A day at the 'Pet Spa'

I'm off on one of those posts that get me side tracked.

 

See I was working on one of those BIG projects that I've been talking about the last few weeks.

Sneak preview alert:

Ah - just a blank slate for now. This WAS the kids playroom just a few short weeks ago!

 

 But, I got to the point where I was cleaning the carpets, and one of the kids came in. The tears were falling and through the hiccuping and sobbing I managed to make out that her doggie needed a bath.

 

Now, I have to warn you. This is no ordinary dog. It's stuffed. It's also not of a size that I could just toss into the washing machine and call it a day. Besides. She sleeps with this dog, she eats with this dog. This dog is a part of our family and... well - Have you ever seen what happens to the animals you toss into the wash? I mean there are desperate times and all but this animal? There was NO WAY it was going into the machine!

 

So,  in a brilliant Mom move (I mean, Hey, I've had that title now for almost 15 years it's time I earned it, right?) I dropped what I was doing and we had a Pet Spa day. We brushed those tears off her little cherub face. Stuffed a cookie in her mouth and quickly proclaimed this as the Pet Spa rather than my newest project room. Hey, whatever works for the moment. So. I ran and grabbed a laundry basket to be the 'tub' and a blow dryer. I already had the rest of what I needed...

One dirty dog.

Clearly you can see why the child was distraught. This would be the child with OCD, ADD, and just a touch of ME. LOL.

I had my 'PET Cleaner" (cut off the car part of carpet cleaner and watered it WAAAAY down by 80%)

I simply sprayed the stains on each appendage and then vacuumed them off. Some of the set in stains had to be sprayed and vacuumed more than once, but ALL of the stains came off. Even the marker! Of course this Mama is not dumb. This house only has washable marker around anyway. But after sitting around for so long I would have thought that the marker would not have come off or would have left some staining, but NOPE!

After Vacuuming we brushed and blow dried the pup, giving it the full beauty spa treatment. Luckily my kiddo has no idea about painting doggie toenails or the whole bandanna thing that the real groomers do at their shops. I'm not sure if i could have found a bandanna around the house. Maybe a boa would have done?

At the end of it all the whole process only took about 1/2 hour and my kiddo and her pup were reunited. Of course this Doggie has her own pups and they were happy to see each other as well. I told you that it was part of the family.

But there is something I learned from this experience that I will use over and over again. It's SO MUCH EASIER to do it this way! The animal is cleaner and not all beaten up. The child is less traumatized and she truly enjoyed helping me in the process, too. Besides now I don't have fluff falling out or a tail that needs reattached, an eye falling off or any of the other assorted injuries that happen to these animals in the washer. Of course there are times that a washing machine would be the only way the animal could be saved. After all kids get sick - but for the animals that are just loved a little too much, what a great solution. I'll never go back to the old way again!

So hopefully if you, like me had never heard of anyone vacuuming their stuffed animals clean - now you have! Spread the word because it's too easy to ignore.

 

See you soon!

 

Barbie~