If you look at this darling kitty cat and think, "Aw she's sweet, she's innocent, she's adorable and cute." You would be very wrong. Don't get me wrong, I love our kitties. I love them and squeeze them and make them mine. But there are times when I imagine barbecuing them, or even worse doing things to them that they do to me. They seem sweet and innocent now, but wait until you discover their true nature.
Like this!!
Okay, so maybe they aren't THAT bad, but I was pretty furious last night. Let me start at the beginning.
Last night I had a fabulous family dinner with Speed Racer's side of the family while he is out of town. We spent some time talking afterward and I just thoroughly enjoyed myself. Little did I know what was awaiting me at home. I drove home, enjoying the night weather. Happy. I pulled into the garage and as I got out of the car I smelled a fragrant odor. It was pleasant and yet familiar. And then it hit me. It smelled exactly like the scented oils that we have on top of the refrigerator. Oh, no.
I rushed up stairs and the fragrance hit me in the face like a tsunami. And there it was. All over the kitchen floor. I quickly locked the evil culprits in our room to keep them from getting into the gooey mess on the floor. At first I was just frustrated more than anything that I would have to clean all this up. But it got worse.
As I began to mop up the oily goo with paper towels, the color of the floor started to come up, and then the floor itself.
I frantically made some calls, first to my parents, then to Speed Racer's Uncle, and Speed Racer's Uncle finally called in the big guns, Speed Racer's chemical engineer Grandfather...Papaw John. According to Papaw John, our floors are linoleum. Linoleum it turns out, is an asphalt product. Oil, any kind of oil really, dissolves asphalt. (You learn new things every day).
Basically there wasn't anything I could do. I could try and get up as much as the oil as I could, but as for the floors the chemical reaction had already started, and no one could tell when it would stop or how much of the linoleum had been dissolved. So, I got the laundry detergent out and scrubbed those floors like there was no tomorrow. The detergent worked very well actually and helped get the gooey mess off to the point where you could at least walk over the space.
I woke up this morning completely expecting a long hole in the floor. But luckily there wasn't. It looked exactly the same as last night. I called Speed Racer this morning and gave him the unfortunate news, he took it like a champ.
I do always try to look on the bright side, and here are some good points.
1. We are going to replace these floors anyway, and they have been in this house since it was built. Not the end of the world.
2. At least it wasn't the hardwood floors.
3. Our house smells very nice right now...strong, but nice.
4. The kitties were not covered in goo, and as far as I can tell, did not lick any up.
So yeah, the bright side. And no dear readers, I have not killed the kitties. As I sit here, drinking my coffee and typing away, Ms. Brisco is quietly purring in my lap, trying to tell me she's sorry, vaguely smelling of perfume. I lean down, scratch around her ears, and quietly whisper, "Just wait until Speed Racer gets home."
*Side Note: From what I researched online, this can also happen with vinyl floors, or take the finish off of wood products. Take the warnings on the label of the scented oils very seriously whether it is Glade or some other brand. Do not put them around anything you care about, including your floors.