve just ripped the carpet out.
I rent my townhouse, so it really wasn’t an option!
That puts the true meaning in cat fight.
Oxy Clean is the best, but here’s another tried and true stain removal for wine. You mix Dawn dishwashing detergent and hydrogen peroxide together and it just disappears.
I hope you got the stain out.
They came out. A lot of scrubbing, but you’d never know now.