[You can read Part I here.]
Furtively, I got the Windex.
I began by spritzing the stain in the dining room, where a crayon had been melted over the heat vent and then poured out on the floor. What child does this?! My curious little Madame Curie, that’s who.
(It helps me to compare her to super smart people. It makes the naughty behavior seem…not that naughty, somehow.)
Gingerly I scrubbed at the angry red stain and couldn’t—as they say—believe my eyes.
~ Before Windex ~
At that point I could not be stopped. With scrubbing sponge and Windex in hand, I padded silently up the stairs and sneaked into the boys’ room. By the light of their closet I set to work, until…
“Pookie?” My heart leapt. My husband was standing in the doorway. He was still holding the sleeping baby, whom he’ d wrapped tightly in a blanket, like a taquito.
“What are you doing?!” His words, though whispered, were incredulous.
Guiltily I rose from the (now clean) floor and followed him down the hallway. There was nothing I could do but confess my sin: I’d been checking blog comments in the middle of the night.
Being me, I had to explain the situation thoroughly; being me, I needed to seek approval. “And so when I read that Windex would remove the stain,” I whispered earnestly, “I had to try it. The cool thing is, it worked!”
I waited anxiously for his response. John was quiet for moment and I thought perhaps he was still annoyed with me. Then he said, “Well, that’s just weird.”
But he was smiling.
I could tell.
The moral of the story is: There is great good that comes from blogging! Though most of it, granted, can wait ‘til morning.
Ed. Note: The above photos are unretouched. The only thing I did was make my son’s bed—for both photos. So there! How’s that for honest blogging?
Amazing! The story and the windex! BTW…I love your son's quilt. Can I find one like it somewhere?
That is so good to know about the windex. I wonder if it would have worked on the red gel pen stain on the carpet in my old apartment… When you posted the picture yesterday of you sons' room, I was impressed with how well they made the bed. I guess now I know! 😉
Margaret, what a great story, funny and informative. Reminds me of My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Didn't the dad use Windex for everything?
Hmmm… I wonder if Windex would work on stubborn laundry stains. Hey, if the shirt is already stained it can't hurt to try.
John calls you Pookie? That's adorable.
Margaret, Goo Gone will get rid of the last of the red on that carpet.
Good to know, good to know. I'm going to have to remember this one. The before and after's are too impressive not to try it!
Margaret,
Another great stain remover in carpet is Folex. You can find it at Target, Home Depot and the like. It has removed Sharpie markers from white carpet. I LOVE FOLEX! I just never remember to take before and after pictures. I get so upset about the stain, I lose my mind until it is gone! Way to keep your wits about you, to share with us.
Margaret, I'm dying laughing right now because I read the fine print!! We are definitely alike in the fine print…
So glad the stains came out.
I stopped at the "Pookie". That's awfully cute.
And, good to know about the windex.
I, too, had read on the Internet about the amazing carpet stain removal properties of Windex. The only problem is that my search was "how to remove a WINDEX stain from the carpet. It was midday however.
One of my beloved daughters managed to spill half a bottle on my light carpet, which looks similar to yours. We now have a nice blue stain which I haven't been able to completely remove.
We call each other Pookie, too!
(It helps me to compare her to super smart people. It makes the naughty behavior seem…not that naughty, somehow.)
So funny!!!
I'm so happy for your carpets!
Pookie? Now that's a real man 🙂
Wow! The wonder cleaner!
….off to stock up on Windex at Sam's Club!
OH~ THANK GOODNESS!
We are soo alike!
I'm talking about making your son's bed.
Seriously.
My son's wouldn't have been made already.
I wouldn't have wanted the picture to show an unmade bed.
I would have made it.
😛
Also~ remember My Big Fat Greek Wedding? And the way they used windex??
🙂
I love this post. Getting ready to be a first time mom, people tell me I wont worry about stuff like this bc I'll be too busy.. BUT I would have done this in the middle of the night, just like you!
awesome, truly. and I'm heading to the carpet in the inside of my husband's closet with the windex bottle. my 3 year old had a secret inspection of mommy's bright pink nail polish bottle that wasn't secret very long.
LOL. Was it original Windex or one of the new fangled variations?
You crack me up!
i really enjoyed these two posts margaret. and i loved the quilt block you made for meredith. such pretty colors.
Not to steal any thunder from Lori N. of MN but I'll never forget where I learned the secret of windex as the ultimate stain panacea; it was from the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding. The old man used windex on everything, I tried it too and it works.
T.C.
It's nice to know that products like that work on things like that. I'd hate to have a house w/out crayons or shoe polish! LOL. You are one of my fav bloggers evah!
Truth be told, if I had seen the PC was on, I'd have checked and done the very same thing.