Removing Soap scum from Tile

March 22, 2012CleaningKimComment

Soap scum

I hate the way it looks and hate how difficult it is to clean off my beautiful tile we put up the big bathroom remodel a couple of years ago.

I’ve tried many cleaners & nothing really does a good job besides my scrub brush and some elbow grease.

I like how vinegar does works on smells in my washer and how it takes hard water deposits off faucets but it is hard to get vinegar to stay on the tile walls long enough to clean the scum off. So when I saw this idea on Pinterest I was very excited!

The link doesn’t go to a website but here are the instructions to clean tile.

Source: Uploaded by user via Kim on Pinterest

“Hot Vinegar and Dawn Soap! 1 cup of HOT Vinegar (microwave 1-2 min) and 1 cup of blue DAWN liquid soap. Shake into bottle and creates a gel that will clean your showers."

Well I had to give it a try so here are my results.

I was so excited to start I forgot to get a before picture on the faucet but here is a during and after.

It did a good job getting deposits off the faucets but truly they weren’t really built up as I’ve tried to wipe them down with vinegar every so often.

Here is a good close up of the tile. The grout is supposed to be dark brown but it is a chalky grey.

A bit messy to apply but the Dawn is thick enough to cling to the tile and give the vinegar time to work.

I had to let the grout dry after rinsing to get a good picture and there was blue goo left so I headed to the kids bathroom in the basement(which I haven’t cleaned in ages—kids are in charge—yikes!)

Here is the worst tile before--very gray & chalky

After cleaning—back to the original dark gray(YES!)

Now back upstairs after a couple hours of dry time.

Better in places.

As you can see I got mixed results. Near the faucet I deliberately didn’t apply the solution to the left side so I could see if there was a difference. So this solution does a good job but you have to be careful with your application to hit all the spots or come back and hit the ones that were missed.

I liked how easy this was to mix up and apply but I will be more careful and particular in my application next time around.

Do we see gifts from Heaven?

March 19, 2012Kim1 Comment

To this John replied, “A man can receive only what is given him from heaven. John 3:27

I have many gifts. I don’t deserve many of them.

Husband, children, home, love, work, play, friends, small things, big things, everywhere I look I am blessed through the gifts in my life.

I know that God has placed each of these gifts in my life and it is to him I give thanks & find joy.

I don’t deserve that joy but it is there.

There are so many people who don’t see the gifts. They are blinded to what they have right in front of them. I am sad to know that they could have this same joy.

Not happiness because happiness is momentary.

But joy? Deep down joy that won’t leave?

It comes from knowing you are loved so much that no matter how undeserving I am God still loves me (you, everyone) so much that he gives us gifts from heaven. Starting with life and ending with eternal salvation by believing in his son, Jesus.

I don’t want gifts from this earth.

I want them from heaven.

I want to receive them every day.

Even when storms roll through my life, even as my hands are clenched, even as I cry “Why? God what is the purpose of this trial?” I still see the gifts.

But I have to open my hand to receive them and maybe just maybe by doing so I will help others to see what joy there is even as the storm rolls on by.