Cleaning Up

Having been a mom for quite a while now, I often am asked what baby gear I’ve found the most useful. Usually I mention my Bob stroller. As a runner, I have worn it to the ground, forever impressed with its durability.

But the other day I was cleaning and realized another item has also been crucial– my Bissell carpet cleaner. I bought our Bissell years ago when we were selling our first house and needed to clean the carpets, never expecting to need it much again.

Yet a few weeks after moving into our new home, I found myself pulling it out. I’d just had our son and was trying to pump a bottle with him asleep in my lap. But between balancing him and the pump, I ended up spilling twenty minutes of hard work all over myself – and the brand-new couch.

“Hey, can you grab a towel?” I asked my toddler.

“Just after I finish this drawing,” she said.

As the milk sunk in, I grabbed the Bissell. Which I soon found myself reaching for all the time. Because as my kids grew, so did their messes.

Like when my oldest opened two huge bottles of tempura paint and spilled them on the rug during a play date. I still remember shrieking when I found them covered in paint splatter, a huge swath of rug slick with a thick covering of bright yellow and red.

“I guess I had a little accident,” she said.

“I’ll get the Bissell.”

Which I also got when my youngest smeared yogurt on our rug. And when she basted herself in butter and then sat down on the couch. And that’s not to mention all the spilled coffee and wine and ground-in cereal bars (I now loathe any soft fruit filling).

Over the years, it’s safe to say our Bissel has come up big. So big that I’m starting to get nostalgic while using it, thinking of all the crazy mishaps it’s bailed me out of.  Which is why I’m arguing it may be one of my favorite baby items of all. Because it grows with your family. And can make you laugh when you remember all the misadventures that make childhood so messy and beautiful.

This is NOT a sponsored post.