Homeowner Forum / Cleaning / October 2007

sounds like a phone call for help from SERVPRO a company that cleans up
after disasters like this.

Maybe rent a wet/dry vac and re wet with water and then vacuum it up.
It'll probably take several attempts to get it all.  Good luck!  I've
found it's nearly as hard to clean up spilled liquid soap as it is
cooking oil.
--
Piper

Try to scrape/scoop up as much as you possibly can.  If you add water
to it, you will be in there *forever*, trying to get it all up!
Once you've got the majority of it up, use rubbing alcohol on towels
or paper towels to get up the remainder.  
I know retail stores use a granular substance that quickly absorbs
spills, but I'm not sure what it is called.  A store like Home Depot
or Menards may have a similar product.

Good luck!

Nan

How about scraping with something like a putty knife?  Maybe water
or another solvent would help.

You might get the rest with a pump-up sprayer in one hand and the
wand of a wet-dry vac or carpet cleaner in the other hand, but the
machine would have to vent the soap bubbles outdoors.  Otherwise, a
string mop and wringer bucket might be the most efficient method.
You could also wipe with several wet towels, put them into a bucket
of water, dump them into the washer to spin, and use them again.

No easy way out. I'd sprinkle a liberal amount of play sand on a section and use a stiff
putty knife to mix the sand into the detergent. The sand should offer lots of surface area
for the detergent to stick to. The mix should become lumpy and somewhat brittle. It can be
scooped up with a wide putty knife--or even a strong cooking spatula.

I'm suggesting sand because of its weight, but saw dust or kitty litter might work. By all
means hold off on using water for as long as you can.

Please, report on how the cleanup goes because this happens more often than we think.

A dog's life is too short; their only fault really.