Guest Bedroom Finished

I've been planning to paint our guest room for ages and finally got it done! And I'm counting it as a finish for 2016 even though I did most of it between Christmas and New Year's Eve.

Guest bedroom before

Guest bedroom after

Now in case you think it's a crime to paint beautiful natural pine paneling, I used to agree. But after living with it for 20 years, I'm ready for something that I can actually keep clean. The grooves between the boards had become nothing but a dust/cobweb magnet and I wanted them sealed, so I used Sashco Big Stretch caulk on all joins and around the trim.

Also, it's a little on the blue side but I don't like picking paint colors (too many choices!) so just buy mistint paint for half price whenever I find a light-colored gallon in a white base that's in the right color family. Can't wait to see what colors I end up with for the rest of the house!

Beach Cottage Bathroom Decor

We're planning to update our bathroom soon and I've been all over the internet looking for ideas. I'm already set on the whole beach cottage feel and wanted to find a picture or two on which to base the new decor. I found a few professional photos and paintings that I really like but they're all a little pricey. Then I realize - duh! - I took some photos when I was in Hawaii several years ago. So...

Don't you love the color of the water? Now I just need to get these printed out and hung up where I can enjoy them while we continue planning.

Cheap and Easy Powdered Cleanser

I wrote recently about my new favorite safe, simple, effective and cheap homemade spray-on cleaner and decided to share my new favorite powdered cleanser, too. And guess what? The powdered cleanser is even easier than the spray-on beings there's nothing to mix. Before I say what exactly it is, let me share before and after photos of my Swanstone sink. The staining in the first picture is from pitting 10 gallons of pie cherries.



Sink before cleaning.



Sink after cleaning.


So what is this safe, simple, effective, cheap and easy powdered cleanser? Baking soda. Yep. Plain old baking soda. I just sprinkled it on and scrubbed a little with one of those scratchy sponges (wet, of course) and the stains disappeared.

We also use our chest freezer as extra counter space and I've been really pleased with how well plain old baking soda cleans that surface. And if I don't get it all rinsed off, so what? It certainly won't hurt us to have a little stray baking soda where we're making sandwiches. Might taste funny but won't hurt us.

Simple, Safe, Effective and CHEAP Homemade Spray-on Cleaner

I know I may be late to the cleaning party on this one but I've just made the most amazing discovery! Did you know that plain old vinegar mixed with water is a great household cleaner? How simple and cheap is that?

Ok - so "discovery" really isn't accurate. After all, there are probably thousands of websites that promote cleaning with vinegar. But it's a discovery to me because I hadn't actually tried it myself and so had yet to discover how absolutely great it really is.

Here's what I did:

Mix plain white vinegar 50/50 with plain water in a spray bottle.

(Not too difficult, I know - but I set it apart in this post so it wouldn't get lost.)

Now here's the cool part. For years, I've battled a slight mineral buildup on the outside rim of the plastic base to my shower. I don't know when exactly this build up happens - it seems I'll just look down one day and there it is. Of course, it also attracts dust and becomes a grimy looking line just below the shower doors. I've used several cleaning products and had finally taken to just scraping it off with a knife now and again.

Well, scrape no more! I sprayed my 50/50 vinegar/water combo on there and presto! It wiped right off! (Ok - it wiped off with a little back and forth pressure after sitting for a minute. But it sure beats scraping it with a knife.) And the best part is no nasty fumes. In fact, it just reminds me what fun it is to color Easter eggs.

Vinegar will supposedly kill mold, as well, but mine didn't take all the discoloration out of the caulking around the bottom inside of the shower, although it did fade it somewhat. For that job, I guess I'll still have to use bleach until we can re-caulk the shower.

Anyway, if you haven't tried vinegar mixed with water as a general cleaning product, go buy yourself a spray bottle and give it a go! It's super cheap, completely safe for kids and pets, works way better than I would have thought and makes your house smell like Easter fun. What's the down side?

Laminate Floor Care

We put in a laminate floor just over two years ago, which I absolutely love. We opted for slate-look tiles rather than the oh-so-popular wood planks. I've got enough wood in this house with the blue pine walls and wanted a stone-look floor without the cold hardness of regular tile. So laminate it was.

Well, just this past week, I learned how to take care of it. Fortunately, I'd been inadvertently doing everything mostly right but thought I'd post this info in case anyone needs to know. I'll give the expert advice I found and then a synopsis of what I'm doing. As always, follow the care instructions provided by the flooring manufacturer if those differ from the following generic care advice.

Expert Recommendations

First, protect your floor. Make sure you have felt pads under chair legs and use throw rugs in front of the door to catch most of the grit. Also, take your shoes off at the door. Clean up wet spills immediately. Don't slide heavy furniture across your laminate.

Second, vacuum, sweep or dust mop regularly. Clean with a microfiber cloth and plain water, water and vinegar, or special laminate cleaner. Do not wet mop and NEVER use soap, ammonia, or any harsh or abrasive cleaners. Also, do not wax or polish.

My Real Life

I actually have those plastic glides on the legs of my chairs and they've been fine so far. I do have commercial grade laminate, however, and the stuff seems nearly bulletproof (tested by yours truly by raking across a scrap piece with a sheetrock screw). I do have rugs in the entry and in front of the kitchen sink. We always remove our shoes in the entry. I get right on spills, such as the pint jar of hot blackberry jam that hopped off the counter and shattered on the floor and the puddle that formed when the freezer door got left open. Oh, and I have slid both my chest and upright freezers across my laminate a couple of times with no damage but would advise against this unless absolutely necessary (like standing water beneath your freezer).

I've done really well on caring for the laminate, although it's been inadvertent I must admit. I hate to sweep and always vacuum so I get an A+ for effectively removing grit from the surface. But that's about the extent of my floor care routine. I do wipe up spills as they occur (infrequent) but don't have a regular mopping schedule. Hallelujah! Beings I'm not supposed to mop, this procrastination has worked to my advantage. I did get a microfiber cloth and cleaned the whole thing tile-by-tile and was amazed how much dirt I got off the floor, mostly along the edges. Who knew? Another thing I love about my laminate is it has texture and pattern and NOTHING shows. How cool is that?

Laminate Floor Care Links

TLC Laminate Floor Care
Laminate Flooring Care