The Oil Fiasco

Ryan went to get Nolan out of bed this morning and as soon as he opened the door to his room, was hit with an eye-watering smell. He said he knew instantly what it was. We have a free-standing plug-in oil space heater in his room because he gets cold at night. We usually keep it on a low setting and have had it since Lauren was a baby and used it in her room when she was little. Well, it decided to "die" on us last night (or this morning - we aren't sure when it happened). But, instead of just not working, it leaked/sprayed oil all over the carpet, the wall, the side of his crib, etc.

My first reaction was panic that he had been breathing those awful oil fumes all night. So, we did searches on the internet and called the fire department. But, thankfully, he wasn't displaying any of the warning signs for chemical poison/inhalation. Once we determined that he was okay, we had to move on to figure out what to do with the carpet and everything in his room that smelled like oil. (Keep in mind that our house is up for sale and we could have a showing at any moment...)

We called cleaning services that deal with hazardous spills, carpet installation companies and heating specialists for their expert opinions. What we decided to do was move everything out of his room, wash all his clothing, bedding and stuffed animals that absorbed the fumes and remove the part of the carpet that was soaked with oil. We opened windows and turned on fans to try to help it air out. But, even then, all I can smell as I walk through the house is oil - yuck!! We had to set up the pack & play in our bedroom for him to sleep in until we fix his room.

Ryan scheduled for a cleaning company to come out tomorrow - they said they could get the oil up out of the floor board beneath the carpet. Once that is done, we have to go to Lowe's to find a match to our current carpet and have them come install new carpet in his room. Of course, we are trying to do this as quickly as we can because 1) until then, Nolan has no room to sleep in and 2) our house is for sale and this will delay any showings.

Despite the stress that a crisis like this brings, Ryan and I were able to laugh about it and display one of our strongest suits, which is teamwork. It is funny how ever since we listed our house for sale, it seems that we have had one problem after another. I guess that is Murphy's Law for you! Here are some pictures from our adventure this morning: