Right now, I’m sweating cats and dogs. And no, I’m not talking about Arizona heat this time. I’m talking about the hot mess in my art studio.

Let me paint you a picture (pun intended): For the most part, my art studio door stays shut. It’s my peaceful, creative escape — and Lucy, our adorable little puppy, has never shown much interest in it. But recently, things have changed. The doggie door to the outside world is now located in that very studio, so naturally, the door has to stay open.

Did I mention the studio is carpeted? Yeah. Now you’re getting the full picture.

Lucy has had a couple of accidents near the doggie door. I’m not sure if she gets distracted on the way out, or maybe she’s still learning, but for whatever reason, she’s done her business — just shy of the great outdoors. Poop? Easy. Pick it up and move on. Pee? That’s a whole different story. It’s like a sneaky ghost that leaves behind a smell instead of footprints.

So now, my carpet stinks. Not a subtle “maybe I left the window open during a rainstorm” smell. Nope. This is full-on puppy pee perfume.

And here’s where the sweat comes in.

In a few weeks, my son-in-law will be staying over to install new flooring in our bedroom. He’ll be bunking in the studio, where I have a cozy little guest bed. But who wants to sleep surrounded by eau de Lucy?

I don’t have carpet shampoo. I don’t even have a proper cleaning bucket. I do, however, have Pine cleaner under the sink. So I filled up a jar with a little solution, grabbed the only thing I could find — a sponge (no scrub brush here!) — and got to work – on my hands an knees!

It’s not glamorous. It’s not professional. But it’s what I’ve got.

And maybe, just maybe, with a little elbow grease and a lot of Pine scent, I’ll have that room guest-ready in time.

Until then… send help. Or a steam cleaner.

Eydie