Friday, November 16, 2007

Harriet Homemaker I'm Not

I was washing the never-ending mound of dishes earlier and Boo dumped not one but two bottles of nail polish on the floor. The hardwood floor. The hardwood floor that I don't own and thus, don't want to wreck to badly. I got most of it up with paper towels but some dried to the floor. Anyone know how to get this up without also removing the floor varnish?

Not having a dishwasher is killing me.

The people who lived here before us had cats. Those cats had to have been infested with fleas because all of a sudden, my dog and cat are covered in them. I bought some of the flea stuff you can get at Petco but it doesn't seem to be helping. I know I could take them to a groomer and get them dipped and bomb the house while they're gone, but I don't have the money for that.

The flea stuff really disagreed with my cat - he's losing hair at an alarming rate. He's also taken to sitting on top of the fridge or the kitchen cabinets. It's bizarre.

Also? I think the house is haunted. My vacuum cleaner just turned itself on for no apparent reason. No one was near it. The girls are in their high chairs (contained, where they can't wreck anything). The cat was on top of the fridge and the dog was in the living room. Very weird.

11 comments:

LJ said...

I don't know how to help with that one, sorry. Good luck with tomorrow's dinner party.
I don't come by often to comment because my computer freezes up everytime I access your page.

TSintheC said...

Maybe you can put a white towel on top of the dried nailpolish and then iron it with a really hot iron? It may melt the polish enough to soak up into the towel. I don't know about the varnish though.

Maybe the cat is up there BECAUSE the house is haunted. ?

Anonymous said...

Could you spot check a small section with nail polish remover? Sometimes, if the polish is thick enough, it can be left to dry and peeled up, like glue.

If you live in a haunted house, you have to tell us your stories. It's like your own episode of Ghost Hunters! Hey, maybe you could call TAPS and they'll drive up from Rhode Island and do a show about your house! Then they could tell you for sure it's haunted or not, and they make a priority the cases where children are involved.

The only thing I can say for fleas is Frontline. Both my dog and cat are on it and it's the only thing that truly stops them. The over the counter stuff at the petstore never worked for me.

floreksa said...

non-acetone nail polish remover? Seems to be the best bet on google. Either that or goo-be-gone (I'd test it in a corner or something 1st). Or slightly scrape it off.

Yikes, on the vacuum!

Lili said...

Please be careful - OTC flea stuff can be toxic to cats. I know it says you can use it on cats, and frankly because it's an animal they get away with selling it that way. The prescription stuff is the way to go. I know it's not cheap, but it works.

kittenpie said...

I'm not sure, but test non-acetone nail polish remover in a really out-of-the-way spot like a closet and see if it lifts the varnish. I think it should not, but test to be sure.

Angewl said...

I checked into TAPS but there wasn't one set up in my area. Please share your stories!

I am so sorry about the fleas. If they were there when you moved in, maybe the landlord would call the exterminator?

I was told to use Dawn to kill the fleas. Not sure if it works on adult pets, though.

Zazzy said...

Fleas can be so hard to get rid of, I feel for you. For a minor infestation, a dip and bomb the house, repeat after 2 weeks has worked for me. If you have a dog and you're treating the house - he/she/it is probably reinfesting the place every time it goes outside. You really have to treat the yard too. Once you get rid of them, I found that frontline and/or one of the similar vet products worked really well. I haven't had a dog for some years now but there was one that made the fleas sterile that took care of the yard and the house.

Grew up in a haunted house. I look forward to your stories.

Paige said...

don't even get me started on haunted houses. i've got a million stories. but maybe it was just a short in the vacuum?

SUEB0B said...

Fleas flee from eucalyptus oil. Maybe you could make a light spray - mix a few drops of oil, a little alcohol, and water, put in a spritzer bottle and spritz around the house?

Yes, the OTC stuff is bad. The expensive flea stuff - Revolution. Frontline, that sort of thing - is just miraculous and wonderful.

rae ann said...

J, i would so love to swap haunted house stories sometime... good luck, friend. hopefully it's a friendly "hauting."


:)