Not mentioning the T word at all

rising_from_the_ashes

No yellow ball here still .... about to put the lights on - oh roll on the end of March when the clocks change again!:o Thanks for all the suggestions on vac bags, will def have a look when I'm out and about again.

Fell asleep on the sofa last night (which was bath/hairwash night) and woke up at a ridiculous time so went to bed smelly (the bed was due to be changed today anyway!). Had bath/washed hair this morning and now wishing I hadn't! (all will become clear below).

Have emptied the kitchen - several reusable wine carriers filled with bottled water / juice, 4 chairs, 1 table all moved into the garage & everything on the top of the table now on the worktops:eek:. Not sure how I'm going to cook tonight - might just have to be the pizza that's been lurking in the freezer for an eternity waiting for an emergency!:D

Then had to clean my kitchen floor - simple you may think but not so!

Saga below (if you're still reading)!

The floor is tiled in a very light beige (= always looks dirty even when just washed) but worse than that they have a pattern on in ridges. ETA: it must've been a man who decided to put it in...

It's impossible to get them properly clean - I wash the floor with a mop every couple of days but it doesn't get the dirt out the ridges. I've tried string mops, hard sponge mops and a rag on my hands and knees.

The only thing I've found that remotely gets in the cracks is .... a nailbrush . Anyway, I've spent the last 3 hours cleaning the tiles with a nailbrush and still not finished (some are spotless and some still have dirt trapped in them where I've obviously not scrubbed hard enough) - so I'm going to have to go and have another once over but needed a break first!


Now, I don't mind hard work but it's just not practical to do this even on a weekly basis so ... does anyone have any suggestions?:)

Needless to say, I wouldn't want anyone to come within 10 feet of me as I'm soaked and my hair is literally dripping.... what a waste of hot water this morning!

paidinchickens

Rising you poor thing. We have rubbish tiles but I have a polti steamer which has an attachment with a little wire brush on the end. I bought it second hand on Eb*y for about £50 a couple of years ago and I use it all the time. Having three boys in the house (four with DH) it is invaluable at getting the nooks and crannies around the loo clean .

I have the red one and it has been worth every penny HTH

PIC x

Gigervamp

Rising, I feel for you. I use an old fashioned scrubbing brush on my kitchen floor. The vinyl is textured (to stop slipping I guess) and it's a pain in the butt to clean. There are quarry tiles underneath which would be much easier to clean, but unfortunately, for some reason there's a big concrete patch right in the middle of the floor, hence covering it in vinyl.
I have wondered if one of those steam cleaners would do the trick.

Really wet and dark here today. I've had to have the lights on all day. When I went to give the chickens their corn, they were all huddled underneath their shelter.

GreyQueen

rising_from_the_ashes wrote: »

No yellow ball here still .... about to put the lights on - oh roll on the end of March when the clocks change again!:o Thanks for all the suggestions on vac bags, will def have a look when I'm out and about again.

Fell asleep on the sofa last night (which was bath/hairwash night) and woke up at a ridiculous time so went to bed smelly (the bed was due to be changed today anyway!). Had bath/washed hair this morning and now wishing I hadn't! (all will become clear below).

Have emptied the kitchen - several reusable wine carriers filled with bottled water / juice, 4 chairs, 1 table all moved into the garage & everything on the top of the table now on the worktops:eek:. Not sure how I'm going to cook tonight - might just have to be the pizza that's been lurking in the freezer for an eternity waiting for an emergency!:D

Then had to clean my kitchen floor - simple you may think but not so!

Saga below (if you're still reading)!

The floor is tiled in a very light beige (= always looks dirty even when just washed) but worse than that they have a pattern on in ridges.

It's impossible to get them properly clean - I wash the floor with a mop every couple of days but it doesn't get the dirt out the ridges. I've tried string mops, hard sponge mops and a rag on my hands and knees.

The only thing I've found that remotely gets in the cracks is .... a nailbrush . Anyway, I've spent the last 3 hours cleaning the tiles with a nailbrush and still not finished (some are spotless and some still have dirt trapped in them where I've obviously not scrubbed hard enough) - so I'm going to have to go and have another once over but needed a break first!


Now, I don't mind hard work but it's just not practical to do this even on a weekly basis so ... does anyone have any suggestions?:)

Needless to say, I wouldn't want anyone to come within 10 feet of me as I'm soaked and my hair is literally dripping.... what a waste of hot water this morning!

Hun, I feel your pain. My entire flat has beige floor tiles, those Marley tiles with the faux-marbling in them. The marbling takes the form of dark brown streaks which keep catching my eye and making me think that there is something to pick up..............something probably nastily organic.......

Cleaning and de-cluttering guru Don Aslett was very condemnatory of manufacturers of flooring who put ridges and dimples in the blasted stuff as it means that it can't be cleaned unless you get down there and scrub, and frankly, who wants to be spending her life as a scrubber..........:rotfl:Ahem, well, horses for courses and who am I to judge? All I will say is that my own personal kneecaps won't stand for being knelt upon...........

I don't know the solution other than change the floor?

:eek: I've just turfed out a sack of h.g spuds onto my tiled floor and they've got shoots on them 3 inches long! In the gloaming it looks like a horror movie. Suggest anyone storing their own spuds have a wee check-up as, unlike commercial tatties, they won't have been sprayed off to stop this happening.

:D Oh, what a life of unceasing glamour we have on Planet Old Style.

Love and peas from GQ aka the Low Maintenance Woman. Til tomorrow, lovely ones.

rising_from_the_ashes

Thanks all.... wishing I'd not sat down as struggling to get going again:o but will move after this post! (Will put the water on and hopefully the thought of another bath will spur me on to the finish).

I have thought about replacing them many, many (many, many) times but the old dog manages to walk on them without slipping so have stuck with them so far (he slides on the lino in the bathroom so know he'd have problems).

The frustrating thing is that in a couple of days you'll never know I've even done it as the ridges just fill straight back up.

Hadn't thought about a steam cleaner - I'm sure my pal has one so may see if I can borrow it and try before buying one.


Right ... better go and finish ... sigh

shegar

We also had the yellow ball today and the temp got to the dizzy heights of 14 degrees...:T Outside doing some autumn clearing up...........

suki1964

Rising I feel your pain. I have Chinese slate and the unevenness of them just fill with mud (from the dog I hasten to add) which mopping alone doesnt move

Heres what I use - a deck brush, which is a short bristled broom like a yard broom with the bowl of hot star drop water and the mop and bucket of clean water.

I sloosh away with the soapy water and brush and its really quite easy as no bending and you can see the grime lift away. Then I follow up behind me with the mop and clean water to lift the filthy water. Really does bring them up nice as theres no dirt left to settle in the grooves. A yard brush is about 3 quid here - well worth the pennies

Bobbykins

Oh dear, oh dear. Having pushed myself like mad to finish the decorating I embarked on a "clean the house from top to bottom" drive.................it lasted all of a day! I've lost all my "oomph" again today. Still, at least it kept me warm yesterday. Today I have been mainly sitting on my backside - I did manage to be a bit OS however as I have been knitting a jumper for DGS1 and have made a fair bit of progress on it.

PIC and Hobson's choice - well done on your Mr T bargains. Sadly our Mr T is quite small and very little stock of those things you can double up your vouchers for.:(

Rising - how horrible for you, You're right, only a man could have come up with that idea. I had textured tiles in our last house and they drove me round the bend. I'm afraid I never found the solution - had to resort to new floorcovering in the end. (It was either that or the environmental health would have been after me, it was like something out of Grimestoppers - Yuk). Hope you can manage to borrow a steam cleaner.

Right, I'd better get myself sorted and start on tea. OH will be home soon. Now, what can I find in the bottom of the fridge that needs using up........wanders off muttering to self.

Mrs_Chip

Horrible, horrible day here, rain and more rain. A glimmer of the yellow ball for all of 30 secs then gone again. And set in for the next few days the forecasters say. Everything feeling damp with no CH. Thank god for the woodburner:rotfl:.

I had to spend some time in the queue at Mr T's on Monday, as I had picked up a couple of their knits that were £10 (one from £20 the other from £30). It was a long queue as everyone had trolleys filled with stuff and there was a deal of haggling and doubling of clubcard points. I knew nothing of this and had to ask the assistant what they were doing! Staff seemed on top of things and were doubling there and then, and giving advice to shoppers about how to maximise the deals. I must try to keep my tokens and not just spend them on online shopping. I must admit I am a total novice at all these coupon and voucher tricks, I wish I understood them!

Cleared out the kitchen cupboards today, long overdue. We had 5 cupboards full of china, glasses and pots/bowls and only one for foodstuffs (as this was our holiday home). Now have 3 cupboards for food and 3 for plates/glasses/bowls/pans. I had to move a load of china upstairs into a bedroom to store on shelves, but it's only temporary until the kitchen next door is ready.

My cupboards now look lovely filled with their Value tins and packets .

Oil tank man is coming to see us at 8 am tomorrow, I've got everything crossed that he can come up with a solution to the flying oil tank problem!

Tea tonight is whoopsied undyed smoked haddock with poached eggs (donated by our friend who is house-sitting where they have hens, yum) with HM bread.

Suki - sorry about MIL, must be a difficult time.

Hobsons_Choice

Rising: after about seven years of suffering and swearing and putting up with an embossed vinyl that drove me mad (so that's answered everyone's question :laugh::laugh:), Dearly Beloved finally forked out some dosh to have new vinyl fitted over the existing stuff (to minimise disruption, always a priority for DB). Oh Joy.....I know this won't help you and I'm sorry...but Oh Joy.