All About Carpets

I finally called Stanley Steemer to come clean the carpets. They left without cleaning them, but I did learn a lot about carpets and appreciated their friendly honest opinions and genuine concern for saving me money.

Before having kids, I'd describe myself as proactive, especially at work. At home, especially since being thrown off by the unexpected challenges of parenthood, sometimes things get put off that shouldn't be.

So- what's the right way to do it:

1. When you buy new carpets, they have a protective coating that eventually wears off from traffic.
2. High traffic marks on carpets won't come out, even with professional cleaning. They will be clean, but they won't look clean.
3. Choose a carpet designed for high traffic, with dark specs that mask dirt.
4. Have the professionals come clean at least once a year and apply a protective coating (additional cost).
5. Clean spots and stains immediately so they don't set in (and vacuum regularly).
6. Soot and soil filtration won't come out with professional cleaning either.
7. Budget accordingly: The minimum at Stanley Steemer was $109, and that's what it costs for 2 rooms. They also do furniture.

Treat yourself and have your carpets cleaned. Then plan to have them replaced at least every 10 years.

If you decide to do it yourself

• Use half the recommended amount of soap and the hottest water you can.
• The vacuum on your personal carpet machine isn't as strong as the professionals and it will leave soap residue behind, which attracts dirt.

So, even the Stanley Steemer guys are not miracle workers. But, they can help you stay on top of your big cleaning projects (like the carpets) and teach you about how to actually take care of your carpets from the beginning. Hey, you never know unless you ask.

*This post is not sponsored. It expresses my experience with Stanley Steemer and what I learned about carpets from having them come to my house.

Ending the Waiting

Many things in life cannot be said more eloquently than by Dr. Seuss.

"The Waiting Place...for people just waiting. Waiting for a train to go 

or a bus to come, or a plane to go

or the mail to come, or the rain to go

or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow

or waiting around for a Yes or No

or waiting for their hair to grow.

Everyone is just waiting.

Waiting for the fish to bite

or waiting for wind to fly a kite

or waiting around for Friday night

or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake

or a pot to boil, or a Better Break

or a string of pearls, or a pair of pants

or a wig with curls, or Another Chance.

Everyone is just waiting."

I've been doing a lot of waiting lately when it comes to starting my own official blog. A blog that makes money, that people actually read (because I actually tell people about it and promote it), that makes an impact on someone's life, where I call all the shots. I've been writing oodles and oodles of drafts that I never have the guts to publish. But that's not me- being afraid of what people might think. Biting my tongue instead of giving my honest opinion. I've never cared about that before. Suddenly the "to do" list to make the blog official is just too overwhelming and I'm stuck. Stuck because I want it to be successful and official all at once. Deciding on a niche and a name, registering a domain, all of the things that official bloggers do. In my dreams of how I want my blog to be, I forget that the blog, like life, is a process and success doesn't come at the beginning. 

So here it goes. Yet another first post. Another fresh start. 

I've learned a lot in my almost 4 years as a mother. Mostly about myself and what it takes to run my home successfully (in my eyes) but mostly what makes it run unsuccessfully. I have my own ideas about the values I want to teach my kids and what I think it takes to do that. What I've also learned is that what works for me doesn't work for everyone, but it might make you think about your own problems and challenges in a new way. So, just because I give my opinion in this blog and tell my own stories of what worked for me, doesn't mean I am judging you for doing it differently. I'm just sharing my own perspective. So in return, I ask that if you must judge my opinions, please keep it to yourself. There's no right or wrong way to be a parent to your unique children. Nothing is black and white- everything is grey. What works one minute or one day, won't work the next. Like life, it's a balancing act, an experiment and we're all doing the best we can with what we've got. 

That's all for now. I hope to keep myself accountable to write and share and that people come to read (and maybe benefit) from my thoughts along the way.