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.

Neat Canning Idea

I have a Camp Chef to use for outdoor canning, but if I didn't, I would certainly be showing this picture to my husband!  

Money Secrets of the Amish

Who couldn't use more pocket money? No one I know would turn down free money.  By saving money rather than spending it, you are, in essence, giving yourself free money. If you actually physically took the money you saved by using the tips in this book, you would fill your piggybank quite quickly.  The overall theme is“use it up, wear it out, make do or do without.” 

 Most families have to live by these principles to survive in this economy.  We may not even realize we are doing it sometimes. Do you flip over the ketchup bottle to get the last squirt or toss it before you have to shake it to get more?  You are using it up.  Do you wear a pair of shoes until it gets a hole in the bottom or just until they get scuffed? You are wearing it out.  Have you ever 'made do' with something rather than buying a new one?  What about just doing without?  It can be done, despite what TV commercials will tell you.

Lorilee Craker's book "Money Secrets of the Amish" will deliver many ideas that you may not have thought of for saving money, whatever the size of your family!  Booksneeze sent me a free copy of this book to review.  I am not required to post a positive review, but this one earned it. I do recommend this book for anyone looking to save money, a lot or a little at a time. It all adds up to extra cash you to use as the Lord directs!

Problem Solving: Bathroom Towels

We've always had a problem in the bathroom: towels on the floor.  Nobody ever puts them there, of course.  Silly little Nobody.  He does more around here than all of the children combined!

So we are attempting to fix this.  First and foremost, we let each child choose a colorful new towel.  They have been taught to keep their towel on a hanger in their own closet and bring it with them to the bathroom when they shower.  Then they take it back in their room and hang it up again after they shower. Now, if a towel is left on the floor, we will know exactly whose towel it is.

All the white(ish) towels that formerly lived in the bathroom are going to be used for swimming towels during the summer swimming season. There is a set of nice towels hanging on the shower door that are FOR SHOW OR GUESTS ONLY.  So far, believe it or not, no one has dried their hands on them or used them after a shower!  Could we have solved the 'Towel On The Floor' problem?  I sure hope so!

If you have a problem that you would like addressed, please leave it in a comment.

Making the Food Money Last

The Headmistress and the other Three Moms are blogging about food budgets this week. Even though HM mentioned most of my favorite ideas, I thought I'd share some tips anyway.

I blogged about the discovery of my favorite tip of all here. Go to farmer's market at the very end and offer to buy the perishables that will not make it to the next market day. You can often get lots of goodies. Be prepared to fix, freeze, can, share or otherwise prepare your bounty THAT day. Ripe food turns fast. I also ask different vendors for canning specials. Often they have bins of blemished fruit that they will sell inexpensively.

Learn to can! It is not inexpensive to begin, by any means, but Craig's List, garage sales and word of mouth can get you jars for little to nothing. Ask for canning supplies for your birthday, anniversary or Christmas presents. For water bath canning, all that's needed is a large pot and the basic canning tools. A pressure canner is more expensive, but priceless for making meals in a jar that will save many dollars when you need a dinner and you need it fast. I like my harvest yellow Presto canner. The new ones that you can get are flimsy and won't stand the test of time.

Put out the word that you will pick fruit trees. I have a list of folks whose trees I pick yearly. We get the surplus fruit to eat, can or bake with, they get a clean yard and don't have to watch the fruit moldering. I take canned goods to them as a thank you.

Buy meat that is marked down at the grocery store. I would love to buy organic, but I simply can't afford it. I watch for 25% and 50% off stickers and buy up as much as I can. Most goes into the freezer, some is eaten for dinner that night or the next and some shared with others. Use whole chickens rather than parts. Make your own broth. Use the bones from the meat you buy for beef stock. Collect vegetable trimmings in a freezer bag and use that for stock making rather than fresh produce.

Buy very little packaged "food". Meat, eggs, veggies, fruit. This is all we need to be healthy.

Grow a garden. It doesn't have to be more than some buckets alongside the garage. Lettuce is very easy to grow and will grow all year round in many places. Tomatoes grow like weeds in the summer. One zucchini plant supplies my entire family for most of the summer.

Make condiments from scratch. You can save SO much money, they taste ever-so-much better and have no mystery ingredients. I have many recipes here and here.

Cook your meals from scratch. Make the ingredients for your from scratch meals from scratch! For example, prepare dried beans rather than using canned (unless you canned them yourself), chop veggies rather than using frozen, cut stew meat out of an inexpensive roast rather than buying it pre-cut. You can think of many other purchased boxes and cans you can eliminate by making basic ingredients yourself.

Have a crockpot of beans prepared at all times to feed your hollow-legged teenagers. This has saved me tons of food dollars as my boys go through growing spurts.

Helpful Kitchen Charts

I often joke that my brain is full of holes; that I forget anything not written down somewhere. It's not really a joke. I remember important things like my Lambies' names, but little things can escape me if I'm not careful.



Like what temperature means chicken is done? What kind of salad green is in season this month? How many cups of grain do I need to grind to make X amount of flour? How do I use this gadget again? Where's the spare battery for the digital thermometer?





Well, for easy reference, I thought to make copies of some kitchen charts I liked and/or needed and I taped them inside my cupboards. I refer to them often and freed up brain space at the same time!







When the cupboards are closed, there's no cluttery mess yet I have the info I need at a moments notice. It works for me!

ETA: You can click the pictures for a bigger view. I tried to get clear enough pics so you could read the charts. Hopefully they'll be helpful info for someone on them!

Ant Killer

(originally posted on my other blog 10-10-07)

We have had ants on and off for a few months. I have finally for something easy to mix up that seems to do the job.

Ant Killer
Combine on something the ants can climb easily onto/into; I used a canning jar lid:
1/2 tsp EACH aspartame (Equal, Nutrasweet, etc it's a potent poison, to humans and insects!), Borax, and honey.
Add a drop or two of water if needed to thin out the mixture. Mix well.
Set into the path of the ants. They will gather, many thousands together, and take it back to their colony for food. It should wipe them all out in a day or two!

I had ants in my cup cupboard three or four weeks ago. I used this and I haven't seen one in the kitchen anywhere since!

They were in my bathroom this morning. They came from under the counter top by the wall and tracked down into the sink. I guess they were thirsty?! Out came my mix! I put it out at about 6:30 AM, and by 9 AM, it was surrounded by thousands of ants drinking their way to death. I took this shot at about 10:30 (photo deleted), when most had already gone back home and poisoned the queen. Many of the ants you see here are stuck in the honey and drowning. I have only about 20 ants roaming the counter, and they will be gone by this afternoon.

Happy killing!
Momma

(6-2008 Update) They did disappear. I haven't had them back yet this year either. Insert Happy Dance Smilie!

(1-2010 Update) Still use this when we get the occasional ant trail. Still works just as well!

Dryer Disaster and Redemption

(originally posted on my other blog 9-21-07)

After a great day visiting with friends yesterday, I threw a load or two of laundry and made dinner. At about 7:30, I made a terrible discovery in my dryer...

Inside a pocket had been lurking two crayons, a red and a blue. Now they were smeared all over the inside of my dryer and all the clothes. This was a load of mixed colorfuls, kacki and light colored pants, white shirts, washrags, dresses, bathtowels...

I brought the children out to the dryer and showed them the mess, reminding them that crayons are not to be carried in pockets. I knew exactly who had done it, for the only pants in the load belonged to just one child. She was very upset at herself!

I got on the computer and found a method for removing the stains:

A wet rag, baking soda and light elbow grease removed the crayon from the dryer, including the plastic seal. Other methods mentioned using toothpaste, the white paste kind and a Mr. Clean Eraser. Baking soda worked fine for us. The guilty party did this part.

I removed the ruined clothes from the garbage can where I had flung them in frustration and re-washed them in this mixture:

Hot Water
regular amount of detergent (the website said to double, but I didn't)
1/2 cup borax
1/2 cup baking soda
1/2 cup spray and wash or shout or something similar
generous squirt of Dawn

I have a front loader and though it was very sudsy, it rinsed fine, and the stains were GONE!

I do not have to replace all the washrags, towels, pants and shirts that I had given up for stained!!!