Carpet Cleaner Rehab

When I talked about decluttering and mentioned my carpet cleaners, I thought I had two, at most maybe three bottles of carpet cleaning related containers.  Apparently I was in denial.

This picture was taken AFTER I finished 2 bottles of carpet cleaner (Spot Shot).

Amazon

And yes I included the bottle of vinegar in my carpet cleaning arsenal.  Time for an intervention.

We bought a Bissel carpet cleaner shortly after we got Bentley.  It's similar to this one:

Amazon

And after getting a second dog, I think our carpet cleaning arsenal exploded.

So rather than get rid of the carpet cleaners (many of the bottles are half empty), I went to town on the rug in our living room!

Disclaimer: This rug sits in our living room just inside the back door to the backyard and is the only piece of carpet in the main living space outside the bedrooms.  In the middle of winter = mud haven.  The rug gets used.  A lot.  And no I didn't take pictures of the before because I was mortified.  Bad blogger.

However, since I had the opportunity to use SO many of these lovely carpet cleaners, I can also provide a mini review!

Best at getting out stains: Spot Shot or Resolve
Spot Shot works best when you have a quick spot that you need to tackle and don't want to break out the whole steam cleaner.
Resolve works well if you have a carpet cleaner to suck up the cleaner because it does foam so much, but took care of stains that the Bissel Tough Stain didn't really touch!

Best smelling: Spot Shot or Woolite Pet Oxygen
Both are clean smelling, but the Woolite smell lingers a little bit longer.

Best for steam cleaner usage: Bissel Fiber Cleansing or Vinegar
I have used the Bissel Fiber Cleansing cleaner for YEARS.  I typically go over the carpet on "Heavy Duty" cleaning, then do a water rinse pass to get the rest of the cleaner out of the carpet.  When I didn't think I had enough of this cleaner left this time, I took a note from another blog (can't remember which) and used vinegar!  I think I should have diluted the vinegar more (maybe a 50/50 mixture?) but it DEFINITELY got the carpet the cleanest (visibly at least).  The vinegar smell lingered a little bit longer, but now (about 4 days after cleaning it) I can no longer smell the vinegar.
When comparing the two, Vinegar also definitely wins in the price department, as Bissell's cleaner is a little expensive.

And if you clean up a spot with any kind of carpet cleaner, ALWAYS vacuum after the spot has dried!


Now, after my carpet cleaning frenzy, I have one bottle of Woolite left! I will not be going out to buy more carpet cleaner until this bottle is gone, because in all actuality, they all work well enough that I don't need 6 bottles of carpet cleaner, and should I need to steam clean in a pinch, I've always got vinegar in my cleaning arsenal!

Another category done!  Now which one to move onto next?

Save the Dates: Birthdays and anniversaries that is!

At this point many of you will think I've lost it - you are probably correct.  This is what happens when I have had too many cups of coffee and "Today's Hits Radio" blaring from Pandora.  The motivation is slowly starting to wear off, but the Dance Party will be ongoing until my caffeine wears off! #eventhedogsaredancing

So a few days ago I wrote this post on Paying It Forward throughout the year and prior to that this post about how I'm approaching the New Year.  With those posts in mind, I have taken time today to catch up on a few things I've been wanting to do for weeks to years (yes, I said years) that will hopefully help me accomplish a few of those things.   One my ideas was a one-stop-shop for important dates!

I had mentioned that I think sending cards or messages is a fantastic, yet simple way to show someone you care.  However, and it may just be me, if Facebook doesn't tell me, I often don't know.  Update: Facebook is not always right either! Enter somebody who is not on Facebook and I have NO clue.  So I decided to put all of the important dates in an easy to use document.  I've seen similar approaches online, but wanted to create my own so it was stream-lined, straightforward, and editable for future additions to the family!  I started with my family on my mom's side so I could give you all an example:

I made a document in simple document in word with the months of the year, then filled in the columns with the date of the month and the person(s) name(s).  If just one person is listed, it's his or her Birthday!  With two names, it's an Anniversary and I included the date of the year the couple was married if I knew it so I knew if it was going to be a "milestone" year! Pretty simple huh? You are welcome for not including birthday years :)

I like that I can use this document as a one-stop shop for what cards I want/need to buy so I won't be running out last minute. I also used this document this morning to add the dates to my Google calendar, which has the option to have the event repeat every year so I only have to enter them once - yes please! So for less than 30 minutes of transferring the dates, these are on my calendar for years to come.  I consider that a time-saving situation!

Now I need to set time aside to do this for the rest of my family and friends, and would like to include add in general dates as well (i.e. Mother's Day in May), but I think that will have to be a gradual process!

Another something new?  Here's the link to download your own! #Ihavenoideaifthisisgoingtowork 

Download Non-Personalized "Important Dates" Google Doc Here 

Pay It Forward: Not Just A Holiday Tradition

I've read many posts and blogs of late that mention their random acts of kindness or paying it forward, and I have to say, they are some of my favorite posts!

I love the holidays just as much as everybody else: amazing food and drinks (hey when Laurie is your mom, you are NEVER hungry during the holidays!), giving thoughtful gifts and seeing the reaction of the recipients, and of course spending time with friends and family.  The holiday spirit is infectious, and its hard to not to catch it!

My little family celebrating Christmas with Luke's family.  Don't mind the cell phone picture with two squirming furkids.  Strangely enough, they posed themselves!

With the holiday spirit in mind, over the past few weeks I have been doing a fair amount of traveling (and by that I mean I was home 2 days in the month of December. YIKES!).  By far one of my favorite memories of traveling came from one of my airport excursions.

I was on the jet bridge, standing in the line of passengers boarding a plane (have no clue what city I was in or where I was going to), when I noticed a young mom with with two kids under the age of 2, trying to get her second child out of the double wide stroller, and still managing to wrangle carry-ons for all.  I have to admit: I was impressed! She was trying to tackle it all on her own and was doing a decent job, but I knew that was something I would not have done such a good job managing on my own, so I stepped out of line and asked her what I could do to help.  I was a little shocked when she handed me the toddler, but took the opportunity in stride! I also grabbed one of her carry-ons, while an older gentleman and his wife behind me also stepped out of line.  The mom handed her infant son to the wife, and the older gentleman helped her break down her stroller and took a couple of her carry-ons himself.

The six of us waited patiently at the side of the line, looking like one odd family I suppose, when another gentleman stopped waved his hand as a gesture to board in front of him.  As the six of us boarded the plane, the flight attendant said she didn't think there was room to have all six of us sit together as a family; I explained to her that we did not need 6 seats together, but it would be helpful to have at least the mom have two seats to sit with her kids.  She contacted the flight attendant in the back of the plane, who had a passenger offer to give up his seat for the mom.  Once we got to the back of the plane, we helped stow away the carry-ons and handed the mom her kids to buckle in, then went our separate ways to find any remaining seats on the flight.

I couldn't even tell there were small children on the flight, and when I stayed behind to help the mom on the way out (also with the gentleman and his wife), we saw three other strangers had already stepped up to help her with the de-boarding process.

This may be a really long story, but I think the whole situation personified how a small gesture can have a ripple effect. Despite not remembering what city or airport I was in, I could pick out the gentleman and his wife who stepped out of line to help, as well as the gentleman who let us "cut" in line.  Their small gestures made a difference in this young mom's travel experience.

As for me, I had to smile to myself when I realized I had just approached a complete stranger, struck up a conversation, and offered my help, as this was something we had always gently teased my Dad about.  He could, and often did, talk to any stranger he met (a teenage daughter's nightmare) and was the first to offer help if they needed it.  He enjoyed doing these things under the radar, and never wanted the attention that some crave.

I shared my story of my flight experience not because I want attention for my actions, but because I believe small acts of kindness, also known as Paying It Forward, are not something that should be done just during the holidays.  There are many simple things throughout the year that many of us can do, that regardless how minuscule they may seem, can make a difference in the lives of others.
Some random ideas:

• Shovel a neighbors sidewalk.  Your neighbor and those who use the sidewalk will appreciate it (especially the mail person!).

• Send cards.  I don't know a single person who doesn't enjoy getting a piece of fun mail mixed in with their bills.  It doesn't need to be anything fancy, just a quick note celebrating a milestone or just because. I generally enjoy the "just because" cards even more because they are unexpected and thus, a great surprise!

• Let the person behind you in line with the full cart and four small children 2 hours past their naptime and 30 minutes past their snacktime go before you.  No explanation needed. 

• Hold the door open for the person behind you.  And if somebody holds the door open for you - say Thanks!

• Give a gift card. This was one of my favorite things to do in the past year.  Regardless of the amount you put on the gift card  the person you hand it to will be genuinely shocked and elated.  I debated actually doing this after hearing about people putting significant quantities of money on gift cards, but knew I couldn't afford the significant quantities myself, so I decided on what worked for me and my budget: $5 or less.  The best reaction yet?  A young mom at Target with two screaming kids in her cart = priceless!  

• Take the stray cart back to the return or store.  Strangers cars thank you in advance.

• Donate your unwanted things to charity.  As mentioned in yesterdays post, we love donating to ACS Discovery Shops, but we have spread the love to include Habitat for Humanity Restore, Ronald McDonald House, Hope Lodge, Rossi House, the local battered women's shelter, Salvation Army, and Goodwill Industries.   Other ideas? The local Humane Society, homeless shelters, and local elementary/junior/senior high schools. Bonus: Tax deduction for you. Win-win!

• Make baked goods for the local hospice house or other charity.  Everyday when we were at the Hospice House there were fresh baked cookies in the cafe donated from a volunteer.  A small gesture that allowed us some time out of the room to recharge.  

• Share your talents.  This is extremely vague, but everyone has something they are good at!  In my family, we all have our own niches and it's not unusual to find us volunteering our time at somebody's house.  For example, my mom is good at painting, so she has helped to paint my sister's condo, my Aunt's countertops (yup I said painted - she's fancy), and numerous friends' houses! We have been fortunate enough to have family and friends who have selflessly offered to help my family with things around my mom's house that we (my mom, sister and I) are not comfortable doing on our own, and to say we are extremely thankful for their help is an understatement!

• Knit a hat or blanket for a baby at the hospital or an expecting mom.  Doesn't even have to be perfect!  As somebody who has spent time in the delivery rooms: gender neutrals are much appreciated in baby hats!

• Offer an hour of handyman services. Prerequisite: must be handy!

• Make dinner for somebody else's family.  Doesn't have to be fancy - it's the thought not the extravagance!

• Offer to babysit for free so the parents can have a much needed date night.  Date nights are already expensive, so knowing your kids are in good hands (and it's not factoring into the budget) is a relief to many parents.

• Join a local organization and give your time. There are always community organizations looking for volunteers. Ask around.  Check with your kid's schools.  Find an organization whose mission statement you love and make a difference.  I joined Make A Wish almost three years ago and I think I have gotten so much more out of the organization than I could ever give.  (If you do join, be a Wish Granter - best experience ever!)

Needless to say, Paying It Forward is not limited to the holiday season, and I would love to hear your stories!  Do something this week and leave a comment below!

Holy long somewhat sappy post. I promise to have more pictures in the future. Lo siento (translation: I'm sorry!).