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National Spilled Milk Day

Did you know that February 11 is National Don’t Cry Over Spilled Milk Day? You shouldn’t feel bad if you didn’t; most people aren’t aware of this special date. Though the day was created to remind people to look on the bright side of things, we at Merry Maids like to take it literally. After all, a spilled drink on new upholstery or sour milk smell can definitely darken anyone’s mood.

To keep you smiling and looking for that silver lining, we’ve come up with some pointers on how to deal with spilled milk in your home.

Don’t Mosey When it Comes to Cleaning Spilled Milk

Milk seems like a pretty innocuous substance, but the liquid is filled with proteins and fats that can bond with different materials and fabrics to create both stains and stinks.

Quickly cleaning spilled milk on carpet or fabric sofas

The easiest way to ensure you’re not left with lingering sour milk smells on carpet or upholstery is to spring into action faster than you can say, “moo.” Fortunately, these fresh dairy debacles typically only take a few minutes to clean up.

You’ll need:

  1. Use the microfiber cloths to gently blot up as much of the spilled milk as possible. Keep going until you’ve wicked up every last drop of milk you can. (With couches, you’ll want to check under cushions and in nooks and crannies, too.)
  2. Dampen a clean microfiber cloth
  3. Blot the area dry.
  4. Sprinkle cornstarch over the spill site and let it sit for 30 minutes to an hour. This will absorb any left behind moisture, so you don’t have any sour milk smells creeping into the room.
  5. Vacuum up the cornstarch.

Taking care of milk spills on countertops or refrigerator shelves

Cleaning spilled drinks from hard surfaces is really such an easy task. Sadly, many people let liquids sit until later, which allows the milk to harden — while nasty smells blossom — and can make the chore that much more difficult in the long run. What an udder mess!

You’ll need:

  1. As soon as you spill, tackle that liquid with a microfiber cloth.
  2. Pick up any cups, bowls, mason jars
  3. Give the countertop or fridge shelf a once over with your DIY countertop cleaner.
  4. Repeat Step 3 on the bottoms of any containers or items that were victims of the spilled milk.

Put Milk Stains Out to Pasture

It’s just a fact of life that you’re not going to be able to clean all spilled drinks right then and there. You could be herding the family out the door or maybe you didn’t even realize a mess was made. Is it time to cry now? Nope! We’ve got you covered.

Getting dried milk out of carpeting and upholstery

The methods behind cleaning spilled milk on carpet and removing it from upholstery are more or less the same. However, you do want to be certain your furniture can be cleaned with water before you get started. And since you’ll use a bit of soap, it’s always a good idea to do a spot test in a small inconspicuous area on both carpeting and upholstery.

You’ll need:

  • Microfiber cloths
  • A spoon or butter knife
  • Gentle, colorless dishwashing liquid
  • Water
  • Baking soda
  • A vacuum cleaner
  1. Start by gently scraping the dried milk with the spoon or butter knife. You want to use a light touch here. Otherwise, you could damage the fibers.
  2. Vacuum the milk flakes away or toss them in a wastebasket.
  3. Once you’ve removed as much dried milk as possible, mix two cups of cold water with one tablespoon of dishwashing liquid.
  4. Dampen a corner of your microfiber cloth with this solution and use it to dab at the stain. Work from the outside in so that you don’t spread the milk further.
  5. Switch to a new area of the cloth as needed to prevent redistributing the milk.
  6. Keep this up until you’ve removed all of the milk, then blot the area dry with a fresh cloth.
  7. When the fabric or fibers have dried, sprinkle them with baking soda. Let this sit overnight to help absorb any traces of sour milk smells. (Make sure the room is closed off to pets and small children.)
  8. The next day, vacuum the carpeting or furniture to remove all the baking soda.

Scrubbing the sour milk smell from your fridge shelves

If you have an old spill, you may get a whiff of that whole milk disaster before you spot it. Cleaning spilled drinks from hard surfaces is really such an easy task. Sadly, many people let liquids sit until later, which allows the milk to harden — while nasty smells blossom

You’ll need:

  1. First, you need to locate the source of the stench. This may require you removing items from the fridge, which is where a cooler comes in handy.
  2. Once you’ve found the spilled milk, scrub it with a dry microfiber cloth. This should remove a lot of the residue.
  3. Dampen the cloth with warm water and use it to wipe away any traces of the spill. Don’t forget to check the bottoms of nearby containers to see if they need cleaning. You’ll also want to take a look at the fridge walls.
  4. Follow our instructions on how to remove refrigerator odors

We hope these tips help prevent any breakdowns brought on by spilled drinks. If you found them helpful, you might also want to take a look at our guides to cleaning wine stains or removing makeup from carpeting.

And if your life is so busy that the thought of housework brings tears to your eyes, let us come to the rescue. We offer a variety of cleaning services to help you relax and make the most of life. Contact your local Merry Maids.

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