helpful household tip #216
Hot water is a housewife’s best friend. Following are the stains I have used it to remove:
- red wine
- dark red candle wax in carpet
- just yesterday, I used it in combination with all-purpose cleaner to remove a good half-cup of white latex paint from our beige carpet. Yes.
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a. notice the paint can is rocking and sloshing as you hold it by the handle, thereby pouring it over the carpet and anything else (like a plastic children’s table and chair).
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b. have a heart attack and furtively check to ensure no one is around to witness your folly and the frantic aftermath.
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c. wipe the spill with paper towels, trying not to spread it, but rather to scoop up the pile of paint into the towel.
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d. generously spray the paint spills with all-purpose cleaner. You may try scrubbing at this point (I did), but I’m not sure if it is useful. It will create white suds which confuse whether you are making it better or worse when the stain itself is white.
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e. simmer water in a tea kettle; pour hot water over the spills. The stain will flee.
f. dry the carpet as thoroughly as possible.
It is possible that step ‘d’ may be omited, but I’m not going to test the theory. Learning one method by trial is sufficient for me.
