by Carey, James
3. Remove the sour-smelling solution by wiping the countertop thoroughly with a damp sponge.
If the old sauerbraten treatment doesn’t do the trick, grab a bottle of hydrogen peroxide (the stuff for disinfecting cuts) and pour a generous amount all over the grout. The peroxide whitens the grout and helps dislodge stains caused by foods. Let it sit for about 15 minutes, and then scrub like crazy using a nylon scrub brush. After scrubbing, wipe down the surface with a damp sponge.
If neither vinegar nor hydrogen peroxide gets the grout nice and white, you have to scrub using a weak bleach solution — 2 tablespoons of bleach per quart of water. Open the windows, turn on the vent hood, and bring a box fan up from the basement. Wear old clothes, eye protection, and gloves. Scrub carefully, rinse thoroughly, and then rinse again.
When you’re working with bleach, more is not better. If you use more than the recommended amount of bleach, you’ll give yourself one heck of a headache and a wheezy cough. Ask any doctor: Breathing chlorine fumes is not good. And, as always, never mix other chemicals or household cleaners with bleach.
If your grout is still grubby after this all-out chemical assault, the only solution is to apply a grout stain (see the next section) or replace the grout (see “Replacing grout,” later in the chapter).
Staining grubby grout
Grout stains are essentially paint. You can find them at any decent home center or tile store.
Before you apply the stain, you have to get the grout really, really, really clean: Clean the grout (see the preceding section), rinse it thoroughly, and allow the grout to dry overnight. Then apply the grout stain according to the manufacturer’s instructions exactly — this is no time for creativity.
Although grout stain is a time- and energy-saving alternative to grout replacement, it doesn’t last forever — you have to re-stain every year or two.
If you have just one spot that won’t come clean, you can “stain” it white using white shoe polish on a Q-tip or a tiny artist’s paintbrush. Wite-Out correction fluid also works well.
Replacing grout
Cracked, deteriorating grout can allow water underneath the tile, where wood rot can occur. Replacing grout will make your counters look better and last longer. How often can you kill two birds with one stone?
There are two different kinds of grout: cement-based and epoxy-based. For a number of very good reasons (cost and ease of use, primarily), you want to use cement-based grout. For thin (1/8-inch) joints between tiles, use plain unsanded grout. For wide (1/4-inch) joints, use sanded grout.
Grout comes in a rainbow of colors, and your choice has a big effect on the appearance of the finished countertop. Choose the color you want, but know that dark-colored grout hides dirt and stains better — and is easier to clean — than light-colored or white grout.
Removing the old grout and debris
Before you can do any actual grout application, you have to “saw” out old, bad grout from the joints between the tiles. You can use a grout saw to remove the old grout (as shown in Figure 13-2), but for most people, a church-key-style can-opener does the job. The really sophisticated (read: lazy) do-it-yourselfer uses a Dremel tool with a tiny grinding bit.
Figure 13-2: Using a grout saw to remove grout.
If you use a grout saw or can opener, work slowly and carefully. Just aim to get out the loose stuff — if you get too aggressive, and the tool slips out of the joints, you’ll gouge the tiles. The same goes for doing the job with a Dremel tool. Stay focused and don’t apply too much pressure. Also, be sure to wear eye protection.
When you’ve got all the loose grout out, vacuum the surface and wipe with a damp sponge to get up every bit of dust and debris.
Re-grouting your tile
With the grout and dust gone, it’s time to get grouting! You need the following:
Grout (powdered or premixed)
Rubber float or squeegee
Big sponge
Popsicle stick
Toothbrush
Rags or cheesecloth
Vinegar
Bucket
Rubber gloves (grout is caustic before it dries)
To re-grout, follow these steps:
1. If you bought powdered grout, mix it with cold water, according to the manufacturer’s directions.
Make only as much as you think you can use in 30 minutes, which is not a lot — typically less than a small pail. Be sure to use cold water; warm water can cause some colors to mottle when they dry.
2. While wearing rubber gloves, apply the grout to the surface of the tiles diagonally, using the rubber float or squeegee held at a 45-degree angle to the surface of the tiles.
Work in a 3-foot-square area. Spread the grout liberally and force it into the joints. Use the Popsicle stick for corners and small, tough-to-reach spots. Remove excess grout with the rubber float and/or a damp sponge as you go.
3. Let the grout set for 20 minutes or however long the manufacturer suggests.
4. Wipe the entire surface with a damp sponge and keep wiping until all the grout lines are even and the joints are smooth.
Rinse the sponge frequently.
5. Let the grout dry for another 20 minutes.
6. Polish the tiles with a rag or cheesecloth.
Use an old toothbrush to get into the corners and hard-to-reach areas.
7. Mix fresh grout and move on to another area, repeating steps 2 through 6 until the entire tiled surface is grouted.
8. When all the freshly grouted areas are dry, remove any grout haze (residue left on the tiles by the grout) with soft rag and a 10 percent solution of vinegar and water.
You may have to wipe off the haze several times before the tile surface is completely clean.
9. Caulk where the countertop meets the walls and the backsplash and around the edge of the sink.
10. Seal all the joints with grout sealer (see “Sealing out grout grunge,” earlier in this chapter).
Replacing a broken tile
Got a loose tile? Dropped the big soup pot and cracked one? Worried about how it looks or that you might accidentally slash your wrist on the sharp edge? It’s time for replacement!
If you’re lucky enough to have a leftover tile stashed in your workbench, you’re ready to go. But if you don’t, you have to go on a tile hunt. Chip out a sample (read on for instructions) and take it to the biggest tile dealer you can find. If it’s a standard, really common tile, they’ll either have an exact match or a tile that’s very, very similar in color and texture. If your tile isn’t common, they probably have old partial boxes and piles of leftover discontinued tiles in the back for you to paw through. Good luck! (You’re going to need it.)
If you can’t find an acceptable match, consider replacing several tiles. You can randomly add tiles in a contrasting color or use decos (decorator tiles with pictures).
With your replacement tile in hand, grab the tools you need:
Grout saw or Dremel tool
Glass cutter
Hammer and a cold chisel (the kind that isn’t for use on wood)
Electric drill with a 1/4-inch masonry bit
Mastic (tile adhesive)
Putty knife
Block of wood bigger than the tile
Masking tape
Eye protection
Follow these steps to replace the broken tile (and take note of how often we use the word carefully):
1. Carefully remove the grout from the joints around the damaged tile using a grout saw or a Dremel tool.
2. Use a drill to carefully bore a hole in the center of the tile and use a glass cutter to carefully scribe an X in the tile (corner to corner).
Drilling a hole in the center and crosscutting the surface acts to relieve pressure when you begin to remove the tile with a hammer and chisel. Relieving pressure helps prevent damage to surrounding tiles.
3. Use a hammer and chisel to carefully remove the tile and clean out the area behind it.
Carefully remove all a
dhesive and grout. Try not to pry underneath adjacent tiles — you could loosen them.
4. Test-fit the replacement tile to make sure it sits well with the other tiles.
You want it to be slightly recessed to leave room for adhesive.
5. Carefully spread mastic on the back of the tile with a putty knife.
Keep the mastic 1/4 to 1/2 inch from the edges for squishing room.
6. Carefully place the tile in position, and wiggle it a little to ensure good contact between the tile, the adhesive, and the base.
7. Place the block of wood over the tile and give it a couple gentle taps to make extra sure the tile is flush with its neighbors and to make super sure that the adhesive is stuck to everything.
8. Tape the wood over the repair to protect the repair.
9. Wait at least 24 hours and then apply grout (see the “Re-grouting your tile” section).
Protecting Marvelous Marble
Whether in sheets or pieces, marble is an elegant surface. Unfortunately, it’s unbelievably soft. Many folks think that marble is a type of stone. It isn’t — it’s actually petrified calcium (old seashells) and can be easily damaged. A spill of orange juice, a few drops of hair spray, or a splash of your favorite alcoholic beverage is all it takes to damage marble.
If you see a circle on the counter where the juice glass once was, you can count on the fact that the spot has been permanently etched. You can hire someone to polish etched areas, but a better — and cheaper — solution is to keep alcohol and even the mildest acids away from marble.
Despite your best efforts, you may end up with a stain. Here’s a neat trick that you can use to clean stained marble: You’ll need half a lemon and a dish of table salt. Just dip the lemon into the salt and rub the marble. Thoroughly rinse with fresh water and towel-dry. You’ll be amazed by how well it works. (If you can’t get your marble clean with this trick, you probably won’t get it clean at all.)
Sealer goes a long way toward preventing damage. Choose a high-quality, food-grade sealer, and apply it (and reapply it periodically) exactly according to the manufacturer’s instructions. You can find a marble sealer at most hardware stores, home centers, or marble fabrication shops.
Caring for Granite
Granite is one of the hardest stones. In our opinion, there is no surface that is as durable or as easy to maintain as granite. Ten years later, it shines as beautifully as the day it was installed.
All it takes to remove coffee or tea stains from granite is some warm water on a cloth or paper towel. Hot pots have no effect on granite, and cold granite is an absolutely perfect baker’s surface.
To maintain your granite, simply do the following:
Keep it clean by wiping with a damp cloth. Easy enough.
Apply a clear, penetrating sealer with a clean, soft, cotton cloth at least once a year (twice a year for kitchen counters). The sealer prevents cooking oils, grease, and other materials from being absorbed into the granite; these substances can cause discoloration and act as a hiding place for bacteria.
You can find a granite sealer at most hardware stores, home centers, or granite fabrication shops.
Taking Care of Wonderful Wood Chopping Blocks
People who love to cook love an in-counter butcher block. Heck, anyone who ever chops an onion likes the convenience of a solid, stable cutting surface. Care of this surface is simple:
Clean with a soapy, damp cloth; then remove soapy residue with a clean, damp cloth.
Remove stains immediately. Remove light stains by scrubbing the area with half a lemon and some salt. Also, try simply applying lemon juice to the area and letting it sit for a minute or two. You can remove tough stains by applying a 3 percent solution of hydrogen peroxide and water. If that doesn’t work, bring out the big gun — a 50 percent solution of bleach and water. Brush it on and allow it to work for 15 minutes. Rinse the area thoroughly. Never, ever, ever use a scouring cleanser on a butcher block.
Prevent swelling, shrinking, and warping by not flooding the surface with water or letting water stand on the surface.
Maintain a smooth surface by sanding out scratches and cuts with 100-grit sandpaper. (Use a sanding block.) Sand with the grain of the wood.
Protect and preserve the surface by applying mineral oil (not vegetable oil or olive oil) monthly. Apply the oil with a soft cloth, rubbing with the grain. Allow the oil to soak in and then wipe off excess oil.
Unlike vegetable-based oils, mineral oil doesn’t go rancid, and it doesn’t mess up polyurethane or varnish. Mineral oil also helps prevent the wood from drying out and cracking or literally coming apart at the seams.
Chapter 14
Appliances
In This Chapter
Using natural gas and electricity in the home
Cleaning to extend the life span of your appliances
The kitchen is the entertainment hub of most homes. If you doubt this, just throw (or go to) a party — and watch where everyone congregates. The nicer and more inviting the kitchen, the more crowded it is. The sleek, beautiful appliances you find in the kitchen certainly add to the attraction.
In this chapter, we offer you specific tips and ideas for the safe operation, maintenance and longevity of the incredible array of marvelous and ingenious conveniences that make the kitchen the heart of the 21st-century home. We also take a look at the washing machine and dryer, two appliances that make life easier.
Note: For parts of this chapter, we sought the sage advice of our favorite appliance guru, Otto “Butch” Gross of Middletown, Maryland. Butch often appears as our appliance expert in our newspaper columns and visits our radio broadcasts from time to time — thus, he is nationally known as the lovable, all-knowing “Appliance MD.”
Safety First
When it comes to maintaining and repairing appliances, you must respect the power of, and potential danger posed by, the natural gas in the pipe and the electricity in the wires. Always use extreme care when working inside any appliance. In the following sections, we give you the most important safety information you need when it comes to gas- and electricity-powered appliances.
Cleaning is job one
The life span of most major household appliances can be severely shortened by neglect, and, on the flip side, greatly prolonged by simple care and basic preventive maintenance. And that maintenance mostly centers on, you guessed it, cleaning. Fortunately, a few simple household ingredients, plus a little elbow grease from time to time, will keep your appliances sparkling, operating efficiently, and one step ahead of the repairman.
When it comes to choosing a cleaner to use for the different tasks, you basically have two choices:
You can use commercial cleaners. If you do, make sure they’re mild and nonabrasive; harsh cleaners can damage the glossy surfaces you’re trying to clean and preserve.
You can use easy-to-make, non-caustic, homemade cleaning solutions. You’ll be surprised by how powerful simple dishwashing soap, baking soda, vinegar, lemon juice, and salt can be — and how much better than chemical cleaners they are for you, your appliances, and your home environment. (Chapter 20 shares our secret family formulas.)
Regardless of the cleaner you use, keep these points in mind:
All cleaners work best when left to sit for a while. Generally, the tougher the stain, the longer you let it sit to work.
If you’re using commercial cleaners and solvents, always read the label for the manufacturer’s usage directions and special warnings. These warnings can range from potential health hazards to potential discoloration and surface damage.