Cleaning after a milk spill

[parker1158]

We always eat in the awning because having two children spills are inevitable. So after a week of eating in the awning with no spills we took the awning down the night before departure, as you do, and ate breakfast on the last morning in the van whereupon my seven year old upturned his dish of frosties over him and the seat on the side dinette.

We mopped it up best we could but question is how can I thoroughly clean it now we are home. Can i damage it by simply giving it a scrub with detergent and good rinse off with water? or is there a better method?

 

[rob_jax]

Hi Martyn,

Mopping it up with plenty of clean water is a good start, but has the milk residue started to smell yet?

If no, then you might have got it all. If yes, then a more thorough cleaning is needed.

Detergent may help, but the smell problem is caused by the insoluble fats and proteins decomposing. Some people say that dilute vinegar or washing soda work, but ultimately a pet-poo clean up product like "petzyme" will munch the milk residue and remove all traces of smell

Robert

 

[LMH]

Aww bless. I can just see him tipping the dish of frosties over..... kids!

Lisa

 

[Rita1]

Or Bicabonate of Soda is good for smells sprinkled on and leave for 24 hours then hoover

 

[emmitdb]

Greetings,

Could I suggest Enzyme Cleaner used for dog and Cat 'accidents'. We had a leak from our toilet container and the smell was............ guess!!!

A treatment with the liquid cleaner sorted it in one application.

 

[emmerson2]

Martyn, on a different note, you took your awning down the night before departure. I've noticed quite a lot of people do this, but where do you put all the stuff that accumulates in the awning? There's only two of us and two dogs, but I couldn't do that! Where am I going wrong?

 

[parker1158]

Thanks for the advice everyone. As yet it has not started smelling but I will give it a clean anyway to be sure.

Emmerson I guess if we had pets or needed the awning for sleeping we would not take it down and for sure when I see what some folk have in their awnings I am amazed they don't need Pickford's to move them after a holiday. We only tend to have a folding picnic style table and a couple of deck chairs any other odds and ends go in the shower in the end bathroom (we don't it use it as a shower, never have) The awning poles go under the van and the awning bag in the car until we leave then they go in the van.

 

[emmerson2]

Thanks for the advice everyone. As yet it has not started smelling but I will give it a clean anyway to be sure.

Emmerson I guess if we had pets or needed the awning for sleeping we would not take it down and for sure when I see what some folk have in their awnings I am amazed they don't need Pickford's to move them after a holiday. We only tend to have a folding picnic style table and a couple of deck chairs any other odds and ends go in the shower in the end bathroom (we don't it use it as a shower, never have) The awning poles go under the van and the awning bag in the car until we leave then they go in the van.

Martyn, there was a time when Herself used to have a small sideboard for our awning, so you can see what I'm up against!

 

[Russ2]

Hi Martyn,

This happened to us after we forgot to lock the fridge door before travelling. There was milk spilt over quite a large area, which we cleaned using various methods but could not get rid of the smell.

The smell was awful and we had decided to replace the carpet when someone suggested a raw onion. We chopped an onion and covered the affected area and left it for about three days. The van smelt like a burger van for about a week, but after that cleared up there is no smell of milk at all.

This happened early last year and the smell has never returned. Give it a go and good luck.

 

[ajmacintosh]

Hahaha... Unbeleivable. The exact same thing happened to my son last weekend with a bowl of Kellogs Frosties. I cleaned it up as best i could with water and a J-Cloth but when it was bedtime that evening the sugary milk resude was adundant on the wooden sides to the dinette.(damn i missed it due to a hangover) It was like GLUE! anyway, same as you, no smell yet but i bet it will soon. Gonna try some upholstery cleaner on the weekend.

Cya

Andrew