Posts

How Eliminating Heavy Stains?


Treat dark colored stains with hydrogen peroxide. Soak a clean, soft rag with hydrogen peroxide. Wring excess peroxide out of the rag over your sink. Position the rag so its peroxide dampened parts directly touch and cover the stain. Keep the rag on the stain for several hours or overnight. Avoid using this technique if your marble tiles is dark colored. Hydrogen peroxide on dark colors can lead to lightening.


Less serious stains may only need 15 minutes to a half hour of time before the stain can be wiped away. Check less serious stains at regular intervals for this reason. If, at a glance, you can tell the stain you are working on will require heavy-duty techniques, you may want to skip the peroxide treatment and move straight to mixing a heavy-duty cleaning solution.


Rinse the treated area with cold water. Fill a cup or small bucket with cold water. Pour water onto the treated area of the marble tiles. Use a clean, dry, soft cloth to wipe up standing water and any dirtiness. Heavy-duty stains may remain after cleaning the surface with peroxide, in which case you’ll need to mix a heavy-duty cleaning solution.


Mix a heavy-duty cleaning solution for remaining stains. In a medium sized bucket, combine ¼ cup (59 ml) baking soda, ¼ cup vinegar, ½ cup (118 ml) ammonia, and 8 cups (1.9 L) of hot water. Agitate the mixture with a kitchen implement, like a spoon, until the ingredients are consistently blended. The mixture will foam slightly.


As an alternative to heavy-duty cleaners, you can use paint-thinner or denatured alcohol to remove the stain. However, always test these cleaners in an inconspicuous place on your cultured marble tiles first, as they may damage the surface. Although this cleaning solution is made with household products, it can be harsh on your skin. Wear gloves when using this solution to prevent dry skin and irritation.

How to Repair Cracks in Wood Floors?


Get some sawdust from the floor you want to repair. If you don’t have any leftover pieces of matching wood laying around your house, you’ll have to go to a flooring store and buy a piece of wood to match. (same species and stain if possible).


If you can’t find any wood to match, you’ll have to “cannibalize” a piece of the existing floor. Pull up the baseboard and pry up a strip from the edge of the floor, or alternatively, remove a piece from under a doorway. Sand the side of the wood nearest the wall where it will be hidden under the baseboard once it’s re-laid, or at the edge of the strip under the door where it’s hidden by the door jamb.


Using a belt sander, sand off a cup or two of wood from the piece of wood into a container (or however much you think you’ll need to fill the cracks). Mix the sawdust with some wood glue to make a fairly thick paste. Using a plastic trowel (or a plastic spatula), lay the sawdust/glue mixture into the cracks. Try to finish off as smooth as possible.


Wipe the patch and adjacent flooring with a damp rag to wipe off any excess. Wipe on a diagonal to avoid pulling filler out of the patch. Let the filler dry for a day or two. Hiring a flooring specialist to work on your home involves a certain amount of trust. Go online to read reviews of contractors in your area or ask a friend or loved one for a personal recommendation to find one that meets your standards.


Sand lightly. If there’s a huge color difference between the patch and the rest of the floor, you might need to re-stain the patch.Using a very small artist’s brush, stain the patch. Allow to dry for a minute and wipe off. Let the stain set overnight and using another small artist’s brush, cover the patch with a coat of varnish to match the existing floor.

How Using Homemade Cleaners?

Use a paste of baking soda and bleach. Make a thick paste from ¾ cup (180 mL) of baking soda with ¼ cup (60 mL) of bleach. Use an old toothbrush or nylon scrubbing brush to work the paste into the grout. Let it sit for 15 minutes, then scrub it. Allow it to sit another 15 minutes, then wipe it off with a damp rag. Frequently rinse out the rag with water as you’re wiping off the paste.

Wear gloves when cleaning with bleach. Open a window or wear a respirator to protect your nose, throat, and lungs. Protect your eyes with safety glasses. Wear old clothes that can get bleached.

Try baking soda and vinegar. Rub baking soda into the grout with your finger. Make it stickier by combining water with the baking soda until you have a thick paste. Next, fill a spray bottle with vinegar and spray vinegar all over the baking soda. Let the mixture bubble for a few minutes, then scrub it with an old toothbrush or nylon scrubbing brush. Wipe up the solution with a damp rag that you rinse frequently.

Scrub it with coarse salt. Wet the grout and surrounding tiles with a damp sponge. Sprinkle it with a coarse salt, then scrub the salt into the grout with a toothbrush or nylon scrubbing brush. Allow the salt to dry overnight, then rinse it off in the morning. Scrub with any coarse salt, even Epsom salts. You can use the same method to clean your grout with Borax. Put a damp scrub brush in a bowl of the Borax and use that to scrub the grout.

Clean and lighten the grout with cream of tartar. Combine two teaspoons (9.85 mL) of cream of tartar with enough lemon juice to create a liquidy paste. Rub the paste into the grout, then scrub it with a toothbrush or nylon scrubbing brush. Rinse the paste off with plenty of water. Use water if you don’t have lemon juice.