S**t! There's PAINT on the carpet!

First, I apologise for my potty mouth. I assure you, swearing in this situation is entirely warranted.

Second, if you are our landlords and have stumbled upon this blog, don't panic and please skip right to the end of this post!

Picture the scene. An idyllic afternoon in the Kirsch household. Daddy is at work, Mummy is home after doing some overtime and Lily is painting whilst Ollie plays on the floor with his cars...

Wait. Where is Ollie?

Ollie?!

Oh sugar. Sugar. Sugar. SUGAR!

My baby, my darling, my gorgeous boy has managed to tip over a huge tin of white satin paint all over the carpet.

I screamed. I cried. I laughed. All at the same time.

Then I whipped out my phone, took a photo and then called my Mum.

I'll never know how he did it. That lid had been stuck fast when I tried to prise it open and touch up the unit I'd painted over the weekend. I'd given up and popped the tin by the back door so I could take it to the shed.

Remembering this experience sends shivers down my spine. I ended up in hysterics and cried pretty much all afternoon. But. I lived to tell the tale, and here are my top tips for dealing with a similar situation:

1. Put the baby in the bathtub

This way they can't do any further damage by crawling around whilst you attempt to clean up.

2. Scrape as much paint as possible off the carpet

Don't rub, it will only make it worse.

3. Pray the paint is water-based

It should say on the tub and it makes the whole removal process a lot easier.

4. Call for back-up

My mum was amazing and turned to DIY-Google for instructions whilst I sobbed washed Ollie in the bath.

5. Be prepared to make sacrifices

Unless you have A LOT of kitchen towels, you're going to need to use whatever absorbent materials you have to hand. I spent ten minutes lamenting the use of my Cath Kidston tea towels. But, in the end, it's cheaper to replace them than a carpet.

6. Pour water and washing up liquid

Pour it over the stain, then blot straight away with the tissue/towels. Then keep going. Don't pour too much and always have the towel ready for blotting to stop it from spreading out.

7. Don't leave the toddler unattended

Lily had been happily painting before disaster struck. She was then amazing and was really good looking after Ollie and keeping out of the way whilst I got to work. However, at one point I glanced over and saw Lily, paintbrush in hand, stood on a dining chair, and I shrieked like a banshee.

8. Keep pouring and blotting

It is a long process, but it works.

9. Get a takeaway

Maybe it's just me looking for an excuse but the idea of cooking on top of two hours of working on the carpet was about to send me to a soft padded room and so I grabbed a meal for Ollie from the freezer and ordered a curry for the rest of us.

10. Pick your poison

It might be wine, or gin, or chocolate or (like me) cake. Whatever it is, you deserve it.

As they say, all's well that ends well and the carpet is now back to it's old self. Helped along by a friend who lent us their steam cleaner it's looking lovely and new, all substances are in the bin back where they are meant to be and I'm saving the photo for when Ollie brings his first girlfriend home for dinner...