Several weeks ago I was heading out the door to a dinner party. In one arm I held a big salad bowl. In the other was a glass jar of salad dressing I had just made. As I tried to manuever open our heavy front door, the jar slipped out of my hand. In slow motion I yelled "Noooooo!" as the glass shattered on the wood floor and the contents splattered all over the wall and our cheap apartment carpet. You guys, I was so upset. I was already late to this party and all I wanted to do was sit down in the middle of this puddle of oil and vinegar and cry. Instead I picked up the glass pieces, did a quick wipe up with paper towels and left the big clean up until later. Over the next few weeks I tried every carpet cleaner at my local grocery stores (yes, plural). Nothing was working. And my front entry way continued to look like this. I didn't want visitors because it was so embarrassing. No, this condo is not our own but I like to live in cleanliness so I continued to try to clean it with no luck. Then my mom came to visit and suggested I try white vinegar. I didn't really give it much thought because it seemed either too easy or too smelly. Well, this weekend I had enough. I searched for a remedy and found it! Of course, it contains white vinegar because my mother is always right. So I'm going to share with you my wisdom because I'm sure I'm not the first person to spill oil-based something on their carpet (right?). 1. Scrape up the liquid (I had already done this weeks ago). 2. Sprinkle baking soda or cornstarch on stain to let absorb for 10 minutes and then vacuum. 3. Mix one tablespoon clear dishwashing liquid and one tablespoon white vinegar with two cups of warm water. 4. Using a white cloth (I strongly believe in microfiber washcloths), sponge the stain with the detergent/vinegar solution and blot until all the liquid is absorbed. 5. Sponge off with cold water and blot dry.