The "gross" factor - How high is your "gross" tolerance?
By miamilady
@miamilady (4910)
United States
March 2, 2009 11:01am CST
This discussion came to me as I was hosing dog vomit off my son's comforter.
I was thinking, "This is pretty gross. Would most people re-use a comforter that dog vomit was on?". Personally, I can't afford to go out and buy a new comforter right now, so we're stuck with it.
Of course, it was hosed off and it is now being washed in HOT water, and it will run through the dryer cycle. I think it will be okay. I'm wondering if maybe I should wash it TWICE at least, but then I'm thinking of the electric bill and the water bill.
I've been in myLot a lot lately, and I have experienced many "gross" circumstances in my life, as I'm sure everyone has.
So, I think this is going to be a two part question. Maybe more. We'll see how it goes...
Have you ever had to clean up dog diarrhea? Would you do it? On a scale of 1-10 where is that on your "ewww" scale?
Sometimes in life, we have to care for our elderly parents. This might include bathing them, helping them in the bathroom etc. To some of us, there is definitely an "ew" factor. To others, it's just a normal part of life. How do you/would you feel under those circumstances?
My sister went on vacation and asked her son, who was staying with friends, to come by every day and let the cat out and feed it. Well, apparently they only checked on the cat once. The cat got mad. The cat pooped on her BRAND NEW bedding! Of course she was furious. She didn't want to clean it. She tried to get her hubby to do it, but since SHE wanted the cat, he wasn't having any part of it.
Now apparently she spent some good money on this set. She rolled up her sleeves and got to work. I can understand her decision to clean it and keep it, but I can't help thinking that the thought of sleeping under a comforter that had been POOPED on, might stay on my mind for quite some time, if not FOREVER. Would that bother you?
If you've ever been a parent, you have definitely experience some gross circumstances...
I once had to CATCH my child’s snot in my bare hands. My child sneezed. A GOB of snot was hanging from my child’s face. My child was leaning forward with this stuff hanging from her face. She wouldn't touch it. I had no tissues or anything resembling tissues. I couldn’t let her stand there for a couple minutes while I ran to the nearest bathroom, so I just had to reach out and...Well...scoop it up! Yukkk.
I think I've blocked the rest out of my mind, but I think someone must have come to the rescue with tissue or a cloth of some kind.
Then there was the time my son decided to EAT poop. Yukkkk.
1 person likes this
11 responses
@daneg33 (1128)
• Canada
2 Mar 09
Well, you are correct in saying that parents have to deal with a lot more gross things than most. When my daughter was about 3, she routinely would put way to much food in her mouth and then choke. She would barf on her dinner plate. How is that for appetizing? In the grocery store a few times she barfed up some stuff that my husband had to catch in his hands. Then he would be standing there with puke dripping through his fingers while I asked the cashier for paper towel. My husband's dog got sick one night and crapped all the floor. Thank god we have laminate flooring. We scooped it up with a dustpan and hucked it outside, but the smell was unbelievable. My son is potty training right now and he routinely pees in the toilet, but has an "issue" with poop in the toilet. I have tried bribery and a lot of other things. Many times he just poops in his underwear. That is GROSS. I can handle changing baby diapers, but when a kid turns 4, his poop is way stinkier than any baby. 25 baby wipes later, we have a clean bum. I toss out the offensive underwear, I buy them in 10 packs. I don't know if I could handle caring for elderly parents. That is just something most people should not have to see. Way too gross. I hate to clean up puke - I can't do it without feeling like I may puke myself. Nice topic for a monday morning, by the way!
@cjsmom (1423)
• United States
6 Mar 09
I went into hospital overnight last week for observation and when I came home I had found that my husband had fed the 2 cats too much food, hadn't cleaned out the litter box; so one of the cats pooped on my son's bed. It was all over his sheets, comforter, and a few stuffed animals. He threw out the sheets but we took the comforter and stuffed animals to the laundry mat and they came out very nice. Now we have to buy a new sheet set as he only had one for his bunkbed.
I can handle alot of "ewww" and will do what I have to in order not to have to repurchase something but my husband is a "whimp"...If it ever came time that I have to take care of my mom or dad, wipping them, etc. I would do it. After all, they gave me life and raised me, it's the least I can do.
@MsTickle (25180)
• Australia
3 Mar 09
My cat is going through a stressful time at the moment. About a week ago I was just going off to sleep and my cat jumped on the bed. He usually sleeps on my stretched out hand. I put my hand out for him and he squatted and peed on me before I could react. I moved but he continued and did a huge, bright yellow, stinky pee. I quickly mopped it up with a towel and it had gone through my doonah, a blanket, a top sheet and just dampened the bottom sheet. I quickly stripped the bedding off and early next day I washed everything till there was no smell. I slept in another bed for 3 days and left my room and my bed to air. There is no lingering smell anywhere thank goodness cos I have a sensitive nose. The house is smelling a little of some mustiness but it is more shut up than usual.
I've had the usual clean ups of poo, vomit and wee from cats, dogs and kids. I've also had to clean up maggots in summertime from a bin. You know, it's summer and filthy hot, you go to work and the house is shut up like an oven, you come home and there are maggots migrating out of the bin onto the floor going who knows where. Cleaning up isn't too bad but your partner isn't too thrilled when you serve up stir fry chicken and rice. (guess what the rice looks like?)
@jillmalitz (5131)
• United States
3 Mar 09
I guess I have a pretty good tolerance. Nothing really bothers me. Blood,vomit, or other bodily fluids have never bothered me. I have cleaned up sick kids and sick animals. I keep a couple of old washrags just for that purpose. I have had to wash comforters and other stuff. If I catch it in time I can wipe it off and wash it with a little soap or cleaner and then put in the wash. I would be really mad that her so was so careless about taking care of an animal. Just like all of us they need good treatment too. Only going to check on the cat once is not good. If nothing else that makes cleaning the mess on the bedding harder because it has soaked in and dried.
@dorisday1971 (5657)
• Philippines
3 Mar 09
I have a high tolerance "gross" factor provided it's not bloody. I mean, the blood and all health related disease gives me butterfly to my stomach and I can hold it any longer. I hate to see accidents and be in the hospital.
@winterose (39887)
• Canada
2 Mar 09
vomit is the one smell that makes me heave, I can't take it, even diarhea i can handle but not vomit. If a baby has some on his or her shirt, I don't want to go anywhere near the baby. But I can change the diaper a lot easier, and that I find is worst than dog or cat diarhea
@mummymo (23706)
•
2 Mar 09
OOOhhhh aren't children THE worst ? Yuck. Sometimes I wonder why we have them! lol Had to clean up cat upchuck before .. not nice, obviously as a mum had to clean all manner of excretions from a childs body , sick I think is the worst ..yep even worse than poo and when I have to clean it up I am retching myself the whole time! lol As for cleaning dogs vomit and cat poo off of comforters - who can afford not to! I would probably wash it on as hot a wash as possible at least twice and use an antiseptic liquid on it between washes but as long as it cleaned up and smelled ok then why waste all that money - specially in todays financial climate! xxx
@nanajanet (4436)
• United States
2 Mar 09
When I was young, I would gross out easily, but starting in my teens I began to have a high tolerance to such things. I have seen beyond gross and have been okay. I guess I could become a surgeon or medical examiner, if I had the brains for it.
@hanasays (212)
• United States
3 Mar 09
I can handle some pretty gross things. When I was younger, our pet cat would puke constantly (we took her to the vet, he didn't know why). I always got nominated to clean up the puke. I also have a pet rabbit, and most animal and human waste is gross but rabbit pee will bleach carpet. I think out of all of the pets I've had, the rabbit is the grossest. However, the absolute worst thing I have ever smelled in my life was a pig farm.
I think as far as gross goes, though, parents have the highest tolerance. I recall my mother told me that one time when I was a baby, I had diarrhea really badly. She wouldn't wake up, so I sat on her head. This was back before diapers had the "no leak" seals on the sides, so... you get the idea. If a baby did that to me, I'd have flipped out. I don't have kids of my own, but if I do, I'm not looking forward to baby diarrhea.
