Housework Tuesday Emergency!

Happy Housework Tuesday to everyone!

I would like to start this edition by saying thank-you to everyone who entered my giveaway. I have loved using the Motivated Moms Chore List and I am so excited to pass this little jewel onto a lucky reader. So without further ado, the winner is Mrs. P at A Little Pink In A World Of Camo. I promise, promise, promise that I compiled a list of all entries and used a random number generator to determine the winner. Unfortunately, my camera is out of commission and I cannot document this – but take my word, it’s true. Congrats Mrs. P! For a new mommy this should be very helpful. I will contact you shortly on the best way to get the download to you.

Now onto business…I have a rather interesting story to share regarding housework emergencies that happened just last night. Our puppy Bauer had an upset stomach Sunday night. He woke us up at about 1am and 4:30am to go outside so we knew he wasn’t feeling well. Coincidentally, we had a vet appointment scheduled for him Monday after work so we figured we would get the vet to look him over and make sure everything was okay. We put Dixie and Bauer in their cages Monday morning and headed off to work.

When we got home yesterday evening, the smell of dog poo filled the entire house. Steven looked at me and said, “Oh no – I bet he got sick in his cage.” Sure enough…we entered the office and found poor Bauer huddled into the corner of his cage – POO covering his blankets, his cage and the walls surrounding his cage. Steven quickly grabbed him, took him outside and then headed to the vet with him.

I was left with unfortunate task of cleaning up the mess. (Steven has had to do this once before – so I guess we are even now.) I threw Dixie outside because she kept trying to get into Bauer’s cage – oh yeah, she is the dirty kid at school. The smell was overpowering. S.O.G.R.O.S.S. I knew that I had to clean up the mess as quickly as possible otherwise I was going to be sick.

I threw Bauer’s blankets into the washing machine and used extra detergent. I ran into the kitchen looking to prepare my arsenal of cleaning supplies for my attack on Poo Mountain. I grabbed my Bounty paper towels, Windex antibacterial and Clorox wipes. I searched and searched under my sink for my trusty rubber gloves only to remember that I previously decided I didn’t need trusty rubber gloves. My thought at the time was Honestly – this isn’t the 50’s - who washes their dishes with rubber gloves these days? My thought now is IDIOT – get the gloves!

So there I was bare handed, cleaning up poop. I will spare you the gory details (poop under the cage, in the cage, three feet up the walls and in the cracks of my baseboards!) On more than one occasion I had to run outside and get some fresh air. When I looked down and realized that I had poop under my fingernails I ran to bathroom fully expecting to become sick myself.

All I can say is thank goodness for Bounty paper towels. Those bad boys truly do clean up *any* mess! They are the quilted, quicker pooper picker up! After dousing the office and Bauer’s cage in Lysol, I scrubbed my hands and arms doctor-style under scalding hot water with Dial soap. Finally – I could rest in peace, my house was poop free once more. We lit some candles and moved on with our evening – boy what a night!

I learned many valuable lessons from this experience:
- A proper house should always have a pair rubber gloves in case of emergencies. You never know when the $#*t might literally hit the fan.
- Don’t skimp on cheap paper products – buy Bounty – these bad boys are worth their weight in gold!
- The lingering smell of poop mixed with Lysol is not exactly welcoming. Keep fragrant candles on hand at all times.
- Don’t be afraid of a little poo – it’s just poo. It will come out in the wash – but it’s best to wash everything twice just to be sure!

So what about you? Any housework horror stories to share? Any trusty products that rescued you in a time of need?

Happy Housework Tuesday!