New York Renovator

She’s always ready to help.

We’ve had a big problem with mildew this year, thanks to the uber-abundant rain, two hurricanes and humidity. My poor furniture is suffering, and I can’t seem to keep the mildew away. Lots of other folks have been having the same problem. And I saw just yesterday that some gardeners are now dealing with late-season blight that’s striking tomatoes and potatoes again. Ugh, when will the wetness ever end.

Anyway, while we clean Livvy gets to have fun. And that’s always important, isn’t it? Today she was so cute– I got a big box in the mail and before we could even open it, she was all over the box in curiosity. She’s such a doll, so curious and innocent. I love this baby. The box contained my new lasagna pan! Oh, I was hoping for a samsung lcd screens, sure , but I needed a lasagna pan. I’ve been using a 13×9 inch pan and… let’s just say you can’t make good lasagna with such a tiny pan. I got a honking monster, stainless steel and everything. Gonna make a whopper apple crisp in it, too!

So how are you doing this fall? Do you do any fall cleaning? Cooking? Have a great weekend, friends!

Steam cleaners are the “new-fangled” cleaning appliances today. I have only heard of them recently, in the past year. I think of them as something akin to an electric mop! They are light-weight, energy-powered machines designed to steam floors. They do not use chemicals or cleaning agents to clean floors– only steam. It’s a very unique concept, I think. I dislike using bleach and other toxic chemicals in my home, so the steam cleaners sound like a marvelous idea.

We received a free Gruene Steam Cleaner and the Haan Steam Cleaner in exchange for a review of our opinions on the products. We made a video; here’s what we found:

Steam cleaners are only for certain floor types. You CANNOT use steam cleaners on vinyl plank floors (which is what I recently installed in the kitchen and dining room). And technically, you should not use steam cleaners for laminate flooring, although I do steam clean my laminate floors VERY lightly. I haven’t seen any problems. Steam cleaners are terrific for sheet vinyl flooring. Some steam cleaners even come with special attachments to clean carpets, windows, furniture, etc. The goal is not to saturate the fabric.

Anyway, I like the steam cleaners, and we will be using them on our vinyl floors (we have one dedicated for the dog room now!).

OK, I’m curious. I’ve been hearing about some gadget called The Furminator amongst you pet owners… enough to make me curious but not enough to make me buy one… until today, that is.

You see, we vacuumed today. And WHOA. How can one little kitty produce SO MUCH fur?! The filter was filled with it.

I guess it’s a sign that our baby is growing up.

So I’m looking for this Furminator thing. I have one question– does this gadget REALLY do what it says it does?? Because I saw this photo and I was floored.

Did you read the print? “Actual hair removed in a single Furminator treatment.”

Wowsa! You could build a couple of cats outta that fluff! The Furminator thing is on sale at Buy.com (plus they have some very cute pet toys that I want to get for Livvy), but I’m wondering if any of you have tried the Furminator. $30 is a big bite to chew if this gadget isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. If you have any experience with the Furminator. I’d love to know. Livy has white fur, and we have dark carpeting… so… you know… we kinda need to hold back the tide of white fluff invading the house….

In case you’re wondering, Buy.com does have pet supplies. They actually have everything supplies: home improvement, kitchen appliances, cookware, vacuum cleaner parts, appareal, books, gardening supplies, and loads more. I love their weekly electronics sale– I think it’s where Buy.com really shines best– but they do have a lot more than electronics. The prices are good and I have found a lot of great deals. And I can finally shop for pet supplies without having to move my cart or ask someone else to move their cart in the grocery aisle!

I got a little comparison cleaning kit a few weeks ago. The kids and I finally decided to try it out. I love these kinds of comparison reviews! I feel just like those ladies on TV with the taste tests!

OK, so we got a box of the Mr. Clean Magic Erasers. They have “powerful foaming cleanser” and come with the Febreze Meadows & Rain fresh scent. I actually didn’t realize why the sponges smelled so good until I re-read the box and saw the Febreze label. The smell is very nice. I hate the stench of bleach, so I have to say I was immediately turned off by the “leading brand” stuff. (It’s a Clorox tub & tile cleaner, if you really want to know). I have a fiberglass bathtub (a very old one) and it is a PAIN to clean. The soap scum really builds up. I have tried a lot of various tub cleaners, but none ever really worked. We relegated ourselves to scratching off the soap scum with a plastic spatula. YES, believe it or not, that’s how we cleaned it. Back breaking! *sigh* My daughter got the bright idea to use Cascade dishwashing detergent, and that worked better than any tub cleaner, but she still had to scrub the surface somewhat. So we have been eager for something that cleans our tub and doesn’t send us to the hospital.

So this kit came with two pre-dirtied tiles. lol. You can see my little fingernail scratches on the tiles. My son, Sniffy, assisted me with our experiment.

A checklist had some recommendations for us.

The first thing we did was squirt the “Leading Brand” (gosh, I feel so professional when I say it that way) on a dirty tile and scrub it off with a paper towel.

Hm. Nope. Not very good. Kinda reminds me of those painful tub-scratching days. We tried the Mr. Clean foamy erasers.

Wow! I was surprised at how quickly it scrubbed off. And my young son was unusually exuberant about it, too. Hm, I think I may have another poor, unsuspecting slave handy helper to wash the tub!

The next thing we tried was crayon markings and marker scribbles. THANK GOD my kids are too old for scribbling on walls with crayons (I think so, anyway). Both cleaning products performed the same. They wiped off the crayon and the marker very easily.

The next thing on the list was to make chili and use the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser to clean up the baked disaster. I didn’t do that part (didn’t feel like cooking, lol), but I probably would just stick to tub cleaning for the Magic Erasers. I was very impressed with the tile scum removal.

My daughter decided to test out the eraser in the scummy tub. Not too bad! She said the foaming stuff inside the sponge was very effective; and scrubbing was “like washing a blackboard with an eraser, just a little bit harder.” So I think we’ve finally found our tub cleaner! This means we can finally throw out all those old plastic spatulas! Hurray! I didn’t have to worry about her breathing in chlorine fumes, either!

For your information, the Mr. Clean Magic Erasers come in packs of two. I saw them at Walgreens for $3.99. The sponges can really be used only once for a big job, maybe twice for smaller jobs. The Clorox cleaner is also at Walgreens for $3.99, but it doesn’t smell as nice as the Mr. Clean, and the liquid tub cleaner is just not effective on my tub. You can read more about Mr. Clean products here. I hope this little review helps to eliminate evil scum from all the recesses of the world!

P.S. This is not a paid post! Consider it my service to mankind and the quest for the perfect tub cleanser.

Spring is here! And so is spring cleaning. Thank God the kids are older now, so they can help me. I’ve relegated all the big jobs to them (organizing the disaster that is our garage, and all the vacuuming). Our little bitty 7amp vacuum died a few weeks ago. I got it because it was so small and portable, but we overworked it.

But spring cleaning doesn’t need to be a “chore”! Not with the proper tools, as I have come to find. Number one on the list: good reliable carpet cleaning machines & equipment. For you readers in the UK, I’ve seen a website that has a huge selection of industrial and residential cleaners and cleaning supplies. It’s TheBigClean.co.uk. I am amazed at the enormous range of products! All in one place! Everything from carpet cleaning machines, chemical sprayers (I should look into that for my beat-up old house!), cleansers, vacuums, windows cleaners, and even robotic vacuums! I think those things are so cool; I want to try one out someday. I’ve heard that Henry vacuum cleaners are good vacuums, and TheBigClean.co.uk has a wide variety to choose from. Nice machines! I absolutely LOVE the backpack machine! Now, that’s cool!

Don’t want to buy but still need the monster-cleaners? You can rent models. TheBigClean.co.uk offers everything you’d need: pressure washers, floor polishers, vacuums, janitorial supplies, and more! And they also can help you find professional cleaning services through their directory. If you live in the area, you can check out their new showroom at 100 Ewell By Pass, Ewell, SURREY, KT17 2PR. Or, you can use their convenient website to look at models and make purchases online. There’s a telephone number at the website, too, if you have questions.

Cleaning is a chore. The right tools and supplies make all the difference!