It's A Miracle!

There was a miracle performed in my home today.

It was a miracle of grand proportions.

Do you remember when I performed magic in my kitchen?

If not, here is a refresher.

Anyway, in order to explain my miracle, I must start 

by telling you about my carpet.

Oh, my carpet.

My sad...

beige...

apartment-grade...

 don't-look-at-it-for-too-long-or-a-stain-will-appear...

not-meant-to-be-polka-dotted-but-it-is...

carpet.

I hate, loathe, despise, am not a huge fan of my carpet.

There are dark spots and stains all over, most 

of which are from unidentifiable sources.

I've used what feels like every carpet cleaner on the market with no luck.

I would give just about anything for new flooring and 

no longer have to call myself the owner of this sad, sad carpet.

But, alas, it is my carpet, new floors are not in 

the budget and I am stuck with it.

I am just going to have to live with it.

That said, I decided today that I refuse, 

and I mean refuse,

to live with it in this condition any longer.

So how do I fix it?

Well, duh.

PINTEREST!

I have a cleaning & organizing board with all kinds of things pinned to it.

I consulted that board and found a pin for cleaning carpet. 

You can find it here.

This blogger's carpets are obviously worse than mine.

I think I may suffer from Carpet Dysmorphic Disorder.

I know they don't look as bad as the ones below, but I feel like they do.

Source: elizabethbryant.blogspot.com via Patty on Pinterest

Ingredients were simple:

1) White Vinegar

2) Dish soap

3) Warm Water

Really.  That was it.

Oh, and elbow grease.  

I guess that would be #4.

But you only need a pinch. ;)

I gathered my stuff and set out for the living room floor.  

Note, too, that I used a white cloth.

I don't know if the dye from a colored cloth would transfer, but

the instructions said to use a white cloth & I wasn't about to ignore

that part.  The last thing I wanted was to make my carpet look even worse 

by leaving big, dark, colored splotches all over it.

I was determined, but realistic.  

I thought it may taking a LOT of scrubbing.

Or maybe even some soaking.

But, no.

The stains came right out.

I am talking in seconds.

It was AMAZING.

I am more apt to stay on task if I quickly see the fruits of my labor.

In this instance, my harvest was bountiful!

(That is all you are getting in the way of a fruit metaphor. Especially since I think some of the orange spots on my cruddy carpet were the result of peaches...)

Here are some pictures so you can see the difference.

Before:

Close-Up:

(See what I mean?! Eww!)

After:

Before:

After:

Before:

(Here is the evidence of the peaches.  Gives my carpet "character" huh?)

After:

Seriously, does that not make your heart sing?!?!

I am so flippin' happy about how my carpet looks now.

Like, "happy" is not an accurate word.

Thrilled, maybe.

Or ecstatic.

Elated, 

jubilant, 

delirious...

All of the above.

Bottom line is this: 

If I can't have new carpet, clean carpet is the next best thing.

I can't tell you it will always look like this.

I can't even guarantee it will look like this until the end of the week...

What I can guarantee is that I will definitely use this homemade cleaner the next time I end up with leopard-esque spots on my floor.

Happy, gloriously spot-free Monday to you all!