Children are gross: A journey through time with NapiSan.

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BC (Before Child), I couldn’t have cared less about the existence of fabric stain removers. Seriously. Could. Not. Give. A. Crap. Sure, I had a token tub of Vanish NapiSan sitting neglected in the laundry, for extreme situations, but I just didn’t understand the fuss.

Now? Three and a half years into this parenting game? Literally cannot go a week without it. There’s always something. I honestly have no idea what people used before NapiSan existed. Elbow grease and something complicated you’d find on Pinterest that you had to make yourself with items no-one has ever heard of? Um…no. Could. Not. Deal.

When the Little Mister was a newborn, I knew there’d be a lot of horrible nappies to change but I had NO idea what number threes (also known as the poonami) were. You know the kind. The kind of liquid madness that obliterates entire jumpsuits and car seats. The kind that you swear only happens when you’re about to leave the house or while you’re driving.

*shudders*

Sometimes the cheaper jumpsuits were hastily put in a bag and thrown out – ain’t nobody got time for that!! But a lot of the time, we needed to salvage what we had. And into a bucket of NapiSan it went to soak before being chucked into the washing machine for a quick cycle. It was always such a relief to see the pristine, sweet smelling item at the end. Yay! I can touch it! It’s like that terrible terrible TERRIBLE thing never happened!

Then solid foods came along. Purée flying all over the joint in all colours of the rainbow. Bibs meant nothing. They were just arbitrary pieces of fabric or plastic. If I could have put the Little Mister in a full length water proof jumpsuit for meal times I would have. In the summer we settled for nearly naked. I must have soaked about a million bibs and tiny outfits daily. OK, so maybe that’s a slight exaggeration, but it felt like it! Oh, that bucket and that little tub of Napisan were my best friends. FYI, did you guys know that mashed banana dries on really really hard and turns black? GROSS.

After all that came *dun dun dun* toilet training! I won’t go into too much detail (either you’ve lived it and are traumatised enough already or you are blissfully not living with it and you might be eating or something right now), but you can imagine what happens to little pairs of jocks when your kid is learning to get to the toilet on time. Or when your kid is in denial about needing to do number 2s without nappies or pull ups to fall back on (literally – ew).

Then your toddler becomes a pre-schooler. Paint stains. Dirt. Mud. All those things that mean your kid is learning and getting busy doing the best kid stuff. Totally fine with me as long as I have my NapiSan! I’m so stoked to have just discovered the Vanish Preen Oxi Action trigger spray. It’s very satisfying to use – not to mention easy.

It’s been quite the journey with my good friend NapiSan. One of those every day things you take for granted. I’m sorry, NapiSan. I love you. I appreciate you.

Without you, clothes stains would be a nightmare and ‘stain removal’ would mean throwing everything with a stain in the bin (i.e. removing it from my house – get it? Stain removal?). Which is not exactly economical. What do you think I am? A gazillionaire?

I trust you, NapiSan. You have been there when things have gotten really really really ugly. I know you’ve got my back. You haven’t judged me as I’ve made ugly dry retching faces over the bucket or the machine. You have pretended not to notice some of the stuff I’ve put my hands in (don’t worry I always wash and sanitise afterwards). You’ve never wrecked my family’s clothes.

You’re awesome and I’m glad you’re in my laundry.

So tell me, lovely readers, what every day household products are you grateful for?