Yesterday Mr. H and I put in about 13 hours. Today we put in about 5. While he puttered around with stripping linoleum, prepping new doors and modifying the kitchen cabinets for the new microwave (all are still works-in-progress), I sweat and scrubbed and cleaned, focusing on the bathtub & tile and the carpets. During the long day, I cleaned tile (about the time I finished working in the windowless bathroom, Mr. H decided to turn on the AC) and the carpets in the three bedrooms. Below are some before & after photos:
It’s not obvious, but I also stripped out the caulk from the bottom of the tile. Mr. H will redo the caulk, as well as the grout on the wall behind the tub. Hopefully the mismatched section will be less obvious. We’ll invest in a shower rod/curtain to help distract. Also, and more importantly, new fixtures.
The three bedrooms all had serious stains that required concentrated effort and a variety of chemicals. In the hours spent removing spots and stains, and driving the steam cleaner, I was able to ponder the lifestyle of the previous owner/tenant. I’d say single (carpet worn on only one side of the bed) with at least one dog. And maybe a cat. I could knit a new pet from the amount of hair collected. In vacuuming the three small bedrooms I had to empty the canister four times. And it seems the dog had stomach issues. Regardless of my wayward imaginings, vacuum and steam cleaner saved the carpet.
The inserted image is a stain at the front entry. The entire living room was covered in spots and stains of indeterminate origin (as seen in the larger image). Other than the occasional spot of blue paint, the rest, I assume, is from food or Fido. There was not a 3 foot square section that was free of stains.
And afterward, another carpet saved! The labor is well worth the effort when taking the cost of carpet into account. When all is said and done (i.e. painting and carpentry completed) we will go over all of the carpet again with our industrial grade steam cleaner.
Oh, and…why only a half day today? Because Mr. H was driving a big rig for the Rouse HS Band:
