The Clean Up

So now we are waiting to embark upon the journey of rehab.  We met with the chosen contractor this week to fine tune the bids/contract and should be merrily on our way.  Of course we won’t be able to accomplish everything on our list and there are many things that will have be on hold until stage 2 – perhaps even stage 16 of our big project.

Meanwhile, I’ve found that a little elbow grease may be the only that makes any difference in this place.  One weekend we actually took off the storm windows in the basement and with the help of my father-in-laws shop vac sucked up all the old cobwebs and spider junk and it was AMAZING.  We could actually see out.  Another area that needs attention is our kitchen.  The current kitchen floor is this pocked vinyl linoleum stuff.  I think in the old days it was called Congoleum.  It is basically white (now mellowed to a light cream) with a pattern that might at one time have recalled courtyard stones.  Our kitchen also happens to double as the main traffic thoroughfare in the house.  You step from the driveway into the kitchen.  We have no “mud” room or even a foyer.  So it gets walked into and on, and through – a lot – with snowy, dirty, shoes and paws.  I know it’s dirty and everyone else knows it’s dirty because when our 10 month old crawls through, the evidence gets left behind on her little knees.  Trouble is, I have found it virtually impossible to get clean let alone leave it that way for long. 

Then I saw the H20 Mop informercial.  If there is an Emmy or a Golden Globe or an Oscar for most compelling informercial, this one should win it.  Maybe the category would be “I have to have that thing NOW!!!”  So it’s this simple concept of filling the mop with water, attaching a cloth pad to the bottom and plugging it in.  When you mop, the steam actually help to loosen up the dirt and it gets sucked up into the cloth pad, which can then be thrown into the washer for the next time.  There was a particularly impressive segment that included a demonstration of getting rid of candle wax!  And for 3 easy payments of $33.95, I could have it along with an assortment of other stuff – a mini version for other household cleaning tasks and extra cleaning pads.  I actually asked for it for Christmas, thinking my Christmas break would be the perfect time to try it out. 

When the H20 mop did not show up under the tree, I decided maybe I should take matters into my own hands and set off to find it or one like it.  Turns out there are several H2O like mops out there – the Shark and the Reliable T1Steamboy to name a few.  These models are available at Target and other retailers so I set out to try to track one down.  A co-worker had also suggested I try a Korean Supermarket called H Mart where she picked up a Korean version.  So I set out on one of the final days of my Holiday break from work to find one.  Bed Bath and Beyond was out, so I tried a Linens and Things.  Turns out, according to the manager, the Shark was such a hot item, they had sold out immediately and would I like to be put on a waiting list.  With the Korean Supermarket in my back pocket I declined the wait list and hopped back in the car.  I was positively convinced that the only way to get my kitchen floor clean was with this damn steam mop, and by God if I wasn’t going to keep driving around until I found one.  Unfortunately, the Korean Supermarket seemed to have no idea what I was talking about and thoroughly dejected I headed home.  Later that weekend, I actually tried to recreate the effect by cobbling together a make-shift steam mop using a Swiffer wet jet and wet towels made steamy by putting them in the microwave.  This resulted in a sopping wet, dirty floor and nowhere near the satisfaction I was banking on. 

So where are we now?  Living with a dirty floor that I look at daily and yell out to anyone who will listen, “We’ve got to do something about the state of this floor!!”  Maybe I’ll take Linens and Things up on their offer.

Comments

[Priscilla Yeager]

Is a Shark what you want for your birthday???? I never did listen to your list.
It sounds patently unromantic but maybe it really works.
Maybe Dad can tile the floor in March.
love, Mom

[Wendy Morris]

That is how you know that you are a grown-up - desiring a mop over new shoes.

[marin]

truth be told, the H20 Mop works about as well as advertised. We've had excellent luck with it in the kitchen and living room (vinyl and bamboo flooring).

Good luck with yoru search!

[Non-Slip Stair Tread]

Choosing a mop over new shoes, I guess that is one of the sure signs of aging.