Guest ruined carpet

[DeedlessIndeed]

OK, logically I know that this is a minor problem in the grand scheme of things. I know people are facing real issues in the world, but this has really annoyed me.

We have just had new wool carpet fitted in the whole of the upstairs. Saved up for a while as it was expensive (for us). After 5 years of renovation, we finally have the upstairs finished! I was so so happy.

Had parents stay this weekend and left yesterday. They've seen the house in all stages of building site and they know how excited I am to have the upstairs done. I explained that we are being careful to keep it looking nice. And they know we are a slippers only house apart from the hard floors in the hall etc.

Well, I went into their room to do the bedding this morning and can see that they've rolled their dirty suitcase wheels all along the carpet. A bit annoying, but oh well. It's dried so I can hoover it up hopefully. Then I see they've spilled a coffee or dark tea next to the bed. There is a huge splatter mark all over the carpet in front of the beside table. It's also on the skirting board and wall, but I can touch that up at least.

I'm just feeling a bit gutted. If they had an accident then why not say and I could have got on it and stop it staining. I'm regretting not getting a easily cleanable carpet but the fact they didn't mention it is the worst part IYSWIM?

Would you say anything to your parents? They do mean well, but they just don't "get" having nice things and looking after them.

I don't think you're silly at all. I would be fuming and I wouldn't want them staying overnight again. Some people just don't care. I had a lodger for a couple of months once and she broke a pair of glasses I'd had many years, and a very nice table lamp and didn't apologise either. I caught her using a sharp knife to cut potatoes up IN my best frying pan. If you like nice things and you want to keep them nice, you have to be careful who you share them with.

That's a bit guilt trippy. Maybe OP shouldn't get a professional cleaner but should leave the stain where it is and turn it into a shrine to her (not yet dead) parents.

Guest? Parents you mean. Who would consider a parent a guest, it’s family. I am clumsy due to my MS if I did something like this, I would pay for professional cleaning.

Of course adults are not always in control of their bodily fluids.. you sweat,drool,eyes and nose run, when you're asleep.. never had a period start at a different time, unexpected! oddly enough I went out with a friend today,who was shocked at mattress protectors, not mine. However, she hasn't cleaned her windows in 14 years I have lived nextdoor to her. We recently forked out almost £2k on a new bed, and yes,it's got a fancy expensive waterproof, cotton top mattress protector.

It’s really thoughtless of them and they don’t really have much respect for your home and all the hard work you’ve put into it.
They clearly aren’t bothered about making a mess in their own home but you think they’d have at least kept tea/coffee downstairs as it was all so new.
My mum was brought up in a chaotic home. She worked really hard, looked after everything and passed it on to me. Makes perfect sense to me.

I would be both sad and livid if anyone ruined my carpet I saved and scrimped for. It's shoes off and no dogs in my house. I didn't let my DC eat chocolate indoors until they graduated. I now have grandchildren and I have bought sacrificial rugs for my beautiful carpeted and wooden floors. Sorry you have crap parents OP.

No, of course you don’t say anything.

You host, you expect people to be relaxed and comfortable. You’d have to be completely anal to even mention these silly little things.

When my parents used to stay, my mum was always spilling tea and coffee all over the house as she had shaky hands. It’s just one of those things and people that fuss over them are just precious.

What a crock. My perfectly lovely and perfectly healthy mum dropped dead suddenly earlier this year at 69. So shocking. So devastating. Doesn’t make the ceiling light she broke any less annoying.

Get it professionally cleaned by a reputable company. Don't tackle it yourself or you could make it worse. A decent carpet cleaner will know exactly how to get the stain out and what product to use.

This is why I have a waterproof mattress protector on my spare bed. I don't expect my friends to pee in the bed, but nobody needs to worry about menstrual accidents either.

I would just sort it out myself and pay someone to clean it. I would also suggest not having your parents stay over again. There’s nothing wrong with being house proud and especially wanting something new to be respected and looked after! I imagine after growing up in your parents “messy home”, you want something different for yourself and that’s fine!
If they ask to stay again just say you were disappointed with the mess left for you to clean up and if they can’t respect your home and try to make sarcastic comments about it, then that’s on them!

I wouldn’t be having them stay again. You have every right to be annoyed. It’s as if they are jealous? Because why not even attempt to clean it up.

I agree with this. Some people just don't see the mess they make. I wouldn't confront them but wouldn't allow food/drink upstairs again. If asked, explain why.

@DeedlessIndeed these are my go-to cleaners for bright orange cat sick ( dry food) and dried blood all over carpet from a fall and nasty cut. Both carpets were / are pale wool

Just...wow

See, I don't get this mentality. OP might have dropped stuff when she was a child, but these are fully grown adults. DS (11 months) pooed on living room carpet the other day. Does that give me carte blanche to shit on his living room floor when he's got his own home?

It’s a ludicrous mentality, that’s why. 😆 yet so many posters are determined to try to clobber the OP with it, even though you know they’d be fucked off if anyone did it to them and their homes.

My next door neighbours’ house is beautiful. Expensive everything, completely perfect and spotless.

Round there for drinks, my husband was chatting to their adult daughter, ‘this house is SO perfect’, he said. ‘Yeah, but can you imagine growing up here?’ she said, ‘we were never allowed to make any mess, ever’.

It made me glad that we’re not fussy about mess or stains. We have guests a lot, and I want them to be relaxed and not give much of a hoot if they spill a drink or break a glass.

Wool carpets can be cleaned perfectly well? Get your Dr Beckmans "Brusher Bottle" on the job and some warm water. Vacuum up the suitcase dust. Or get a professional carpet cleaner in if you are too nervous.

Also the wall and skirting can be cleaned with a damp cloth, they don't need repainting. You need to know how to clean things and avoid these unnecessary panics.

The next time they come to stay do not allow them to have food and drink in their room. They should have told you at the time and made some effort to clean the spillage as soon as possible rather than ignoring it and leaving it for you to find after they left……….that is unacceptable and they treated your home like a seaside B & B.

That’s only if the spill is fresh. The stain on OP’s carpet will be dry.

Just what I was thinking…. I wouldn’t say anything to parents on this basis!

You expressly mentioned the carpet and what it meant to you. These are your parents but it was then immediately both marked and stained. You seemed to be predicting this, in talking to your parents. So I wouldn't call the outcome accidental but its what people do.
Apparently, you're powerless to stop it but that's not unusal. You know your mother will most likely dismiss discussion as "you being precious" so you can neither prevent the behaviour or discuss it. You can work out for youself whether that combination is reasonable.
Surely the only final option is to not try to control what you can't. You can be confident in your opinions. You can try to solve the damage and then enjoy your excellent taste. It sounds like it was a blast having the carpet done. Bypass your parents.

What a load of shite! Children break things and make a mess, these are grown adults who made a mess and didn't attempt to clean it or let OP know so she could

what an odd relationship do people have with their parents, that when they mess some expensive thing of yours up, that you care about, you can’t even express your disappointment. I’d say to my mum: I love it when you’re here. But you left a massive stain on my new carpet for which we saved a long time, and I am frustrated about it because I wasted 2 hours of my life fixing it. Please be careful next time.