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Last week I bit the bullet and paid someone a gazillion dollars to clean the carpets in my house. I bought this a couple years ago, and it works great for inbetween jobs but I needed a truck engine-massive sucking machine-clean.
The night before the carpet cleaner came, I moved all the furniture out of the rooms so they could do a thorough job. (See, I am crazy?)
The boys LOVED this…they immediately set up an indoor soccer field in the living room.
Isaac said to me, “When I have a house I am going to have NO furniture in ANY rooms, except for one couch to sleep on.”
LOL, I was wondering what all that stuff was on your window sill when I saw that picture! It seemed so unlike you to have all that stuff cluttering up that beautiful window :o)
I own 4 vacuum cleaners AND 2 carpet shampoo-ers. You are not strange at all… and carpet lines make me happy. VERY happy. I also have 4 boys and keeping their feet in proper footwear is impossible, especially on my littles!
I love clean carpets! I refuse to put my baby down on any carpet other than our own because you never know what's hidden in the fibres. And I'm right there with you – if you're going to pay an arm and a leg for someone to wash your carpets, it better be done right and thoroughly, and that definitely involves moving all the furniture out of the way!
We got rid our of carpets 3 years ago and refinished the floors. We love our floors and my allergies improved as it's easier to clean bare floors. Only downside – I miss the cushioning when the kids fall or wrestle. :/
I can't stand dirty carpet either. We have a no eat except the kitchen rule and shoes come off at the door. It really helps keeping things clean and thus a happy mom.
I absolutely LOVE clean carpets, but my 5 great kiddos don't seem to care. It's hard to police them all so that they don't track anything in the house.
We definitely do not wear shoes in the house, or our house slippers outside, so maybe that helps a little.
In fact, I think I hate carpet! No matter what, we can't get stains out. We removed a lot of our carpet and replaced with wood floors. When I had babies, I hated the thought of dirty shoes and carpets meeting. I must admit, though, I love to go barefoot and let my kids do it all the time….We were at my brother's beach house and he has all these rules – wash sand off feet, must wear flip flops on grass, must remove shoes for carpeted garage and house, etc…..so it was so funny when he was wondering who got blood all over the carpeting….as he stood there with a bleeding toe!
I believe in hiring a professional every year! We did the same thing last week and moved all the furniture and got a good cleaning in the entire house. Not only is our carpet clean and stain free but it is sanitary! It really feels good to know your carpets are clean. You are not a nut at all, I am right there with you as are many other mommies.
I have several friends who I am sure think I am obssessed with my carpets. Honestly, I vacume only a couple of times a week vs. the daily that I used do. Having 4 kids and babysitting for small people has forced me to relax. I live in the country the country though and some days I think I'm going to go crazy with all the in's and outs and dirty carpets.
We don't have any carpeting..except in the basement. So much easier to clean! Especially in the summer with all the sand!
Your tables stacked on each other make for an interesting focal point…suprised they made it through still like that and didn't get knocked over! Four boys makes for dirty carpets and walls and toilets and all!
Have you ever read the Catalog living blog? Hilarious! It's funny how most of us at one time or another lose sight of the fact that housing should reflect the people who actually live there, and the living they need to do within those walls. Every time I'm thinking of buying something fancy and decorative, I think about how often I will have to shoo a little person away from said object and usually think better of the purchase!
I insist on carpet cleaning at least 4 times a year (the home cleaner version) cause I can't stand dirty carpet. Also? We live in a rental with a CARPETED DINING AREA. Who ever thought that was a good idea!?!?
Love clean carpets and we only eat in the kitchen too.
we have white tile in our kitchen, dining and baths and beige carpet in the living and bedrooms. i live at the beach (sand) with a toddler (crumbs), husband (clumsy) and black lab (hair), i am constantly cleaning the floors. i feel like a crazy woman down on my hands and knees everyday, but i cannot stand dirty floors. shoes come off at the door but it's still a mess.
love being at a place in life where we have no carpet–not even in a vehicle!
YES! That's why we have no carpets and only one rug that can't be tossed into the washer (and that gets professionally cleaned at the rug place once a year).
I got new carpeting in (almost) every room in my house a week ago. This morning my 6 year old got the flu, and it doesn't feel like new carpet any more. She actually called out to me, "Just to let you know, I just sprayed throw up". Uggh.
Here is a tip on the the outdoor/dirty feet: place baby wet wipes near the door and have them wipe their bare feet before they hit the carpeted area…it will really help with the carpets. {my kids feet are often black from the trampoline). so happy that you have clean carpets! enjoy!! hugs, cathy
A shoes-off rule is essential to protect carpets and other kinds of flooring.
I have an whole blog about this subject: Shoes Off at the Door, Please You might like to take a look.
Ya I can't stand dirty carpet – ugh! And my kids all know to wear their shoes outside and take them off to come in BUT it seems like whenever friends or family come over, the kids run around outside with bare feet (on a FARM – not the best idea) and then they run around the house with their filthy feet and it just makes me want to gag!!