More time indoors thru the winter means it is time for some deep cleaning chores. I'm passing the time giving the hardwood floors a much needed, refreshed look. I also found a quick, easy way to deal with tub & shower soap scum. *Let me just say, the products and equipment I am mentioning in this blog are ideas I found useful and wanted to share. I don't receive any kick-backs from any company for doing so.
Winter woes are in full swing here on the farm. I am loving the fresh winter air however, it's too cold to spend a lot of time outdoors. Being stuck inside for longer hours means I need to focus my attention on ways to stay busy and keep moving. If I don't, the dreaded 'winter body' starts to take shape and I'm afraid it's already knocking at the door. You know what I mean.
Rise & Shine
"These floors have seen better days"
After my morning coffee, I turned my attention to the upstairs landing. This was ground zero of a leaky flashing from a faulty roof. Every time there was a heavy rain meant emptying buckets every hour or so, hauling them down the steps. I had plastic laid down, multiple buckets etc. I tried my best to keep water off the floor and was mostly successful. With all that and given that it has been many years since it's had a good wax job, at some point it will still need a full re-finishing but for now, my hope was to protect it enough to make do. I remembered a cousin of mine had used a product on her floors and it turned out beautiful so I acquired the things I would need and went to it. Now that the roof is replaced there is no time like the present, let's do the thing.
What you'll need:
A cheap sponge mop (under $10)
A bottle of Rejuvenate floor restorer and protectant ($10-$15)
A Rejuvenate microfiber bonnet for the mop head (under $10)
First thing I did was sweep the floor really well. Rejuvenate is super easy to use, no bucket is required. You just squirt it right onto the floor in an 'S' shape and mop it in. Work in sections and move with the grain of the wood. Follow the instructions on the bottle, you wait a few minutes for it to cure and apply a second coat (or more if needed). I took these photos after the first coat, I applied 2 in all. It made a world of difference, I'm very pleased with how it turned out.
Check out that shine
Soap Scum
I hate soap scum. We all deal with it and it's a back breaker to clean. I dread dealing with it over all the chores. I would rather wash dishes by hand, or scrub the commode than have to scrub the tub. It is not that I mind cleaning it, it's just that it puts your arms and back in such an awkward position. I'm left with a strain that sends me to my chiropractor's table every time. Not to mention my asthma and being in close, unventilated, proximity to the fumes of cleaning products means dealing with several days of migraine headaches and breathing issues that I find myself prolonging the inevitable and putting off doing the chore that needs to be done. Necessity is the mother of invention so I naturally researched a way to make my life easier. I needed to be able to clean the tub & shower with minimal pain and suffering and I have solved this dilemma. I kicked the soap scum in the bum.
I found a product made by Drillbrush. It's a 4 piece nylon power brush tile, and grout bathroom cleaning scrub brush kit. It comes with 4 different size brushes that attach directly to a power hand drill for about $20.00. How freaking awesome. Just attach this baby to your drill and go for it. No more back breaking scrubbing by hand, the brush does all the work. Wow! It minimized my time breathing chemicals and saved my arms and back days of pain. I quickly took a photo to show you the difference before I was quite through but you can see the difference it made. I admit, its a embarrassing to even post the before pictures but I needed it that bad to get bad so you can see how well this thing works.
Work smarter not harder
"Union Break"
Incidentally, there are all kinds of other types of brushes that attach to a drill for other types of projects. Who knew? This is a game changer for me. I had both the floors and tub done well before lunch. That's great for me because it leaves me with extra time to focus on the fun things I enjoy more to occupy my time with like pyrography, playing guitar, glass etching and all the things creative minded people indulge in. At any rate, I hope if you too are dealing with the dread of getting chores done, you will find these tips useful and your life will be made easier as well.
Take care and thanks for reading!
Comments