4 Lessons Learned from Spilled Paint

This has been such an emotional week for me.  With trying to finish up Christmas shopping, doing the wrapping, going to school activities for both kids, redecorating Preston's room, selling and shipping mass loads of toys on eBay and Craig's list, and planning our Happy Birthday Jesus party for tomorrow, I've been a bit overwhelmed.  So on Tuesday as we were just applying the last touch up paint well after 8pm, I messed up.  Big time.  I accidentally stepped into the can of (not so) light blue paint that was sitting on Preston's beige carpet.

At that point, panic set in and Dave and I both rushed to get as much paint as we could off of the carpet, by the handfuls.  We both ended up with a lot of paint on our clothes and were frantically searching the Internet for ways to get paint out of carpet. 

The Internet gave us several options.  The first was to remove the paint using fingernail polish remover.  Lesson 1 - Fingernail polish remover does not get spilled paint out of carpet.  The next option we found was to cut out a piece of carpet and take it to the paint store.  Have them dye paint to match your carpet's normal color and then just paint over the paint spill with more (carpet colored) paint.  Lesson 2 - Any fool can write a solution to a problem on the Internet.  We did not try this option.  Finally as I was still scrubbing the paint up, I told Dave to call Lowe's and ask if they had any chemical to try to get the paint out of the carpet.  Of course they sell some product so Dave rushed over to purchase it before they closed.  He came back home and we immediately began spraying the floor like crazy and scrubbing up paint.  It was working!  But not working well enough.  After almost 2 rolls of paper towels and hours of scrubbing, we still were no where close to having the paint out of the carpet.  We finally retreated for the night sometime after 11pm and decided to call our little carpet cleaning man in the morning.

As I went to bed I realized two huge lessons.  Lesson 3 - I am married to the most amazing man.  Really.  Through hours of scrubbing, a trip to Lowe's, and lots of frustration, never once did Dave complain.  Never once did he ask "How did this happen? or Didn't you see the paint can?"  Never once did he moan, groan, or sigh.  Nope.  He was there by my side the entire time and never even said a negative thing.  As we laid in bed and I was able to slow down and think, I thanked him for being so patient with me.  I also thanked the Lord that I, not him, was the one that stepped in that paint can . . . because with realizing how graciously Dave handled the situation, I realized that I would not have handled it as nicely. Lesson 4 - I tend to lose my cool and overreact to things way to frequently.  I knew that had he been the one that made the mess I would have been so angry and would have immediately started to complain.  At breakfast the next morning I was telling Savannah what happened and how daddy was so nice to mommy.  I asked her if she thought I would have acted the same if daddy had spilled the paint and she said "no way."  It was right then that I realized I have to get my overreacting under control now.  If, at 6 years of age, Savannah knows that I tend to lose my cool over spilled paint, is she going to feel comfortable coming to me to talk about a problem or bad decision she made at the age of 12?  No way! 

So to make a long post a bit shorter, the next morning I called the carpet cleaner only to find out that he was on vacation until January 7.  I left an urgent message and he called me back right away (before 8am) and suggested that I wet the paint and try using a shop vacuum to suck it out.  I immediately tried it and once I realized that it was working I knew I needed more power and speed.  I called Stanley Steamer and the only appointment they had the entire day was between 9 and 12 that morning.  Perfect!  They came out right away and were able to remove over 85% of the stain!  After the furniture was delivered yesterday I realized that the entire remaining stain will be completely under Preston's bed.   :)

As horrible as the entire situation was, I'm very thankful for the lessons that I desperately needed to learn.  I'm also thankful that there is a small stain left to always remind me of these lessons.  Now every time I climb under Preston's bed into his fort I'll see the spot and remember what an amazing husband I have and that I can't overreact to accidents, big or small!