Thursday, May 31, 2012

Pinterest cleaning tip #324

Let me save you some time and effort.

I found a tip for cleaning grout on pinterest that involved baking soda and vinegar.

Some of you, like me, may be remembering your elementary volcano science project.



Some of you, like me, may be remembering high school chemistry.  In case you aren't, this is the important part:

Baking soda + vinegar = water + carbon dioxide + sodium acetate

Granted, some of that stuff sounds impressive.  But here's a quick review of what it's good for and where you can find it.

1.  Water--in addition to being handy for Sunday afternoon diversions involving pots and unsuspecting visitors getting in the middle of family bonding time, water is ALSO a universal solvent.  Betcha didn't know that, huh?  Where to find it?  Everywhere.  Except maybe Southern Utah.

2.  Carbon dioxide--plants LOVE this stuff.  It's the equivalent of plant Monster drinks.  Where to find it?  Everywhere people breathe successfully.  

3.  Sodium acetate--is pretty handy for a few cool homeschool science projects, like hot ice and some crystallization stuff.  Where to find it?  Ummmm....mix up some vinegar and baking soda.

Keep in mind, most of what you get from the famous volcano experiment is water--which you can also get from your tap, generally--and carbon dioxide, which you produce by being alive.  Which also, coincidentally, diffuses into the very air you breath pretty much right after everything's mixed together.

So Saturday, in a desperate attempt to distract myself from the fact that the boys leave for a month today, I decided to try out the pinterest grout tip.  As I was dumping the vinegar into the baking soda, all of the above went through my cabeza, which proceeded to spit out the following, pin-worthy (in my opinion) grout-cleaning tip:

Guys.  Using baking soda and vinegar to clean your grout is about as effective as  spritzing it with water and breathing on it.  

Now, for the actual tip.  This is the actual grout-cleaning hero:



To keep with the technical nature of this post, here's what you need to effectively clean your grout:

Grout brush + water + manual labor = clean grout + dirty water

This formula has the added bonus of NOT causing you to smell like vinegar.

So you are aware, the limiting reactant in this equation is the manual labor part.  I've decided to to a few tiles a day.  It may take a few days, but sooner or later, I'll have clean grout.  Just in time for it to get dirty again, I imagine.  Seriously.  Who uses light-colored grout?  ALL GROUT should be dark brown.  DARK brown.  

Just be glad I didn't go off on my rant about breastfeeding, 16 oz sodas, P. Diddy's kid being unjustly criticized for having a successful father, and the honor student who was thrown in jail for missing ten days of school.  Because I could.  All of that is a nice distraction from the real issue at hand.  Guys, I am having a PANIC ATTACK about this year's summer visit.  Full blown PANIC ATTACK.  Deep breath.

You know what this means?  In six weeks, I get to have my semiannual dirty laundry rant.  Ahhhhhhh yeah.  Good times.

And for the record, the micropseudosuede fabric cleaning tip involving rubbing alcohol DOES work.  Wonders.  Again, though, the hero of the day is elbow grease.

Amazing how hard work pays off.

Unless you're P. Diddy's kid, then it gets you chewed out.  

All right, I'm out.  I'm going to carry on with my fall apart over laundry and a rice krispie treat.  Take that, New York City soda ban!


3 comments:

  1. I had the same thought when the internet told me vinegar and baking soda would remove hard water stains. Don't an acid and a base just cancel eachother out? Straight up vinegar, though? That will clean ANYTHING. I should be the official vinegar spokesperson, I'm such a believer.

    I hate how much of my brain is devoted to cleaning.

    I'm sorry the boys are leaving. It would KILL ME to send my kids away like that. I hope the cleaning and the rice krispie treat help.

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  2. hehe...I only sit back and giggle... :D

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  3. ah how I miss the rants. I'm glad I waited until now to read so I could have a chance to miss you guys and cry a little.

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