Ooh, ooh, That Smell!

If we’re honest, all of us doggy people have had those moments when someone walks into our house, crinkles their expression and asks, “What is smell?” Or, you may just have folks leaving your home saying, “Ooh, ooh, that smell!” Or maybe you are fortunate enough to notice it yourself. But, c’mon. Admit it! We have all had those days. Well, you’ll be happy to know about my new discovery. I found a steam mop that helps *greatly*! It’s not a cure-all, and it takes some effort, but I can attest that you will not be disappointed!

Things–even odors–pile up

With two dogs and hardwood floors throughout, there was not much ado about keeping my home fresh and clean. Sure, we have a shepherd. So there are tumbleweeds of hair floating upon occasion. Yes, even after I vacuum! But there was not that odor that hung in the air, built over time. Not, that is, until I decided our living room needed a rug. Correction. We have been through three rugs.

The first rug was so pretty! It looked like a water-color painting of very large, multi-colored flowers that fit in with the decor nicely. The rug had a rubber backing and was short pile. So, how could that go wrong? Well, when Hanani was still quite young she got bored while I napped on the couch one afternoon. She remained on the floor, right by the couch, like I commanded her. She remained there the entire time…while she quietly chewed a hole right through the middle of that pretty rug. 

The next rug we got was just a little cheap thing to throw in the living room until I could find what I really wanted. It moved around so much it became more a pain than it was worth. And I began to notice a smell that would just not go away. We can spray all the Febreeze, Odoban, or whatever you want, even take it outside and hose it down, and that smell would still peek through eventually. That rug was moved out quickly. Those deodorizers, no matter how great, do eventually pile up also.

Then I found it. A rug large enough to not move all over the place and durable enough that it would withstand, so I thought, two big dogs and four adults repeatedly. It was so pretty! Then Mia got sick. Yes…all over the rug. No matter. I washed it thoroughly. Well, as thorough as one can with something that cannot be thrown in the washer. Even though I washed underneath as well, that smell started creeping back in. Thankfully, it did not smell like dog vomit (ewe!). Just smelled like dog.

During this China-virus lock down malarkey, there is no one renting a rug cleaner. So, I began to research what rug cleaner to buy. That rug is the culprit of assaulting our noses, but I am going to stand and fight for my rug this time!

The problem with rug cleaners

The issue I have with getting a rug cleaner is, frankly, I do not want to spend over a hundred or two dollars or more for something that can be used for only one thing–and that, only on occasion. For those who have carpet throughout the house, have at it! I have wood floors and one–count ’em, one!–rug. I try to be a good steward with all that God provides, so I determined this was not a good investment for us.

Along my search, I must admit, I never understood how those little mop-thingies with only a pad on the bottom could actually clean anything. I mean, unless you dunk a mop in a bucket every so often, how does it actually clean? Isn’t it like some sort of cleaning law or something that the mop has to be rinsed out every so many strokes on the floor? Those silly little mops truly never made much sense to me.

But…. Yeah, you saw that coming, didn’t you! But while researching what on earth I could buy to clean my rug and be a responsible investment, I found this silly, little steam mop at Amazon. It’s called PurSteam and has so many functions I don’t think I’ll get to them all here. But it cleans very well! And it cleans pretty much everything.

And I mean, it CLEANS!

All that buildup from using cleaners each week, over and over, for several years tends to dull floors and can even make rugs sticky. That’s true even with a rug cleaner that sucks up the solution as you move it along. But this PurSteam mop? Oh my! It just cleans, freshens, and gets all that buildup off! All with simple tap water!

Don’t get me wrong, I am still a huge fan of Murphy’s Oil Soap for my wood floors. I love the smell and the shine, but every so often that builds up as well. You know that “OMG” feeling when you walk across your floor barefoot and it feels so nice? So clean? Cleaner than it’s ever felt? Well, if you like that then you need to get one of these steam mops!

So, what about “that smell”?

Oh gosh! I almost forgot… That smell I initially mentioned is gone>>GONE! Of course, I had to steam mop my rug twice, taking my time as I did so, but mine was pretty out there. Two big dogs, lots of mud in our backyard? Yeah… It gets a bit dirty in here upon occasion 😉 Along with that, comes those odors. But the PurSteam mop got it all! The before and after photos I took of my rug do not show well the difference and it’s not like I can send the aromas over the internet! So, below you’ll find before and after photos of my wood floor.

My wood floors are in desperate need of being fully refinished, but I always am particular on taking great care of them. I love wood floors. They were becoming quite dingy looking, as you can see in the first photo, until I steamed them clean with the mop yesterday (second photo). I also used it on my vinyl floor in the kitchen. Now, this is a rental and the floors are old. So you can imagine the stains that accumulate and how bad a white floor can get. But, oh my! Does it look nice now!

Here are parts of my wood floor:

And, no. Those photos are not of the exact same spot, but it is all the same floor.

Moral of the tail

All in all, for those of us with pooches, we must clean more regularly than those without. This PurSteam mop makes the cleaning not only easier, because there is no mess or fuss with buckets and chemicals, but it also strips away years of those cleaning products. The awesome ease of just filling the tank with a cup of tap water, plug it in and in 20 seconds it’s steamy and ready to go! The tank lifts out easily to use as a light-weight, hand-held steamer also, and you get all these nifty attachments!

I encourage you to check it out. Try it out. It’s fun, easy and you won’t be disappointed!