I'm hoping one more day of cleaning tomorrow and then sealing on Thursday. I hate to have this project eating into my lounging around and doing nothing vacation time.
wordless wednesday
7 hours ago
Tuesday, July 8, 2014
She Is Not Amused
After cleaning the kitchen floor yesterday, the two entrances to the kitchen have been blocked off to keep the dog out. I decided this was the week that I needed to clean the grout on my tile floors. Rigby just walks by and leaves hair everywhere, so the last thing I want is her making that floor even harder to clean. She was surprised at first, wondering why the suitcases and boxes were out.
However since, she's been whining and pouting about it. Rigby has had about enough of the barricades.
I have too, frankly. It's been a day and a half and only 60% finished. The tile in my house makes up about 60% of the floor. It sounded like a quick cleaning job, but as it turns out...it's not! I borrowed some heavy duty knee pads since I'm crawling all over the floor.
They have been a lifesaver, but are really hard to walk in - I feel like Frankenstein. Rigby is not too fond of that either.
I'm hoping one more day of cleaning tomorrow and then sealing on Thursday. I hate to have this project eating into my lounging around and doing nothing vacation time.
I'm hoping one more day of cleaning tomorrow and then sealing on Thursday. I hate to have this project eating into my lounging around and doing nothing vacation time.
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Ooooh this sounds like a big job. I've read something about it long ago that included one chemical to loosen before using something narrow like a toothbrush to clean then another chemical to neutralise the first one. But I think there is a machine that will do the reapplication of the seal and then the heavy duty polish. I've a vague memory of someone hiring one. But I could well be wrong and it may be really costly since it may require craftsmen to drive it. Lasts years though. I want to say the parish hall :-) but it could be something I'd read too. I'll not write more as I'm on the tablet.
ReplyDeleteThat's what I'm basically doing...but it's cheap Clorax Bleach Toilet Bowl Cleaner. It has an opening about the size of the grout width so it's easy to pour right on the grout. After about 30 minutes, I go back and scrub the heck out of it with a brush, and then let is sit for another 20-30 minutes before washing down with a mop. It's working well, it's just tedious, on my hands and knees. My back is sore tonight. It's causing me some frustration as this grout gets REALLY dark when it's wet so it looks dirtier than it was before I cleaned it. It takes about 12 hours to dry completely before I can tell if I got it clean enough. The high traffic areas I've had to go back over one more time.
DeleteA few years ago I had a coupon and got them power cleaned and sealed with the machine. But, what I wasn't aware of, sealing has to be done fairly often. When I think of "sealed" I think closed off or covered. No, it doesn't last long at all. I think if I seal it again and then keep up with it it regularly (I think two years is recommended for sealant), it might stay in better shape.
I've just written another comment and it's vanished. Can you check the spam filter in blogger before I rip this PC apart.
DeleteI'm finding Chrome a bit buggy recently, but nowt you could put a finger upon.
Nope, nada. :(.
DeleteCleaning the rest took all day, but I finished! My body feels like it's been run over by a truck, but the hardest part is done...I think. Sealer tomorrow.
DeleteI'm using Firefox now, we'll see if that makes a difference.
DeleteGo and get yourself a massage to knock the kinks out when you're done. If you can tolerate strangers touching you, some can't. If so, find another present to yourself.
I think with the sealer you need to put a few coats on and more again on the bit where there's lots of traffic. You know this info is the gold that brings a novel to life.
Yah I'm not a fan of the strangers/massage thing. Went for a walk this AM instead which got a few of the kinks out - not a lot, but some. I just did 35 tiles with the sealant and it took about an hour. Only about 180 more to go....ugh!!! The bottle gives a test for if I have to apply a 2nd coat or not, but I've got to wait two hours to do the test. Fingers crossed! But I do imagine the dirtier areas will need an additional coat.
DeleteYou think it was the web browser? The comment posted this time! :)
Jeepers that's 600^ft of tiles. There must've been times you thought you were cleaning the Plaza of the Met in NYC.
DeleteI don't know. It could be the browser or perhaps something about using the tablet while the PC is still open and running. Maybe.
There were times that I cursed myself for not just paying someone to do it, that's for sure. The sealer got faster as I got into my groove. It's done now and everything is back to normal. :) Next time I think I'll use grout paint/sealer (two-in-one). It was recommended to me as a quick/easy to do remedy, but I thought the cleaning would be better than just painting over the dirt. It's definitely cleaner, but some were pretty discolored so the cleaning didn't do all that much. Next time!!!!
DeleteYa know, when I first got the iPad and would use it near the PC, the PC would go into sleep mode and I couldn't get it back on without a forced shutdown. I couldn't get within two feet of the PC. With the Mac I haven't had the problem. Maybe it is a glitch with a PC.
I like the idea of tiles myself. But it would be a very cold house if I did what I wanted to do which would be to tile all floors. I'd really need underfloor heating.
DeleteStill I like the flooring I put down after removing the carpets when I got Jessie. It's just they are getting a bit tatty. I may well do one a year or even six months with really expensive oak. Or more likely not as the price is really frightening per sq-ft
The coolness is the reason it works here. But I do really like the wood floors. I've also got some lousy DIY wood floors in the dining area that were there when I moved in. They are a mess. Some day I'll replace them and the carpet upstairs with wood or wood-like floors. The price is a deterrent for me and having to pack up the house is too. I have been told that with a dog the real wood won't stay nice for long. It'd probably take a lot of maintenance to keep them up. If I do it it'll more likely be the laminate. They have so many different colors now. Is that what you replaced your carpet with?
DeleteOh a full hardwood floor is Hollywood money here. So all are a form of laminate, it just depends if you are laminating a hardwood upon a softwood and how thick the hardwood. Or a veneer upon a wood composite. The problems with using softwood are women in high-heels or simply moving stuff, or dogs nails. :-)
DeleteIsn't it hard having a champagne taste on an ice-water budget!?!? I'm guilty of that when it comes to the house, so end up doing nothing. I'll spend the next few years cursing my carpet and scratched wood floor.
DeleteWhat would happen if you put little scrubber pads on Rigby's paws? No? Bad idea, right?
ReplyDeleteHa ha! That image makes me laugh. However I think she'd be more of a hinderence than a help. :). Today she's been awfully quiet in the dining room. She's resigned herself the blockade.
DeleteI had tile throughout my dining and kitchen and I hated this task. Now constant vacuuming is my trial. Also I just got a new carpet shampooer. The new dog has marked one spot that I have to try to get out.
ReplyDeleteI did that in June sans the knee pads. HOLY COW was I hurting the next day! I am so glad that you were able to borrow some.
ReplyDelete