Dear Home Ec 101:
My daughter shredded her diaper before I knew she was awake. There are diaper crystals everywhere! The room smells like pee, can I vacuum it? I never knew a diaper had that much stuff.
Horrified in Helena
Heather says:
Ay yi yi, there is nothing like body fluids to start a day out right. Kids can be such stinkers. The vacuum would not be my first choice, those crystals are damp and a large quantity may damage your machine.
I would gather all of the bedding and rugs and take them to an area that can be swept clean. Shake them carefully before washing, as you do not want these thirsty crystals in your drain line. Sweep up the crystals and dispose in the trashcan.
If you have a shop vac, go ahead and clean up the carpet. Otherwise, I would carefully sweep up as much of the mess as possible before vacuuming. Empty your vacuum whether it’s a bag or bagless, to avoid continually scenting the room with urine.
Spray an odor neutralizer, like Kids N Pets 
lightly over the area. This will hold you over until you find time to steam clean the carpet.
Good luck and next time strap that sucker on with duct tape.
Submit your household questions to helpme@home-ec101.com.
Tags: Body Fluids · Carpet · Flooring · Odor2 Comments
The Kids and Pet stuff does work exceptionally well.
Crystals? Shredded?!? Who knew! Some of who might have kids in the coming years could use a lesson from Home Ec 101 on how to change a diaper!