Santa left me a mess this time

[wahoowad]

Last night I heard a loud "Oh Nooooooooo!" from my wonderful yet clumsy bride as Santa was leaving. Apparently a large jug of laundry detergent was left in an ill-advised spot and she Santa knocked it to the floor, spreading the contents into a 24" circle of sludgy mess on our carpet. She told Santa to go on as we knew he was busy and we proceeded to start the cleanup using a couple bath towels.

Phase 1 of the cleanup ended and we're still left with a very slimy, sudsy circle in the carpet. I'm wondering if my next step is to hit it with our carpet cleaner? I feel like it will quickly fill my recovery tank with foam and overflow because there is still so much detergent. Is there an alternative to try? Plan B is to have a professional cleaner come in but hoping I can avoid that expense.

 

[wahoowad]

 

[heat seeker]

Only thing I can suggest is to use a wet/dry vac and try to deal with the suds. Or, keep sopping it up with towels, then try vacuuming it.

Did Santa still eat the goodies you left him? Or did you forget to leave something, and he had an "accident"?

 

[EatenByLimestone]

It's sounds like Santa was a little passive/aggressive at your house!


I'd try the wet and dry vac. Wet the carpet. Suds it up, vac it up... Repeat.

 

[wahoowad]

Thanks. I always think of my steam cleaner for messes like this and always forget I have a nice wet/dry vac out in the shop!

 

[BrotherBart]

The interesting thing is what is gonna be happening to the wooden sub-floor during this operation.

 

[festerw]

There are defoamers available for the problem you're expecting. Not sure if HD or Lowe's have it but a janitorial supplier will. I would scrub some into the carpet itself then put some into the shop vac/carpet cleaner tank.

Even at that you'll probably never get it all.

 

[wahoowad]

Do you think I should rub some sawdust into it so I can vacuum it up? Won't get it all but could cut down on the liquid volume when I do use a steam cleaner

 

[wahoowad]

The interesting thing is what is gonna be happening to the wooden sub-floor during this operation.

I'm expecting a blue greasy circle but no serious issues. What do you think will happen?

 

[festerw]

Not sure I'd use sawdust you may end up with a gelatinous mess that way, laundry detergent is just a pain.

 

[Dune]

Get some fuller's earth.
Way more absorbent than sawdust and cheap.

 

[1kzwoman]

Lay a thin layer of old style dish towel down then cover with clay cat litter. I spilled pint of olive oil inside a casita camper cupboard ( they are carpeted) used this method to clean it up. Towel allowed oil to pass into litter but didn't allow litter into carpet. Leave litter set stiring from time to time until it stops absorbing.
I'd add some water to thin soap then use wet dry shop vac, then this method. It worked amazingly on oil....but slow. Can't tell there was a spill .

 

[firefighterjake]

You are sure Santa knocked over a laundry jug and it wasn't a reindeer that had to go really, really bad right?

 

[heat seeker]

It looks blue. Maybe high octane reindeer fuel...

 

[Beer Belly]

In my experience, (had this happen once) we tried wet/dry vac.....shampooer, and a couple other things. Got it cleaned up, but that spot always attracted dirt from that day forward, leading me to believe it was never totally cleared of the spill.

 

[mithesaint]

In my experience, (had this happen once) we tried wet/dry vac.....shampooer, and a couple other things. Got it cleaned up, but that spot always attracted dirt from that day forward, leading me to believe it was never totally cleared of the spill.

Had that happen when a poorly behaved dog destroyed 64 ounces of olive oil. We cleaned that carpet monthly for a year, and it still attracted dirt within two days of cleaning. Then we sold the house

 

[HeatsTwice]

Rip out the carpet and put in tile - a one day job - and Santa wanted it the laundry room anyway.

Had the same problem in all my walk in bathrooms. Carpet (yuk). Took it all out and put down the tile. Didn't even have to use thin set (mortar). Liquid nails is cheap and fast. Like I said, done in one day.

Did it ten years ago. Still going strong.

 

[MiaElizabeth]

Getting a cleaning service is not a bad option.

 

[Charlotte987]

Allright, first off, place something absorbent on top of it: You could use talcum, cornstarch. Use about an half an inch thickness of cornstarch covering the entire stain, let it sit for 24 hours. Vacuum, if any of the detergent is visible and sticky do it again.
The point is to pick up as much of the concentrated detergent as possible without destroying the rug. Once there remains just a little of the detergent, fill a bucket with warm water and a cup of vinegar, using a sponge, blot the stain, removing detergent with the sponge and rinsing in another bucket as you go, blotting the stain with water and vinegar (don't rub with the sponge) you can do this a couple of times, until all the soap is out. Let dry. (You might have to blot and rinse it several times over the period of a week to remove it all) Once there is no residue left, use a stiff brush (while its still damp) and brush the nap of the rug back into place. Let dry. Good luck.

Note: Forgot to mention that if this rug has any natural fibers, like cotton or wool, this should work perfectly well. If its all synthetic fiber, it won't stand up all that well to cleaning in this way.

Another Note: Grocery stores often rent steam cleaning machines for about twenty-five dollars per day. That would also work, once you picked up much of the detergent residue.