Ain’t No Grout About It!
Thankful that a Household Project Didn’t Interfere with Thanksgiving
Years ago, I invi
ted my family from Wyoming to join us for Thanksgiving in New Jersey. Naturally, I started my cleaning regimen to prepare my condo for their arrival. Bathroom sink, tub, mirror and toilet are spotless. The tile floor had been swept and mopped, but it still looked dull.
Don’t get me wrong. The floor was clean. Figuratively speaking, someone could have eaten off of it without becoming terminally ill. The floor was good—but good was not good enough. The darker beige grout had been white many moons ago and I wanted that luster to return. I found my handy scrub brush and cleaning mix and started applying elbow grease to the floor.
It didn’t take long to notice that some areas of grout needed more love than other areas—and the more I scrubbed, the more uneven the white became. The floor looked like it had patches of white here and there that were brighter than other patches—at least the pre-scrubbed floor looked uniformly beige.
Keep in mind that my condo still needed cleaning, I had to shop for food and prepare other odds and ends before they arrived. Not to mention that was a short week at the office and I needed to accomplish five days of work in three days for my clients.
But I was on a mission—that floor was going to shine. Off to Home Depot to find a specific remedy to my problem. It didn’t take long before I found the right person with the best solution. “Cleaning grout takes longer and more energy to keep clean in the long run,” the store’s associate said. I found his expertise and advice enlightening.
He suggested I replace the grout to get a uniform color and guaranteed results. He wouldn’t make the same guarantee with cleansers populating the shelves…
Thanksgiving turned out great! Dinner was fantastic. The Eagles beat the Cowboys so my son was pleased. I cheer for the Cowboys because I like to bust his chops—the easiest way to agitate an Eagles fan is to cheer for the Cowboys. The bathroom floor looked good, although I wasn’t expecting the wealth of compliments—yes, the grout was that big of an improvement.
Think about grout replacement for your bathroom floor. Whether it’s a Saturday afternoon project or you’re trying to make inexpensive upgrades to your home’s aesthetics before it hits the market—replacing the grout is a top 10 ‘must do’ that gives you big bang for your buck.
I’d love to hear some of your thoughts on easy and inexpensive ways to touch up a house before selling it. Also, if you found that what looked like a large project wasn’t really big at all, share away.