The carpet

I've really been waiting to post this one...until it became funny, because when it happened, it really was not all that funny.

During the trip home with the motorhome, it rained. It rained a lot! By the time we stopped for the night, the carpet was soaked inside the unit. The ceiling and windows were fine. We figured there was a leak somewhere in the floor and the water was coming up from the road. Actually, first we thought, or hoped, that it was the storage pod that was stowed inside the unit for the ride home. We had thought that maybe there was some water in there that leaked out. Upon a later inspection, we discovered that the storage pod could not even hold as much water that the unit took on.

So, this blog entry is a story of carpet. A saga really as it really just seems to have taken on a life of it's own.



The motorhome had the original green shag carpet which even I must admit, added a great deal of vintage charm to the unit. By the time we made it home on Sunday, that carpet was soaked, especially in the rear of the unit. We soaked up as much water as we could, actually my husband did, and then set a fan out there. The weather was chilly and damp so the fan seemed to be doing nothing.

By Monday, I set some heaters out there which did nothing but blow the circuit in the house. My husband left for a business trip on Monday as well. I will admit that at one point on Monday, I had my blow dryer out there as well in an effort to dry the carpet.

By Tuesday, I had dragged the dehumidifier out of the basement. That was no easy task. I let that run all day Tuesday only to discover that it sucked absolutely nothing out of the air in there. Tuesday is when the unit started to get a bit of a stench about it.

By Wednesday, the unit really stunk! I also declared that the carpet was going to have to come out. I called my husband and told him that I was going to rip the carpet out. He felt surely there must be other options but I assured him that there were none at this point. I told my 11 year old son that the carpet needed to come out and he cried. I mean CRIED. Big crocodile tears while he uttered something about the motorhome no longer being vintage.



The carpet came out quite easy and in one piece. I am not a big girl and I don't consider myself to be in the best of shape. So for little 'o me to be able to get that carpet out on my own just goes to show how easy it is. Entertaining I'm sure as well.

Because I obviously inhaled too much mold and muck from the carpet, I did not think things through and tossed the carpet into the garage where my husband usually parks his butt hauler (our old minivan). Thursday morning I went out to the garage and nearly DIED from the incredible STENCH emanating from that oh so vintage, green shag carpet.

As soon as I could get to it, I dragged the carpet out to the driveway and set it up on buckets to dry. Why? My only reasoning is that my husband and my son were both so emotionally attached to this wretched carpet that I felt I had to try to save it.



Thursday evening rolled around and I was happy to discover that the carpet had dried in the sun. I also had a couple of glasses of wine and reasoned with myself that it would not hurt the carpet to sit out over night.

Friday morning I woke the the sound of blowing wind and rain. OOOPPS. No seriously, I did not mean for the carpet to get wet again. REALLY!!! Oh how I wish I would have taken a picture of it Friday morning.

My darling husband came home Friday evening and actually refused to talk to me. He then layed a huge tarp over the now resoaked carpet in an effort to save it. I bet he pick off all the leaves that were embedded in it as well from the wind. (Gosh, I don't sound that supportive do I?)



The carpet stayed under the tarp in the driveway for a couple of days before being moved into my husband's shop...his big huge garage. It is now finally dry and he does plan to take my nice Kenmore Carpet Cleaner to the carpet so that it can be cleaned and returned to the unit after the leak is discovered and repaired.



To be continued...