When Stink Strikes

If you're a parent, you know that life with kids is a layer cake of adventure, learning, laughs, tears, joys, fears...and some of the grossest situations you've ever had to troubleshoot. (Catastrophic diaper blowouts, anyone?)

From toilet training toddlers to hygiene training pre-teens, it's a parenthood truth that raising kids also sometimes raises a stink. Thankfully, parents have survived the ages by sharing solutions devised in the trenches of stenches. Read on for one such harrowing tale and the useful lifehack it produced.

Car Seat Calamity

The year our daughter was born, my husband and I took our first lengthy road trip to visit my parents—a roughly five-hour drive when traffic is favorable. The drive to our destination went great and we were feeling like parenting pros. We had a fantastic few days celebrating our baby's first Fourth of July. 

While running some errands the day before our trek home, our little lady got terribly sick in her car seat. It was so bad, I think our first thoughts were "so, we just pull our baby out and then burn this car seat, right?" There was mess in every nook and cranny. The harnessing straps completely saturated. Apologies for any triggered gag reflexes, but this was one of those "grossest situations ever." 

After getting the baby cleaned up and resting, cleaning the car seat now souring in the July heat lay ahead. I deep cleaned everything possible, but I got stuck with what to do about the stink-nasty straps. Understandably, they were not a removable feature of this car seat so I had to figure out how to clean them or face a long, stinky drive home.

The Unlikely Hero

Then came a thought that was a blend of creativity and desperation. Some brilliant friends of ours had recently invented an alcohol-based deodorant, Pit Liquor, and it was super-effective at stopping pit odor. I remembered my friend telling me that during her research, she'd read about a stink-fighting technique long used by stage actors. They'd spray pure vodka on costumes too delicate for laundering to keep them from getting stinky, use after use. I didn't have a stinky costume but I did have a seriously stinky car seat and a bottle of Whiskey Lavender Pit Liquor. I decided to test Pit Liquor on a stink beyond the pits. I sprayed it liberally onto the straps and all over the seat.

We enjoyed the rest of our last day away and the moment of truth came the next morning as we loaded the car. Had the Pit Liquor worked? It had. Astonishingly well! The only smell in the car was a pleasant, subtle smell of lavender. I realized then this little bottle of organic magic called Pit Liquor held usefulness beyond pulverizing pit stink and I was a fan for life. 

Tell Your Story

There you have it, a Pit Liquor lifehack that could save you from your next stinky situation. Have you used Pit Liquor to quench a stench beyond your pits? Share your story in the comments below or on our Facebook or Instagram—we'd love to hear from you!

Laycie McClain lives nestled against the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in Loveland, CO. It's a handy place to live for a Wyoming native who treasures mountain adventures, a good craft beer, and plenty of opportunities for enjoying the outdoors with her husband and daughter.