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)
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)
