Sunday 1 January 2012

Wonder of the Internet

The Internet is a wondrous thing. The ability to dip into any field of human endeavour and get instant insights into how other people think and live never ceases to amaze me. How far we have come as a Race.

Take this snippet from a site called rhs.gardenweb which I came across today when looking for carpet cleaning tips (yes I know, Rock and Roll):


Posted by Arlinn (My Page) on
Mon, May 30, 05 at 1:44
Hi, I am a new poster but have been reading the forums for a long time. I need advice on carpet cleaning.

RE: Best Carpet cleaning method?

Posted by smom40 (My Page) on
Sun, Jun 5, 05 at 15:24
Two kids and partial wall to wall (our previous home, ALL wall to wall). A few tricks to keeping it clean.
a) Family MUST remove shoes as they come into the house. I have a shoe rack near the garage door (the door we always seem to use) and that is where shoes go. It’d better be a grownup emergency for someone to wear shoes in the house anywhere else. Gardening shoes and workboots are removed IN the garage. They don’t even come inside.

This can make a dramatic difference in high traffic areas.

b) There is a throw rug in front of every door and under the kitchen sink. This is about dragging stuff around.

c) I have a patterned wool rug under the kitchen table and a patterned olefin rug in the area in front of the TV. The latter, bold colors that can hide a lot. They look fabulous, vacuum like a dream.

d) If a child wants to eat while watching tv, I either put down a beach towel (a “picnic”) or I have about five of those really cheap (10 bucks)fleece throws that I got at Target. I throw one down, they eat, I roll it up and wash it.

e) If ANY child wants to drink something in my home that is not at the table or water, it goes into a sippy cup with a valve. This includes my eight year old. I’m not joking. My youngest has a fetish for cranberry juice. SIPPY CUP. I cannot emphasize this enough.

f)No one eats anything in bedrooms. EVER.

And if you really want to do it right, have the carpets professionally cleaned every six months. At the very least, every year.

I learned the hard way with small kids and a light mocha carpet in my old home. The key to keeping that carpet clean is to not let it get so dirty in the first place.

And when you find the occasional nasty deposit somewhere, clean it quickly. We also don’t have pets….yet.


RE: Best Carpet cleaning method?

Posted by hbw248 (My Page) on
Mon, Jun 6, 05 at 11:38
I pitty the poor pet if you ever get one!

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

Some people do make one wonder...

Tim said...

I particularly liked "bold colors that can hide a lot". A lot of what, precisely, you wonder; and how's it getting there? Sloppy.

My method: don't look down.

Z said...

What's a partial wall to wall, I wonder?

Anonymous said...

She's really not joking is she!

Anonymous said...

Oh dear - some people really don't quite get the living life bit ;) We don't have any carpets in our house, but we do live in the sub-tropics so we don't really need them.

Macy said...

My idea of hell is a weekend at smom40's with her sippy cup collection.
Happy new year Rog.

Martin said...

I wonder if there's decontamination chamber adjacent to the loo?

Pat said...

I wonder if she rolls her family up in an enormous throw when she's tired of them?

Rog said...

Dinah: Yes, I think therapy calls.

Tim: "Don't look down" - a brilliant motif for carpets and life in general.

Z: In the trade we call it "Bono". (Not quite up to the Edge)

Mig: I hope she doesn't catch me anyway.

Gabby: It's a vital life-lesson that "keeping things for best" is a tragic waste.

Macy: Yes, 8 year olds should be on alcopops straight from the bottle. A good one to you too young Macy.

Martin: I wouldn't bet against it!

Pat: Haha! I did a TeeHee when I read the next person's comment at the bottom of the page.

Unknown said...

Don't like wall to wall carpeting. Wooden floors with square carpets and/or rugs. Easy to keep clean. Life sounds rather regimented in that house, and not much fun.
Happy New Year, by the way.

savannah said...

the best comment was the last! pity the por dog and the family! *shiver* happy new year, sugarplum! xoxoxox

justin said...

My tip for carpet-cleaning ...
no carpets at all.
Happy New Year, Rog.

Nota Bene said...

We stop our carpets getting dirty by shooting anyone at the Garden Gate. Foolproof.