Oh My Grout

I hate that my first before and after is about cleaning but it had to be shown! Our sweet little house had been so neglected while it was on the market. For the past two years I am confident no one even wiped down the sinks let alone the floors (or the potty....insert gag here). It was a very unique case and it is all cleanable so I will not complain...it is ours and it's precious no matter how disgustingly gross it was. Let me set the scene for you......

There is a wallpaper from 1983 that will be coming down soon but that was not my first project. You can see a little peek below. The bathroom cabinet was filthy. Like, 25 years of bathroom soaps and sprays filthy. Like, a thick layer of Aqua Net (which I am not trashing at all b/c I love that stuff) filthy.

Before I put anything in the cabinet I had to scrub with soap and water then sand paper! Did I mention the Aqua Net? Then for a nice clean coat....errr three coats of white paint. There is just something about white paint. It can instantly transform a space, making it feel clean and open. I think the cabinets had been white at one point but time had yellowed them.

While I was waiting for my paint to dry...for real....I started wiping at the floor. My grout is not black?!?!? It's actually white?!?? And this is when the real crazy started y'all. Tile by tile I began scrubbing. I had a bucket of water, a bottle of 409, and a tiny scrub brush. I want to start endorsing this scrub brush. I don't even know how I acquired it but it was made in Taiwan. Should I send them a letter or something?After each tile I felt like I had won a small war. And this is something you just don't stop half way through...oh, I finished the entire floor.

Before

After

Hello white grout, I am your new owner. It is the year 2012, I will love you and scrub you weekly. 

This is the original bathroom tile from 1949. I secretly love it. We will be keeping it for awhile anyways. I wish this was a complete before and after with new wallpaper but that will have to wait. And the other bathroom is a whole other story.

House update: So far we, the crew of guys who comes to the house everyday, has scraped the ceiling of the worlds thickest popcorn. Put in new crown molding. Knocked down two walls. Cut off the gingerbread accents on the cabinet, and re-wired the kitchen. Tomorrow we, ok the guys, start laying out the new floor. So stinkin' excited!

Happy Scrubbing!