I just purchased a used microfiber sectional. It smells, for lack of a better term, like chinese food. I am attempting to clean the upholstry. I have a carpet cleaner with a furniture attachment. My wife is ready to chuck it and let someone else deal with it. Here is the question: do you have any tips on cleaning the upholstery? I am willing to entertain the idea of a professional cleaning, depending on the cost. I am located in Southern New Hampshire. If you have any questions, please let me know! Thanks! Jim

Motivation: You have to REALLY want to improve the house, not just "half-want" to improve it because you feel guilty that you "SHOULD" be living differently. Anything worth having is worth working for. How to start: Flylady says to start by shining your kitchen sink and keeping the dishes done. That's a no-brainer for me, so I'll suggest this: Flylady's "You can do anything for 15 minutes" really works. Set your timer for 15 minutes. Walk through a room with a trash bag. Pick up obvious garbage. You have Flylady's permission to throw stuff away, so forget whatever your mother told you about saving junk (you can designate separate bags for recyling and charity donations if that won't overwhelm you). Clear the walkways in every room, then the table tops and horizontal surfaces, then the closets and drawers. Do this EVERY DAY for 15 minutes until you're ready to move on. Yes, this could take a while. Be patient. Another thing Flylady says is you can't organize clutter. Not only that, I find it hard to clean around clutter. Once all the clutter is gone, you'll be able to do "real" cleaning with less effort. For example, it's hard to mop the kitchen floor if it's covered in boxes of stuff. Once the boxes (or whatever) are gone, it's a simple thing to mop the floor real quick. Your daughter is old enough to participate in the Timer Game, too. Also, to look at routines another way, you DO have routines! Your routine is to sit and watch TV and ignore the mess. You need to CHANGE your routine. Make it your NEW routine to get the dishes done and shine the sink (it's a "pride" thing, just trust us on this). Then set the timer for 15 minutes and get rid of stuff that doesn't belong, THEN watch TV. Here's a challenge: Do you remember Flylady's 5-minute Room Rescues? Set the timer for 5 minutes every day and work in the WORST room in your house. For only 5 minutes. Eventually you WILL see a difference. That's how I cleared out our basement. It would work in your bedroom, too. Getting rid of "stuff" is the more freeing than you'll ever imagine. Julie P.S. The first winter Flylady gave me "permission" not to save stuff, I was filling a 30-gallon Hefty bag PER DAY. FOR WEEKS. The Salvation Army loved me, and the trashmen probably thought we were moving. LOL

I tried everything on the antique dresser that I bought on CL for my daughter's room. Charcoal, exposure on sunny days, newspaper, candles, dryer sheets, OdorRid products, bowls of baking soda, TSP, even scrubbing with a bleach/water mixture (it also had some water damage and mildew). It helped somewhat but didn't really get rid of the old wood smell. Painting the back and outside of the dresser and lining the drawers with contact paper helped somewhat. Using scented drawer liners also work well but now my DD's clothes smell like perfume and I'm sensitive to that so not the best solution. I'm definitely going to try sealing the inside with spray poly. If that works then I'll get rid of the scented drawer liners.

I have two largish dogs (a mixed breed and a golden) and, yes, I do think my house sometimes smells like I have dogs. I clean, I wash linens and dog beds, use scents and odor neutralizers, have air purifiers (for allergies, really) etc., but at some point I think it's kind of inevitable. Like the tumbleweeds of golden retriever hair all over my house in the spring. ;) I also wanted to chime in and say that, when it comes to your home, there's more than just the potential for smell that you have to consider. For example, one of mine just broke a window jumping up and barking at a dog walking by on the sidewalk. The other recently put a big dent in the wall (with her hip) while wrestling with her "brother." These are kind of extreme examples (and I have young, high energy dogs), but, at least in my experience, it's inevitable that a pet will barf on your expensive rug or a dog will randomly decide to "dig" your new sofa, etc. (And yes, of course training is important, but they're still dogs and will sometimes act like it.) If you and your husband aren't prepared to let these things kind of roll off your back -- and it would be understandable if you weren't! -- I'm not sure a pet, dog or cat, is a good idea. Most of us make adjustments in our lives, one way or another, for our pets, and you'd have to figure out whether that's something you're interested in doing. A friend of mine has a really lovely standard poodle (from a great breeder), who doesn't shed. I don't want to get into the "designer dog" drama but I would strongly suggest that you do a lot of research before buying a purposely bred mixed breed dog (or buying any dog from anyone!). I have a rescue and a purebred from a fantastic breeder, and don't think either choice is right or wrong. Just be honest with yourself about your family's wants, needs and limitations are.