Sunday, November 4, 2007

frustration!

Okay-so this is the way it goes when you are trying to sell your house, I guess. About a week ago, one of our dear children left a red marker out somewhere where our dear dog could mistake it as a bone. She apparently figured it out after a bite that it wasn't a bone....and then left it to bleed into our new carpet in the LR. I found the blood red spot first--and thought someone was dangerously injured.....until I discovered the marker nearby. I dabbed as much of it up as I could, but it had bled way down into the fibers and left about a 2 inch round red blotch right in the middle of where you'd not miss it.

When we bought the carpet, we got 2 carpet cleanings free. Of course, we have not scheduled one yet, even though we desparately need it. Knowing that we are to have a realtor in one evening this week....most likely Wednesday, I got impatient, and decided I should be Queen of All Stains, and attempt to get it out myself. Since I have been using all sorts of cleaners all day, I remembered that the "OxyPower" cleaner I had been using mentioned something about cleaning carpets and upholstry on the front label. I carefully read the directions on the back.....and go for it. I start out very catiously, spraying just a wee bit in the direct middle of the stain. I wait the directed 3-5 minutes and lightly dabb. NOTHING. I try again....doing the same thing.....still nothing. So, I spray more, all over, even into the fibers surrounding the spot. Wait a bit, and then started scrubbing frantically. Still, not noticing any difference, except now the red spot looks hot pink. I give up, and put the cleaner away, and just mumble under my breath how that was a complete waste of my time.

NOW-maybe 20 minutes later, I look at the spot.....and while the red is still hot pink....the area around the spot seems to be glowing....even making the spot stand out more! What the heck! And why didn't the dog decide to eat the darn marker in a more out of the way area??? Like in the garage??? Or at least on the boys' ugly blue carpet that we might have to replace anyway? ARGH! Instead--it is right where you can't miss it--on the already replaced carpet! What are we gonna do? (Besides go crazy!)

I know that when the guys laid the carpet, they left us some remnants. I can't imagine we'd be able to patch it without it being obvious, too. I don't know.....it may be our only choice. Matt says we had a warranty (that spelling doesn't look right) that if they couldn't get a stain out, they'd fix it.....but, for how long could that be for? We must have had this carpet for a year now....I can't even remember!

Matt just came upstairs and saw my "cleaning job" for himself. He is not happy. He thinks it glows now, too. Seriously, it makes me want to scream! I was trying to make it better! I didn't think it could get worse. Guess what?? It could. I am just so frustrated, I could cry. :0(

4 comments:

deanna said...

Oh, I'm sorry, that sounds really frustrating! Dilute it - just use some water on it to see if that glow will go away.

When we walked through our house, there were glaring issues like that - carpets with obvious water stains, ugly floors, tile in the bathrooms that were not grouted, cracked and coming up. Our realtor just kept saying, "It's all cosmetic! Try to focus on the space, not the detail!!" We'll just hope you have a bunch of those kinds of realtors come through.

We use this carpet stuff called (I might be wrong...) Hot Spots or Hot Shots... It's got an orange cap and was recommended to us by a friend who works for Winchester Homes. Works like a charm every time. You could give it a try. At the time, it was not available in retail stores. Home Depot carries it now - and I'm sure you can get it many other places. It's worth a try.

kimsilver said...

Thanks, Deanna. I keep hoping people will like the space, too. Our house isn't bad.....but there are definately "issues" here and there. I pray those things will be overlooked by the "lookers".

I'll have to try and see if I find the cleaner you are speaking of. How great that would be if the spot were to come out.

It is funny, because in the "new" house....on our second walk through, I started noticing little imperfections in their carpet, too. Things I didn't notice the first time. We were told that there was a carpet allowance, and I remember thinking originally, "why in the world is there a carpet allowance?" I guess that just shows you that things like carpet stains do get overlooked by potential buyers--whether it be on purpose or by accident. We will just have to pray that the stain will not as noticable as I think it is! Or that it won't matter to the potential buyer.

Kathryn said...

Worst case scenario, you can do the remnant patch. If it makes you feel any better, we had to do that when we were selling our previous house...

The @%*#* dog had chewed a ten inch hole right near the french doors! (This was right after she had pulled a section of wallpaper off the kitchen wall...) We had no choice but to patch, and thankfully it looked fine.

Good luck!

deanna said...

Spot Shot - I finally remembered the name!