February 25, 2023

The Last Time

What a day. I started something this morning that turned into another thing and then another thing, and now it's evening!

It all started when I noticed how dirty the shower was in the boys' bathroom. Noah gave Joey a bath a few days ago and didn't do the greatest job cleaning up afterward--there was dog hair all over the place. That, combined with soap scum in the tub, made me want to clean it.

First, though, I did the grossest (yet most satisfying) house chore there is. Hopefully those of you with long hair will understand this? Pulling hair out of the drain. Hahaha! Does anyone else get satisfaction out of it? I did it once I was able to use my own shower instead of the kids' shower, but I guess I just pulled out what I could easily see. Today, I grabbed a wire with bristles on the end (it's meant for pulling hair out of a drain), stuck it way down there, and a minute later, I couldn't believe what I pulled out.

I would post a picture, but nobody wants to see that. And it's kind of embarrassing how much came out! Hahaha. That was totally satisfying, though.

Instead, I'll post some cute pictures of the kids in the tub when they were little. The water color is weird on a couple of them--it was from these bath tablets that changed the color of the water. The kids loved them!


Noah

Noah

Eli

Eli

I miss giving them baths! It reminds me of a poem I read, called "The Last Time" you do things with your kids. You never know when it will be the last time you hold their hand when you cross the street, or the last time you tuck them into bed, or--in this case--give them a bath. There was a last time, but I didn't know it would be the last time. Does that make sense? One day I bathed them and then the next day they started bathing themselves. And you don't realize it until years later when you read a poem like this.

The poem makes me cry every time. Then again, I cry over everything--good and bad. I wasn't planning to post the it, but it's so good. If you're a parent, it's hard to read without getting choked up!



I googled the best way to get rid of soap scum (I think that's what it is... it's SUPER hard to scrub off). A lot of sites suggested vinegar and baking soda, so I mixed some into a paste (a large bowl of it) and then spread it all over the tub and walls. I remember how well the baking soda paste worked on my oven (seriously... remember that?!) so I hoped I'd get good results with it in the tub.

While I was letting that sit, I noticed that the molding on the floor by the corner of the tub looked kind of puffy, like it had been soaking up water. I nearly had a heart attack, considering all of what I just went through with my bathroom. I decided to pull the molding off, hope that the wall and floor were undamaged by water, and then replace the molding with some I had in the garage (leftover from my bedroom/bathroom).

When I pulled the molding off and poked around that corner, I could see that there was no water damage to the floor or wall. THANK GOD.

I went out to the garage and cut the pieces of molding (for the whole bathroom). I also made a piece of molding for the floor in front of the bathtub (I figured I might as well replace that while I was at it). After installing the molding, I caulked along the tub really well. And while I was at it, I replaced the caulk around the toilet.

Finally, I decided to see if the baking soda/vinegar worked. I grabbed a few different things I could try using to scrub--a brush, a scouring pad, a washcloth, and a Magic Eraser. I started with the washcloth, hoping the scum would come off fairly easily, like with my oven door. It came off, but it took a LOT of pressure while scrubbing. And I only manage to do a small spot before my muscles were burning.

The scouring pad didn't work. The Magic Eraser actually worked really well--until it started falling apart. It was the only one that I had, so I moved on to the brush. The brush worked really well on the bottom of the tub, but not so much on the sides. I'll have to buy some more Magic Erasers and hope that I can clean the side of the tub fairly easily.

While I was working on it, I heard Jerry's alarm go off--which I knew he set for 2:00. I couldn't believe it was already 2:00! I had started working on everything at around 9:00. (I was only going to clean the tub, so I definitely didn't expect it to take half the day. By the time I got everything done and cleaned up, it was time for me to make dinner.

Well, that was a very long and boring story! Hahaha. I started this post with the intention of writing that I am not going to write a post today--and then I just started going into the whole story. Anyway, I'd been wanting to replace the caulk around the toilet for a while--it was one of those little things that nagged at me every time I looked at it--so I'm happy to have gotten that done. And the shower looks a million times cleaner! 

Anyone have tips on cleaning a fiberglass tub? The older it gets, the harder it is to clean. We're going to have to replace it in the next few years, probably, but I don't even want to THINK about that for a long time. It's one of the only things in the house that hasn't been replaced, now that I think of it. Anyway, if you know the magic to getting rid of soap scum, please share! :)

9 comments:

  1. Pink Stuff for cleaning. Its abrasive, so don't scrub super hard with it, just gentle scrubbing with a cloth or a damp sponge.

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  2. The best thing I have found is bar keepers friend and magic eraser. It works even better on pots and pans

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  3. No clue on the soap scum. Good luck! Also big WHEW that there was no water damage to the floor.

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  4. Oops. Forgot to comment about the boys. They're so stinkin' cute in those photos and have grown into fabulous young men. Good work!

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  5. I only find pulling the hair out to be gross and not satisfying, LOL! The magic erasers are great for stuff like that, so maybe get more? They do tend to fall apart - just read an obvious hack, which is to cut them into smaller pieces before you start using them so that in the end the whole thing lasts longer.

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  6. You could have it reglazed.

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  7. Toilet bowl cleaner. Especially the clinging type. I used to clean the tubs in my daughter's condo she bought years ago. i do not think the previous owner ever cleaned them. Just wear clothes you don't care about and gloves.

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  8. I'm so impressed. And here I am literally writing re-caulk tub on my to do list month after month because I just can't get myself to do it. As for hair, not sure what type of drain you have, but a drain mushroom has been a lifesaver for me .

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  9. Buy a spray bottle, put 1/2 cup of the blue original dawn in, then fill it up with vinegar. Spray your tub really well and let it sit for 20-ish minutes. Then scrub with a magic eraser. Works for me!

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