Now, please let me make this quite clear that the idea of cleaning up vomit is literally putting a bad taste in my mouth, and I must admit that I am feeling slightly squeamish as I write this…

However, it is one of those things that as a Superyacht stewardess you will just not be able to get around. The fact is both, guests and crew may succumb to seasickness at some point in the journey, so every Superyacht stewardess will need to know how to clean up vomit.

We protect our clothes as well as our carpets with the hope that they attract no stains. However, try as we might, accidents can happen and in a flash, we spill juice or coffee on our clothes and rugs.

There are other stains that are more difficult to remove and they include blood, grease, pet urine, and vomit, which can really stink and mess up our carpets.

How to clean vomit from carpet

Vomit falls into the category of bodily fluids, which is a protein stain. Like all protein stains the most important thing to remember is to NEVER use hot water when cleaning the stain.

As soon as you know there is a vomit mess to clean up, time really is of the essence. Especially if you want to avoid having to deal with that horrible rancid smell, or that bright orange stain on the carpet that just will not budge.

What you will need:

Gloves (for the love of god… Do not clean up vomit without gloves on)

A bucket or bowl for scraping up the chucks

A spoon or a spatula

Paper towel or a white terry cloth

Bicarbonate soda or cornstarch

A vacuum cleaner

Vinegar cleaning solution

Tepid water

Method:

Place the bowl at an angle and gently scrape the chunks and as much fluid into the bowl as you can. Be sure to do this in a gentle manner so that you avoid damaging the carpet fibres.

Make sure you pick up all the pieces first. Do not use a towel as it may spread the vomit around.

Dab the area gently with the paper towel or terry cloth to remove as much fluid as possible

Sprinkle the bicarbonate soda over the area and leave for 15 minutes

Vacuum up the bicarbonate soda and re-evaluate the stain

Should a stain remain, on a new white terry cloth, blot the area with a vinegar solution (see notes below).

Rinse the area with clean water.

Dry the carpet immediately with clean paper towel or a clean terry cloth.

Should the stain still remain, call a professional.

If you mess with the stain too much, you may be damaging the carpet fibres and a professional will they have a tougher time of not only trying to clean the original stain, but then also they will have to reverse your cleaning efforts.

(1 tablespoon vinegar, 1 teaspoon clothes detergent, 2 cups of water).