Tuesday, May 21, 2013

The Aftermath of Caleb the Erupter (+ a giveaway!!)

Well, this is embarrassing.

All of our kids used to have really horrible acid reflux. It's one of those issues that are common to preemies. While all of them struggled and were on medication for it, Caleb had the worst case by far. It was so bad that he earned himself the nickname, "Caleb the Erupter." The ladies who came over to help me feed the quads the summer that they came home had to bring a change of clothes with them for when (not if!) he completely doused them in vomit.

Oh man, just thinking about how bad it was grosses me out! I can't believe any of my clothes actually survived those first few months.

You know what else I can believe? That I'm actually posting a picture of our "feeding couch."
That couch is only about six years old, and it looked new until...well, until we brought home quadruplets with reflux issues. It has really been an embarrassment to have in our home because it is just nasty!

I've wiped, and sprayed, and even borrowed a steam cleaner to try to spruce it up. After all of that, I decided that the best way to deal with it was to wait until the kids move out, haul it out to the curb, and throw a "free" sign on it. Sheesh, do you think anyone would actually take it??

A few months ago, I met a local twin mom through an online multiples group. I found out that Kayla and her husband Jeff own a carpet and upholstery cleaning business, and they offered to come over and see what they could do about our couch. I didn't hold out much hope for the couch, but figured it was worth a try since their business name is Morris Magic Carpet and Upholstery...maybe they could work some magic on it.

Jeff came over with all of his gear and went to work. The first question out of my mouth was how toxic his cleaners were. While we've moved on from the teething phase, our kids still have a weird fascination with licking things. Jeff told me that all of his cleaners are safe and non-toxic. Jeff and Kayla have a set of 5-year-old twins and a set of 2-year-old twins (all girls!!), so using cleaners that are safe for families with little kids is important to them.

Each item that is cleaned goes through a deep cleaning process. After being pre-sprayed with a cleaning detergent, Jeff uses a cloth to make sure the cleaner coats each of the fibers. He then uses hot water extraction which works with the cleaning detergent to suck out all of the dust mites and dirt in the top 2-3 inches where all of those little critters like to hide. The neutralizers in the water extraction actually work to minimize future dust attraction too. Then for good measure, he does a second dry pass with the extraction machine to cut down on drying time. Finally, he mists a deodorizer to remove any lingering smells.

It's quite the intensive process!
While I greatly appreciate the care that his company takes with using non-toxic cleaners, I was most impressed with his sales technique...he didn't have one. The price they quote to clean a room or a piece of upholstery is exactly what they will charge you. Regardless of what type (pet, tomato based items, vomit, etc) or how many stains each item has, their price is all inclusive of whatever it takes to get rid of them. Most other carpet cleaning companies charge for the cleaning but don't include stain removal or deodorizer in their prices. Those all come at a premium that they hit you with when they are standing in your home. I really appreciate the upfront pricing that Morris Magic Carpet and Upholstery offers. As a family on a budget, that works MUCH better for us then a surprise bill at the end of the visit.

Also, Jeff cleans up after himself. I'm actually not sure if he noticed me taking a picture of him sucking up the water from our play mats, but he didn't want to leave a mess behind. He even wore those little hospital shoe covers in the house! Anyone who cuts down on the amount of cleaning I have to do is okay in my book!

And now for some before and afters! I don't know how to photoshop, so these are straight out of my camera! Good-bye, yucky feeding couch!



And since all of their work is guaranteed,  I know I can call him if an old stain suddenly reemerges, and he will come clean it again for free!

~Giveaway~
Kayla and Jeff have been part of the A Beautiful Ruckus reading community for awhile now, and asked if they could offer their own giveaway to their fellow readers! They are offering one winner a four area carpet cleaning OR $129 toward upholstery cleaning (total value for either is $129). Their service area covers Johnson, Miami, most of Jackson, and North Cass County including Kansas City and surrounding areas. This is an awesome dealt to jump start your summer with a clean house! (And if you aren't in their service area, never fear! I have another giveaway coming up at the end of the week that anyone in the United States can enter!)

To enter the Morris Magic Carpet and Upholstery Giveaway, please use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter. The first two tasks are not optional and must be completed to qualify for this giveaway. If you choose the "anonymous option" to comment, please at least include your first name and first letter of your last name. It's impossible to verify comment entries without names! The additional entry tasks are optional. Winning entries will be validated prior to announcing the winner with an alternate drawn if the entries cannot be verified.
The contest ends at 11:59pm on Monday, May 27th. The winner(s) will be randomly chosen and contacted by email on Tuesday, May 28th. The winner(s) will have 48 hours to respond to the email with their information so that the prize can be forwarded to them. A Beautiful Ruckus is not responsible for the delivery of the prize and is not responsible if the sponsor does not deliver. This giveaway is open to residents of the United States within the service areas outlined above. A Beautiful Ruckus received complimentary item(s) for review in exchange  for hosting this giveaway from Morris Magic Carpet and Upholstery. For more info, please see my disclaimer page.

28 comments:

  1. I had to laugh reading your blog. I did daycare for 17 years so I know what it is like to have a large brood in your home. Never have I had that many babies though. Thank you for sharing you couch turned out so much better.

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  2. I can't believe that's the same couch! Amazing! I was leery about buying a house with brand new white carpets throughout and that was BEFORE we had twin boys! I tried a carpet cleaner I had a Groupon for and was not impressed at all. If I win, I would love to get our white carpets looking white again - if that's possible!

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  3. We have a stairway landing that our dogs LOVES to nail in the middle of the night! It's so nasty, it might count as all 4 areas.

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  4. Vomit is the worst...especially when it comes from a 5 year old that could easily make it to the bathroom but instead decides to christian our brand new shag carpet! We desperately need our carpet, stairs and couch cleaned. My triplets have ruined my house but I wouldn't have it any other way! - Andrea A.

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  5. Two years at our house with two toddlers......EVERYTHING needs cleaned :) -Fallon C.-

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  6. I thought your couch was brown before, turns out it is green!

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  7. My carpets are embarrassingly dirty...having kids does that, I suppose! I'd have my front room and the 2 kids' bedrooms cleaned!

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  8. If I lived in the KC area, I would totally try this company! But since I am 2 hours South, I thought I would post a tip...As a Mom to a 26 week preemie (now 4.5 yrs old) who owns a microfiber couch as well, I shamefully admit that my couch looked just like that. 2 weeks ago I got a bottle of OxiClean 'Laundry'. Take a dry rag, spray the oxiclean on the rag and dab/scrub into the cushions. Rinse the same rag out with hot water (or use a new rag) and wipe down the cushion you just treated. I went one step further and rinsed/wiped down again just to make sure I got all the cleaner out. Let air-dry. Mine looked good as new. I hope it works for everyone else as well.

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  9. I would get my couches cleaned. They're pretty gross!

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  10. I would love my microfiber furniture cleaned. I'm pretty sure I would be amazed at what color it should be.

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  11. I would love to get my furniture cleaned too. :-)

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  12. I would absolutely love my carpets cleaned in my basement...where my kiddos hang out (and spill a ton of stuff). We've waited to replace the carpet in that part of the house until the kiddos are older...and it's beginning to show!

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  13. I would have our carpets done

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  14. I would love this! -Alyssa S

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  15. I would probably get my carpets done but would like the furniture done too. Sarah b

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  16. OMG!!!! I almost want to move just so I can live in his service area. This is utterly amazing...and I'm SO jealous. LOL.

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  17. Your couch looks fantastic!

    If I won I would give the prize to my sister - she has 3 little girls and I think at this point in time would appreciate the cleaning more than I would (I only have carpet in one room and it's only 3 months old, also only one child currently).

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  18. Would love to get the carpets cleaned in my house. I have 4 kids as well only mine are the furry variety!! There isn't a potty problem with any of them but one of my cats has reflux and projectile vomits like your little guy. I can normally get it surface cleaned but its the thought of all the places that I've cleaned that makes me crazy!!! I have a 13 month old grandson playing on the carpet now and it disgusts me to think what was there recently!

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  19. We're closing on our new house next week! I would love to move in to fresh clean carpets!

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  20. Oh goodness, what to choose. Probably I would have some carpets cleaned. Mine are pretty disgusting.

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  21. That is absolutely unbeleivable! Carpets would have to be done in my house :-) Lori S.

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  22. My couch too! It's so bad but I haven't had time to clean it...and I only have twins and a 3 year old as an excuse.

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  23. Wow, what a great job! I would have the carpets cleaned. With traffic from 9 people our carpet sure needs some cleaning!

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  24. I would use this prize to clean our nasty carpet in my mom & I's mobile home .. we've been putting it off for too long & this company seems to be amazing with quality results :)

    Thanks for the chance .. I live in northern Bates County in Adrian, Missouri so hope they can travel that far if I win!

    melly66(at)sbcglobal(dot)net

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  25. My couches and glider in the baby room. Goodness knows what all has been spilled on there between my 3yo and my 21mo. Not to mention the marker/pen marks...

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  26. There are always crumbs on our couch - yuk!
    Would have cleaner sofas and rugs

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  27. would love a cleaning!!

    nworstell@juno.com

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