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cathhomeschool Board Moderator
Texas Bluebonnets
Joined: Jan 26 2005 Location: Texas
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Posted: Aug 30 2007 at 2:39pm | IP Logged
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If you had pale green rugs in your bathroom, and the toilet *heavily* overflowed onto these rugs and all else in the room. And if these rugs were recently given to you by your mil and were high maintenance rugs (can't go through spin cycle or through dryer). And if you were expected to take very special care of these rugs by said mil. And if you wanted to make sure that the **** was thoroughly cleaned from these rugs but you couldn't use bleach (because it would ruin said rugs)... What would you do? How would you sterilize them? This is *not* a hypothetical question. I eagerly await sage advice from you, ladies!
__________________ Janette (4 boys - 22, 21, 15, 14)
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PDyer Forum All-Star
Joined: Feb 25 2005 Location: Ohio
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Posted: Aug 30 2007 at 2:43pm | IP Logged
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cathhomeschool wrote:
if you wanted to make sure that the **** was thoroughly cleaned from these rugs but you couldn't use bleach (because it would ruin said rugs)... What would you do? |
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If they were full of **** and I couldn't throw them in the washing machine, I'm sorry to say I would probably throw them in the trash. Sorry, probably not what you wanted to hear...
__________________ Patty
Mom of ds (7/96) and dd (9/01) and two angels (8/95 and 6/08)
Life at Home
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Barbara C. Forum All-Star
Joined: July 11 2007 Location: Illinois
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Posted: Aug 30 2007 at 3:01pm | IP Logged
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Any chance you could just explain to your mil what happened and ask her advice? Or maybe you could try the washing machine and see what happens? At this point, I don't see what you have to lose.
Good luck!!
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Rebecca Forum All-Star
Joined: Dec 30 2005 Location: N/A
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Posted: Aug 30 2007 at 3:11pm | IP Logged
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Janette, Are they wool or chenille?
I think I would risk the spin cycle before I would give up. Here is how I would do it (but only if you have a top loader)...
Fill the machine with water and lysol (or some other disinfecting liquid). Soak said rugs for quite some time. Do not allow the machine to agitate (lift the lid). Set the machine cycle to spin, spinning out rugs and dirty water. Take wet rugs from washer. Refill washer with water and lysol. Soak again, spin out again. *edited to add--Fill washer again with same temp water that you used to wash but this time do not add lysol (this is the rinse water), allow to soak then spin out. (That's two washes and a rinse on no agitate) Hang to dry.
I think it is worth a shot. I once had a burgandy chenille throw with fringe that was dry clean only. One of my children got sick upon it and I could not spend $40 to have it dry cleaned so I used the same above method to clean it. It shed a bit of the chenille when spinning out but only I would have noticed. It still looks great today.
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organiclilac Forum All-Star
Joined: March 30 2006 Location: Illinois
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Posted: Aug 30 2007 at 3:20pm | IP Logged
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You could hand wash in the bathtub - a good handwashing is often more thorough than a cycle in the washing machine anyway. Then I'd line dry all day on a very sunny day - sunshine is great for killing germs! Hope you can salvage your rugs.
__________________ Tracy, wife to Shawn, mama to Samuel (4/01) and Joseph (11/11), and Thomas (2/15)
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nicole-amdg Forum Pro
Joined: April 16 2007 Location: Georgia
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Posted: Aug 30 2007 at 3:27pm | IP Logged
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organiclilac wrote:
You could hand wash in the bathtub - a good handwashing is often more thorough than a cycle in the washing machine anyway. |
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Janette, can you use distilled vinegar on them? It's supposed to disinfect and I use it pretty regularly (and generously if needed) on my colored loads.
__________________ Nicole
Wife to
Mom to
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Maryan Forum All-Star
Joined: Jan 02 2007
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Posted: Aug 30 2007 at 3:43pm | IP Logged
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Oxiclean? (As long as it's not wool).
Then I totally second the sunshine advice. The sun is a natural deodorizer/cleaner/etc.
__________________ Maryan
Mom to 6 boys & 1 girl: JP('01), B ('03), M('05), L('06), Ph ('08), M ('10), James born 5/1/12
A Lee in the Woudes
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SusanJ Forum All-Star
Joined: May 25 2007 Location: New Jersey
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Posted: Aug 30 2007 at 4:44pm | IP Logged
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Vinegar is a great disinfectant--I'd handwash in that with the hottest water you can stand and then sun dry if that wouldn't bleach them.
I love high-maintenance gifts. My mil gave us a hand-wash only outfit last year--for our six-month old daughter!
Susan
__________________ Mom to Joseph-8, Margaret-6, William-4, Gregory-2, and new little one due 11/1
Life Together
[URL=http://thejohnstonkids.blogspot.com]The Kids' Blog[/UR
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MaryatHome Forum Rookie
Joined: April 03 2007
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Posted: Aug 30 2007 at 5:06pm | IP Logged
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Experientally (I won't go into details), I would take them to a laundromat and use a front-loading machine with vinegar, then hang in the full sun for a day.
Mary
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cathhomeschool Board Moderator
Texas Bluebonnets
Joined: Jan 26 2005 Location: Texas
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Posted: Aug 30 2007 at 9:33pm | IP Logged
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Patty, nothing was ground-in, so it's not that I *couldn't* throw them in the wash, I am just concerned about thorough sterilization.
I have no idea what the rugs are made of. I took the tags off. I think that they probably have some cotton in them, though. The reason for the washing care is that they are two sided -- like a latch-hook rug with loops on both sides. The spin cycle is supposed to make the rug come apart, and the heat from the dryer is supposed to do the same. BUT I am in the middle of trying Rebecca's method -- spin cycle and all. So far they are holding together and it is a comfort to me that they are clean. It's really hot and sunny here, so tomorrow I will also stick the rugs outside to bake in the sun all day.
Thank you ladies for your help! This is the second time we've gone through this , though the first time the rugs must have been out of the bathroom, because I don't remember having to deal with them and it hasn't been that long...
Susan, yes, aren't high-maintenance gifts just the things for busy moms?! (Where's the 'shaking head in disbelief' emoticon?) And with a baby! Boy, all of our 6 month stuff is t-shirt material!
__________________ Janette (4 boys - 22, 21, 15, 14)
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