Today's topic is Home Improvement. Specifically, how to make your house look clean without resorting to manual labor. Sure, ordinary scrubbing and elbow grease are the preferred option, but sometimes you just have to be inventive. For instance, grout grunge. You hate it, don't you? Sure, we all do. But how to get that nasty guck out without major chemicals or repetitive strain injury?
Two words: power drill.
This household hint came to me from Kim Huett. You find a little steel-bristle brush of some kind (I found one at the hardware store), affix it to one of the drills, spray some mild cleanser on the grout, and start your engine. Man, does it clean fast. Sure, it scares the cats, but the shower looks fabulous in about ten minutes, and you can use the extra time working on fixing the dripping faucet. Next time: How To Really Get The Cat Hair Off The Sofa.
In other news of the homefront, no jobs are in the offing, so I'm starting to eye my collection of useless junk and debate selling it. I've never held a garage sale, or yard sale, here but it's not for lack of items. No, it's for lack of resolution. Nashvillians are rabid yard-salers! They are out in force at 7am on Saturdays and Sundays during the summer months, scouring the neighborhoods for deals. I've heard horror stories of people who advertised selling furniture (rather than junk) being woken at dawn by customers trying to get the jump on the competition. Bidding frenzies are normal at estate sales. People wander through your house if you're not careful, asking if this or that is for sale. So I'm a bit hestitant to commit myself to a yard sale. Still, I do want to lighten our load a little.
Finally, a note on anyone considering ordering the Gevalia coffee advertised in every magazine on the stands: wonderful coffeemaker, dreadful coffee. Their traditional roast is acidic, bitter, and weak. I admit, I liked the idea of getting a free Krups 10-cup coffeemaker for the price of buying a pound of Gevalia coffee, but I'd hoped the coffee would be better. Sadly, it's not. Give me my French roast any day. But hey, if you come over for coffee, I'll make it in the Krups for you.