to still not know how to do this when my oldest DC is 7.5 years old ... (sorry disgusting)

[LeepyTime]

Sorry, don't read this if you are about to have your dinner, but I have 3 DC and last night my middle one was sick all over his bed and I STILL do not know how to manage the removal and cleaning of the sheets properly. Do you wipe off the lumps before putting it into the washing machine, and if so, how do you actually do it, what with and how do you do it without being sick on top of it also ... ? I now have a washing machine full of lumps of sick and they are dripping down and off the sheets as I am hanging them up. Ps I need instructions for a one-man version of this as am a single mother. Luckily the other two didn't start being sick also or that would have been the end of me, but any advice would be greatly appreciated in case Round 2 kicks off tonight? Thanks.

[Crowler]

Ugh. Poor you OP. Is your poor kid doing better?

[BetterThanASlaterUpYourNose]

I always take the sheets out to the back garden and blast the chunks off under the garden tap and then wash them on a hot wash in the machine.

My DH once out the sheets straight in the machine when I was on nightshift and when I pulled them out the next morning there were giant lumps of puked up pasta and peas flicked across the room. Disgusting!

[escape]

If it's just a 'pile' of sick' ( can't believe am typing this) I get all four corners of the sheet together. This keeps it all in one place and not escaping, then the heavy lump gets flushed down the loo. Any remaining bits bat them off from the other side of the sheet or pick off with kitchen roll. Then sheet should be at least free of lumps and safe for washer.

[wellthatsdoneit]

This happened here last night too OP. I used a hand towel to scoop up as much sick/lumps as poss and shook it out over the loo. Cue it scattering everywhere but the loo. Kitchen towel is a good idea. Will try that tonight if it happens again.

[VoyageDeVerity]

Thoroughly scrape sick into a bin bag with a spoon then soak sheets in detergent then hot wash.

Never ever put sick sheets into washing machine.

[Alibabaandthe40nappies]

Crohnically for carpet vomit, I pick up as much as I can with kitchen roll, then get a really hot bowl of water and a cloth and scrub out what I can.

Then the Vax carpet cleaner comes out. I wouldn't use a Dyson on vomit because it would get jammed in all the filters and stink forever more.

[lljkk]

I remove lumps with rags (bin quickly in own plastic bag) wash the sheets in hot water when convenient, wash my hands lots at every moment. Lots of hand-washing is most important part of the process! This all works, tummy bugs tend not to spread in this house.

[Ziplex]

I put everything in the bin!! My poor DS has from the age of about 10 had to clear it himself as my absolutely pathetic gag is so bad I vomit on the vomit.

[BornToFolk]

When DS had a sick bug recently I failed on two counts, 1) not scraping off the lumps before putting sheets in the washer, meaning that I then had to pick (clean) lumps out of the washing machine and 2) letting him puke in the bathroom sink, meaning that I then had to pick lumps out of the sink. Luckily, I have a very strong stomach!

MNers gave me some great tips, including covering the mattress with a towel and having plenty of old towels and sheets on standby.

I also slept in his room on the floor and I'm glad I did as there were a few more pukings during the night and I was ready with the bowl so it didn't go too far.

As for single-parenting tips, I chucked anything dirty into the bath, for containment, then got DS cleaned up, re-made his bed and tucked him back in, then dealt with the dirty sheets (badly, as it turned out!) Bless him, he was a proper little trooper, very stoic and just sat where I told him to, with a blanket round him, looking feeble and apologising.

I really hope your DS is feeling better and that the rest of you don't get it too.

[Justoneweeone]

Borntofolk, that's what I do too, fling all the puked on stuff into the bath and then deal with the poor wee puker.
I then shower off the lumps with hot water as this seems to break down the clumps better. I use toilet paper to scoop any giant bits out of the plug and flush that away. If there are any bits left in the plug I run the tap and stir it with a fork until they go down the drain and then pour a good slug of bleach down after it.
I find Vanish Extra Hygiene and some nice fabric conditioner in the wash gets rid of any lingering mingingness.
Hope your wee person feels better soon.

[Misspixietrix]

Oh OP I really do feel for you. I'm a single mum to two and the last time these DCs were both sick it was horrendous. I liked the idea of a dealing with sick box organised PP! :) I'm a right germophobe. Depending on how bad it is. If I can't get it out it gets dumped straight in black bag bin etc but mostly shake off excess . Then put straight into a hot wash. Bath/wash sick child down. Sick bowls at the ready etc and plenty of fluids. Hope you're DC is better soon OP.

[Misspixietrix]

*your sorry.

[Viviennemary]

If I could afford a new pair I'd be tempted to put the sheets in the bin and buy a new set. Especially if they were old ones.

[LaGuardia]

Jeez, just throw the sheet in the wheelie bin. Who needs to be scraping vomit fgs?

[5madthings]

Yep same as born and justone Chuck pukey sheets in bath, clean-up child then shower off pukey sheets and Chuck in washer.

All five of mine had vommitting bug at half term, two of them also had awful diarrhea, literally liquid and not able to get to toilet in time. I had a bucket for pjs, showered child and got them sorted and then showered dirty pjs and put them in wash.

Plenty of towels on the bed and floor to protect carpet and bowls to hand.

Dp was away as well, it tested my sanity.

Our worst experience was when dd was two wks old and all four boys got v&d bug, it was Xmas and our water got cut off due to burst pipe! I discovered we had no water when I had ds2 in the shower to clean him... I used A LOT of wet wipes and told myself if I could survive that with a newborn I could survive anything!

[5madthings]

Of stuff is beyond the pale I will throw it out, rd pjs, pants etc.

[Lucylouby]

Dd was sick at the weekend. I delt with child, DH delt with sicky bed. Never again. He stripped the bed and put the whole lot in the washing machine. (Duvet cover, duvet, sheet, pillow case and pjs, obviously too much for the machine to cope with). So I check that he has scraped the lumps off, no he didn't know you had to do that (we have three dc, how do you not know that?) so he removed the duvet cover from the machine, and cleaned the lumps off, all into the kitchen sink. It went everywhere. Cover back in machine, he goes to bed. I go into kitchen there is bits of sick in the sink, everywhere. Remove DH from bed, he makes a halfhearted attempt at clearing up. I vow that next time it will be easier to do the whole lot myself.

I normally try to scrape the lumps into the toilet, using toilet roll. It's not easy, but in the middle of the night it does ok. I left the whole lot in the bath once to be delt with in the morning (dd had a gastroenteritis bug, DH was away with work, ds was a little baby waking to feed every two hours, I was knackerred). That was really grim, in the morning the smell in the bathroom did make me actually vomit.
I'm liking the sound of the sick clear up bucket, everything you need in one place. I might make one of those, just in case.

[mrscog]

LaGuardia - it kind of depends though on your circumstances - If I'd used a new sheet for all of DS' bugs so far I'd have spent over £100 and he's only just 2!

[mrscog]

I am surprised that spoon/knife scraping isn't more popular - I found it less messy than the paper/rinsing under tap route.

[hiccupgirl]

Have to admit the 3 times my DS has been sick I have just chucked everything in the machine and it's been fine....no lingering bits and nothing smelt afterwards. I did put it on a 60 degree wash with napisan too.

But next time if there's anything big I will scrape it off!

Last time was when DH was away for 3 days so I got DS out of bed into clean pjs, wrapped him up in a blanket on his chair and then sorted the bed out before putting him back in. His bed always has a waterproof sheet so the mattress was fine.

[procrastinatingagain]

I'm another one who's never scraped off any lumps and never had a problem with the washing machine. Maybe my dc's sick isn't very lumpy?? My top tip is put an inch of water in the sick bucket and this makes it easier to empty and rinse out in the middle of the night. Also use a mattress protector and have a spare!

[jenniferturkington]

Timely thread as my 17 month old just puked all over me and her. Currently all our clothes are in the bath soaking in water. When I can face it I will swish them around to get off the lumps, then transfer to the washing machine where I will run a rinse cycle before hot washing them apart from my woollen sweater which might never recover

[BeaWheesht]

I have a still refluxy 3 year old so am well versed....

First of all I have spare sheets, bucket, plastic bags (with no holes), spare old clothes and purell hand gel along with diluted bleach spray and wipes.

I put their clothes in a plastic bag (wiped off sick) and tie it up - get them to wash their hands with purell and put on old clothes, give bowl / bucket to hold if old enough.

I scoop big solid bits with an inverted plastic bag and drop it into another then I clean the rest with wipes and if possible spray. I scrub it as much as possible.

Then I remove the sheet into a black bag and put it into machine when I can. Wash on 60. Twice. On its own with sicky clothes.

I wipe down / spray the mattress them put a towel under them the sheets on top and remove duvet cover - if pukey then put it in bath to be dealt with if ok then I remove the duvet and let them sleep with more easily washable blanket.

Then I wash their hands, my hands and our faces and taps etc and hopefully put them back to bed and replenish supplies!

[Clobbered]

If anticipating further episodes, I recommend waterproof mattress cover, followed by first set of bedding, covered by second WMC and set of bedding. If child erupts in the small hours, you can rip off the first set and have them back in bed pronto, dumping the rest in the bath to deal with in the morning.
Loving the idea of a 'dealing with sick' box.

[LeepyTime]

Thanks everyone, gosh I should put on more posts about vomit in future, I have never had so many responses!! It seems to be a hot topic! Thanks for all your varied advice and support, and big hugs out to all the people who are currently in the middle of this hell. My little boy is much better today so I hope that is the end of it.

To crystallize what I have learnt today from all you kind people I will be doing the following:

1. Putting on waterproof mattress covers (too late for last night's one) and investing in baking soda to absorb it if mattress not covered.
   
2. I will prepare a 'dealing with sick' box as my other two may still be harbouring this bug and who knows what the night holds for me.
   
3. If anyone is sick, I will indulge in the delights of 'sick soup' in a bucket (love that phrase) by just chucking the sheets in with water and detergent and dealing with the lumps in the morning.
   
4. I'm afraid I just can't bring myself to wipe the lumps up with tissue or whatever, that just pushes my gag reflex too far!
   

Thanks all and hope all your little sick ones are ok and that we all get some sleep xx