Spam and the Art of Carpet Cleaning

I don’t get a lot of comments on my blogs. I probably shouldn’t write that since it’s not something to brag about and might cause a reader to think my blog isn’t worth reading. While comments directly on the blog may be lacking, I do get a lot of hits (in fact this summer I passed 100,000!!). Most people who comment on my blog do it through facebook, pinterest, or e-mail me direct if they are subscribers. Sure, I wish they’d write on the blog itself so it would make me look good, or at least popular, but honestly I’m happy to hear from people no matter how they reach me. It gives me comfort that I’m not writing in a vacuum.

Periodically, there are some comments on my blog that puzzle me. One post in particular generated a wealth of comments. It wasn’t my best post or a particularly provocative topic, but it gained momentum and had 397 hits beyond my regular subscribers. It was titled, Natural Carpet Cleaning (or the Cat’s New Digs). I suppose it was the words Carpet Cleaning that attracted the wealth of readers. At any rate, many of the comments were bizarre. Some seemed to be from people who don’t claim English as their native tongue. Some made no sense at all. I regret that I deleted the first dozen or so. After awhile it became amusing and I left them posted. Here are a few samples:

This post is so informative and makes a very nice image on the topic in my mind. It is the first time I visit your blog, but I was extremely impressed. Keep posting as I am gonna come to read it everyday!

The post is talking about natural carpet cleaning or the cats new place to live. Useful post

I am very thankful to all or any your group to share specific heartening stuff.

congratulations guys, quality information you have given!!! 

Impressive work....it will useful for any carpet cleaning consumers.!!!!!

Many of the comments were signed by Carpet Cleaning companies. Which made me wonder, what was the point? Would commenting on my little blog actually garner more carpet cleaning business? Is there a program out there that generates comments on blogs that cover certain topics like carpet cleaning? My site’s host, Blogger, makes it so difficult for a well-meaning normal person to write a relevant comment on my blogs that I find it amazing that spammers can get around their frustrating system. Or maybe you have to be a carpet cleaning spammer to be able to circumnavigate it in the first place.

A slew of comments came from carpet cleaning companies in Australia and New Zealand. This amused me to no end. I love that my post was being flung around on the far end of the earth. Here’s a little more publicity for them:

“Your blogs are totally worth giving time and energy.” -carpet cleaning Auckland

“The is a great article”  -Bond Cleaning Brisbane

“You completely duplication our mean and the difference of our information.” -professional carpet cleaning auckland   (That’s actually exactly what was written. They do speak English in New Zealand don’t they?)

You have to admire this commenter who went for the really obvious and stuck their advertisement smack in the middle of their complimentary comments about my blog:

“I enjoyed the tips you are providing on your website. Az Carpet and Tile Cleaning is the best carpet cleaner in Phoenix Arizona. It is remove of stains, dirt, grit and sand for long term cleaning. Thanks for the the information……” (again, I copied the comment exactly as it was written.)

I do realize that re-posting these silly comments is just rewarding odd behavior, but I couldn’t resist, especially since one of the last comments was from someone so famous.

“Asd”  -Angelina Jullie

I looked up “asd” in the urban/internet dictionaries and here’s what I found:

 Asd:

1. A spam word that doesn't mean anything, but more than often typed in a spamming frenzy. 
2. American Sign-language for the Deaf.

In the hopes of inciting another “spamming frenzy” I’ve tried to type CARPET CLEANING as many times as possible in this post.

If you can shed some light on all this, feel free to comment on my comments but first you have to get past the stiff security of Blogger. I'm assuming some of you out there can explain all this - I'm not gonna ask how you know this information. The deep, dark recesses of the internet remain a mystery to me.

Natural Carpet Cleaning (or The Cat's New Digs)

We have a new barn cat. Well, actually we have a new barn cat that used to be our house cat before he took to using my daughter’s room as a litter box. Eww. I won’t embarrass her by saying publicly there’s a reason he chose that particular room. I’ll just say that she’s the creative type. They always say that a messy desk is a sign of a creative mind. Well, she’s VERY creative.  

Anyway, the cat is adapting to the barn now that his food has moved up there, and he’s discovered that there is plenty of supplemental food available with just the slightest effort. The mice that were living large on the spilled chicken feed and barrels of horse feed are feeling a bit under siege. 

Back to the smelly room. Although we cleaned up each accident as soon as it was spotted (so to speak), the smell became unbearable. So this past weekend we borrowed a carpet cleaning machine from a friend (thanks Allison!). After two solid days of unearthing, uh, I mean cleaning, the room, we discovered the carpet and along with that plenty of places where the cat left its mark. 

Not wanting to use the expensive, industrial carpet cleaning solutions I found at the store, and having failed to eliminate the stink with my favorite go-to cleaner vinegar, I sought out a natural carpet cleaner. After spending way too much time reading organic cleaning blogs (who knew there were so many!), I found a recipe that seemed to have the most reliable results. While I’d like to give credit where credit is due, this recipe was on several sites and I couldn’t really determine where it originated. 

It worked like a charm and left the room smelling of lavender. Of course, this morning when I was moving furniture back in to the room, the other cat followed me in and curled up on the freshly laundered carpet. I suppose it remains to be seen (and smelled) if we banished the right kitty!

 

All-Natural Carpet Cleaner (for machines)

 6 cups hot, hot water (but not boiling)

¼ cup 3% hydrogen peroxide (the kind in the brown bottle – also excellent for cleaning bathrooms)

1 ½ Tablespoon white vinegar

1 ½ Tablespoons dish detergent

½ teaspoon essential oil (we used lavender and tea tree oil)