The Tale of the Grimy Grout

This is not a sponsored post, just a post sharing an amazing homemade cleaner that I found. My friend Kriste posted something on her facebook wall that led me to her Pinterest account and the "Why Didn't I Think Of That" board.  There I found a link to a grout cleaner that was supposed to work very well.  I had all the ingredients on hand, so I wrote down the mixture to make up later.  Well, I have finally made it.

Now my house is over a decade old.  I, having never had tile before, unwisely chose a lovely eggshell color for the grout through the house.  Never do that.  Never. We sealed it. It was labor-intensive and it really didn't protect it for very long.  I gave up on trying to keep the grout white.  I have children to enjoy!  They won't remember the color of the grout when I am laying on my deathbed.  They'll remember the fun we have together.

However, it always bothered me. I'd wipe it down with a Magic Clean eraser every week or so, but it never STAYED clean.  I think this new cleaner may be the answer to my grout problems.

I tried it first on my kitchen grout.  I was happy.  I decided to tackle my entryway. I photodocumented the following experience.

Here's the before picture of the evenly dirty grout in front of our door. I could pretend it was SUPPOSED to be that color....but it wasn't.

Here's after a spray of the solution and a wipe of a wet cotton rag.

Here's the perpendicular line done.

 This is a wide shot.  The cross shape that I cleaned above is near the rag.  Big difference, huh?

Finally, here's the finished floor.

The original link recommended spraying on the cleaner, letting it sit for a while, then scrubbing it with a grout brush and wiping with a clean cloth.  I don't have time for that.  I sprayed all the grout lines and let it sit just while I was doing that. I don't have a grout brush, so I just scrubbed with the cotton rag and elbow grease. Only a little elbow grease, though. I haven't a lot to spare anymore!  This entire floor took about a half hour. If I had followed directions as written, maybe it would have come a little cleaner, but this is wonderfully acceptable to me!  It is, after all, the floor, not the table. It will have many, many feet tromping over it tomorrow and every day that follows.

I can't say how long the grout will stay light colored, but I do know that I can spare a half hour once in a while to bring it back to this shade.

After doing the floor, I was inspired to try cleaning a section of a grimy corner of our painted wall.  Mr. Clean Eraser works wonderfully, but did so by removing the paint.  A plain washrag didn't cut it, and neither did the other cleaners I had on hand.

A small amount of this solution on the cloth and the paint came clean, even in the deeper parts of the texture. I tried it first on a small section that was hidden, of course, in case it took the paint with it as I rubbed.  It did not.  I cleaned my entire Four Corners area in just a few minutes, again, using just the cloth and a little elbow grease.

I am so thankful that Kriste posted the link that day. The "maid" portion of my life just got MUCH easier!

Grout Cleaner

*never add bleach to this. Bleach and ammonia create toxic fumes that WILL sicken or kill you!*

3 1/2 cup water
1/4 cup baking soda
2 Tbsp + 2 tsp ammonia (I used lemon-scented)
2 Tbsp white vinegar

Mix together in a large bowl. There will be a reaction when you pour in the vinegar.  Using a funnel, fill a spray bottle.  Give a shake before use.

The original recipe has you making this IN the spray bottle. If I had, I think it would have fizzed out when I poured in the vinegar.  I'm glad I did it in a bowl instead.

The Stables

We've been faithfully going to the stables weekly. I brought my camera again last week. Look at how good the Lambies have gotten at stables work! This is Rory, a 30-something year old bay that specializes in tolerating the love of Littles.



Don'tcha just love the cowboy boots and shorts?



They clean six corrals every week. Even Missy can run and dump a wheelbarrow now!



They enjoy grooming chores almost as much as riding.

I'm glad we've had this opportunity to learn.

Chores In Our Family

One of the most time consuming things about having a larger family is the chores. Since we all live in this house all day long, it gets messier than the home of the family across the street, where everyone is at work and school all day long. We must clean up and do it often!

One day a few years back, I sat down with chores in mind. I broke each job down into its componants and wrote detailed lists. Then I decided which chores were most appropriate for each child. The smaller children got the easier parts, of course and the older ones, the harder.

My husband created a spreadsheet with all the chores listed on the left-hand column and names of all the children (rotated, so they are in different places) in four columns toward the right. One child has a certain aspect of each chore for a month. On the first day of the month we change to the next column. Everyone has a new job. After four months, we are back to the beginning. Each child has learned each job completely.

An example: The kitchen is cleaned very quickly after meals in this manner. I wash pots and handwashables and put away food, one child sweeps, one clears and wipes the table, one wipes down the chairs and pushs them in when the sweeper is finished, one clears and wipes the counter and stove. The smaller children wipe the table legs, clean the front of the dishwasher, stove and fridge. One picks up any toys or big things on the floor for the sweeper.

I can now call on any one of the six oldest children to do a job by themselves or with a partner and it gets done well!

Our 'jurisdictions' (to borrow a term from the Duggar Family) are: kitchen, bathroom, living and family rooms, bedrooms, playroom and animals. We have had the same chart for a couple of years now, and I am planning an upgrade. The children and I have taught all the little ones the chores, so it's time to 'graduate' the older ones to new assigned chores and allow the six and seven year olds the responsibility of the 'big kids' chores.