Most of you know we live in an apartment now but most of you don't know that the building(s) are almost 50 years old so of course some things are rather in need of sprucing up. The latest disaster to befall us is the hall closet coming off the moorings yesterday and flatly refusing to yield to my best (previously successful) attempt to fix it. So...work order in once again.
Anyway, my point (and believe it or not I DO have one!) and an explanation about the battle being won concerns the grout around the tub tiles in the bathroom. Of course they're the original tiles with the old grout which is showing its age - along with mold here and there. I've tried all sorts of things to clean the grout but nothing has worked...until....I discovered THIS and gave it a try. I was thrilled with the difference! Once I invest in some more baking soda I plan to treat all the grout lines and see what happens. In the meantime what I HAVE done looks great! And there, never let it be said that this isn't a full-service blog!!
PLEASE NOTE - DO NOT, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, COMBINE BLEACH WITH AMMONIA!!! (thanks Liz for the reminder!)
And, just to prove that something has been happening in my sewing room lately, how about these that came about as a result of a special request from our #2 son. Our grandson is apparently a huge fan of the 'Octonauts' tv show and these are his three favourite characters. So...something else heading for the Christmas box!
Pattern is 'The Octonauts' by Mariya Koziova (Amigurushki Crochet Patterns) and can be found on Etsy.
Today the quote is from Maya Angelou...
"We spend precious hours fearing the inevitable. It would be wise to use that time adoring our families, cherishing our friends, and living our lives"
Yes, venting is important when using that bleach solution. Found that out the hard way once cleaning a textured bottom tub. Wish I would have known about the baking soda. Love the quote.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately our bathroom doesn't have a window so I have to rely on the open door and the ceiling fan. I put the solution on quickly and got out of the room as fast as I could. You actually don't have to use that much bleach so it's okay.
Deleteunfortunate that you can't seem to get help from the owners to repair things in your apartment. If you wanted to do all the repair yourself you may as well also have the benefit of ownership. Love the photo coin purse idea on the one link......amazing imagination! I'm with you on the house plants. I do much better with my outdoors plants.
ReplyDeleteThey will come quickly if it's something dire but mundane things like painting balconies and now fixing a closet door aren't high on their list of priorities. I understand, to a degree, but it would be nice if they'd give us a timeline. I loved the photo purse idea too - great way to use old photographs.
DeleteWell darn...wish I had of known...the Quaker used baking soda like it was going out of style..on almost all her hard cleaning problems. Love your sweet little creatures too.
ReplyDeleteI use baking soda (and vinegar) a lot but hadn't thought to combine the soda with bleach. I've been battling that bathroom tile situation since we moved in and it's such a thrill to finally find something that actually seems to work.
DeleteI've done the draping paper towel on the mold and pouring bleach to hold it in place overnight. Then next day rinse. That works, but I fancy trying this baking soda idea too. With the usual caution: don't get it anywhere near ammonia based cleaners. The resulting chemical reaction, of ammonia and bleach, creates chlorine gas which can kill you. On that cheerful note..
ReplyDeleteI've used paper towel and vinegar too and that works well, but can't use it on a wall unfortunately. And yes, ammonia is a no no with bleach, for sure.
DeleteGrout is grrr worthy, awful stuff to clean.
ReplyDeleteI've used toothpaste and dish liquid to clean grease out of shirts.
I use Blue Dawn dish liquid (only the blue though) on grease stains ALL the time and it works like a charm. Never thought of trying toothpaste though.
DeleteGood ol' bleach and baking soda! I am glad this worked wonders on your icky tiles. Those octonauts are so very cute. Your grandson is going to have the widest smile, come Christmas morning.
ReplyDeleteI went and bought a huge box of baking soda this afternoon and plan on attacking all the grout. I've tried using bleach on its own but without much success. Adding baking soda must be the magic formula.
DeleteMy mission in life - to make my grandsons smile!
Those are cute.
ReplyDeleteHope our grandson thinks so too!
DeleteSo glad that you have finally found something to clean the grout in the bathroom Mary Anne! Love those little characters you have made and I know your grandson will too! Enjoy the rest of the week! Christine xx
ReplyDeleteAfter 50 years the grout certainly needs a dose of something! I've tried all sorts of different commercial products and none of them worked, and a lot of them smelled a whole lot worse than this did.
DeleteI look forward to trying this baking soda and bleach mixture. I'd never thought to combine those two either. I am completely ignorant of the Octonauts, but I can imagine your grandson is going to be over the moon happy with his new hand-crocheted toys!
ReplyDeleteI hadn't heard of the Octanauts either but the little toys were rather fun to make. Kept me occupied for awhile anyway. Hope the baking soda mixture works for you too!
DeleteOh, you are such a show off with your Christmas makings already. I'm working on birthday stuff right now and maybe then I will have time for the Christmas stuff. Hopefully. It's nice to know the ecological cleaning methods work.
ReplyDeleteHmmmm - 'already' isn't my norm because I normally work pretty much all year on Christmas makings. This year I was at least six months late in starting so I'm behind.
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