Disastrous Stain on Couch - Help!

[ejchase]

I can't believe I did this.

Last night, at 2 a.m., I was changing our baby on a changing pad on the couch when she peed again and a couple drops got on the couch. I went to the laundry room and grabbed what I thought was a bottle of our upholstery cleaner and sprayed the stain and then realized I'd grabbed a bottle of Raid!

I wiped it up quickly with water, then sprayed it with upholstery cleaner and sprayed a couple other areas with upholstery cleaner.

This morning, the non-Raid areas are fine, but the place where I sprayed the Raid is a huge stain right in the middle of the couch - it looks exactly like someone just sat there and peed.

The cushion can't be turned over - it's sewed on. The couch is an irregular size for getting a slipcover.

We are broke right now and can't afford a new couch. I'm also afraid to get the couch professionally cleaned because I think the chemicals would not be great for the baby (though I'm sure the Raid isn't great either).

I guess I could buy a bedspread or something to throw over the couch, but because it's L-shaped, that will probably look weird.

Can anybody offer any suggestions? I'm obviously just sick about this. I can't imagine having guests over (and of course I have people coming to dinner Tuesday night) and asking them to sit on that couch.

It's a beige couch and the stain is a slightly darker color beige.

[redfox]

Yuck, I hate it when these things happen. First of all, I would call around for a professional upholstery cleaner, and tell them what happened, and that you want a low or non-toxic solution. If you get it cleaned, you may need to air it out afterwords and not put your baby on it without a towel under her.

If you don't use a professional cleaner, I'd call the Raid people and find out what's in it (and ditch it too - it's really nasty stuff). Ask if there is oil in it, which is what it sounds like to me. Then google the stuff they tell you, and do some research about how it's soluble. When you spot treat something, what you're doing is using a solvent of some sort to float the stain and remove it. Chances are the professionals will know the best remedy.

Lastly, I'd encourage you to drop your anxiety about it all, especially with guests. You now have a baby - get used to things getting dirty, stained, broken, etc. People know that homes with babies have stains. Your guests are there to see you & the baby, not your house, and though I TOTALLY understand the angst of wanting the house to be perfect, it isn't. The baby, on the other hand, is! Enjoy this time and lose the worry about the perfect home... if you had a week to live, would you spend it cleaning... ?

Blessings!

[ejchase]

Lastly, I'd encourage you to drop your anxiety about it all, especially with guests. You now have a baby - get used to things getting dirty, stained, broken, etc. People know that homes with babies have stains. Your guests are there to see you & the baby, not your house, and though I TOTALLY understand the angst of wanting the house to be perfect, it isn't. The baby, on the other hand, is! Enjoy this time and lose the worry about the perfect home... if you had a week to live, would you spend it cleaning... ?


Wow. Thank you for all the good advice, but particularly for this reality check. I really needed it. I've lived alone my whole life and am now living in a new house with my SO, our baby, and his two teenagers, and the rate at which things are getting stained and broken has been driving me a little bonkers. I should post your words up on the wall and reread them every day!

[Mrs-M]

Oh dear... I second Redfox's advice to seek out a professional upholstery cleaner. Also, Redfox's suggestion on putting a towel under your little one is great advice! Plastic changing pads are great but they don't absorb or hold. I was lazy and always changed my kids right in the crib, that, or in the bathroom on the vanity top if they were dirty.

[ejchase]

Thanks, Mrs. M.

Yeah, I'm generally opposed to changing the baby on the couch. But she was screaming last night, and I thought if I changed her upstairs, she'd wake up the whole house. The changing pad we have is big and usually *does* protect sufficiently, even when she pees unexpectedly, but I just wasn't quick enough last night!

[Tenngal]

will the slipcover come off? If so, take it off and try soaking the stain in some water and Dawn dishwashing liquid. This stuff cleans almost anything.

[porcelain]

Just assure your friends that the stain is clean and dry and it's safe to sit there! If they look down at you for it, you don't need them as friends anyway!

[Kat]

Redfox pretty much covered it. And yeah, if people are worried about a stain on the couch...do you really want to be friends with those people? I could care less if my friends have stained couches. When I go to visit, it is to see them, not their furniture ;-)

If you aren't able to get the stain out, perhaps you could make a cover later (or have one made). I've even seen people do no-sew ones with sheets. Some creative tucking and pinning and voila! :-) Honestly, it might be worth the investment to have washable cover made(when you can afford it). Kids can be hard on furniture with the spit up, the spilling of juice, etc. Would be nice to just toss the cover in the wshing machine and be done with it!

[Mrs-M]

Ejchase. Yeah, sometimes it's nice to pick baby up to comfort and calm before changing, which usually leads to changing them in another area of the house before returning them to the crib. I used to do the same with my kids if needed, but I found most of the time the instant they seen me enter their room they quietened, and once I latched onto their pants to start changing them that was usually all that was needed to settle them down again.