Despite a few years in the military system, I am not exactly the most fastidious guy on the planet -- I've managed to spill various brands of the canned 'foods' on my armchair, carpet, clothes, etc., and find it very hard to clean up.

As I write this, I have a load of clothes in the washer from a mess today -- Seems the plug on my PEG is having trouble staying in place today, and this PEG happens to point down, so I'm a bit untidy. My previous PEG during the radiation was pointed up and I had a neck look that I fastened to it, so the business end was up pretty high and way above the inner level of my stomach -- My current PEG, pointing down, is lower than the inside level, so it tends to be a tad more prone to leakage.

I emailed Nestle regarding cleanup but they just referred me to the chair/carpet makers for advice (Leads me to surmise that some strong stuf may be required and they don't want to get involved in replacing my chair after I destroyed it with a propane torch or my downstairs neighbors' ceiling when the sulfuric acid ate through the carpet, concrete, etc.).

I emailed Abbott Labs (makers of Osmolite and the Safeway version of Ensure, and Ensure itself) and here's what they had to say:

"Hello Pete,

Thank you for contacting Abbott Nutrition.

It is important to treat stains promptly with the correct methods. With the wrong treatment, some stains become more difficult or even impossible to remove. Other stains are relatively easy to remove if they are treated promptly, but become permanently set if allowed to age.

Adult nutritional product stains are likely due to the protein and fat content in the product. We suggest using an enzyme containing laundry detergent such as ERA�. As always, it is best to follow the clothing and detergent anufacturer�s washing instructions.

Please let us know if we can be of further assistance.

Sincerely,

Gisele
Consumer Relations
Abbott Nutrition"

How about you guys -- What have you found that works, esp for the old stains? Sadly, the spill on the arm of my armchair is old and has hardened into something like medium grit sandpaper, quite a distraction when trying to relax with a 'shoot 'em up' DVD. The tag on the chair sez "Cleaning by a professional furniture cleaning service only is recommended", which does not augur well for the future of my wallet.

BTW, if in the rush of things prior to getting a PEG you can remember, ask the PEG-placing Doc to please use a larger diameter tube if he/she possibly can -- Much easier to keep clean and far less likely to clog, plus gravity feeding is possible, using the little roller-clamp to cut back the flow.

Part of my difficulties today were with my too-small tube and my crushed medicines blocking it -- I actually had to remove the PEG (NOT recommended!!) and push a soft wire down it to remove the blockage -- Push-pull with the syringe just didn't do it this time -- BTW, my PEG is 17" from stem to stern and is only a #12; my previous PEG was much larger, almost the size of a pencil.