(A funny homemaking story about the day I tried cleaning my bathroom floor with shaving cream: what went wrong, what worked, and what I recommend instead!)
Some Saturdays start calm and end up wild, and yesterday was one of those! What began as a simple deep-cleaning mission turned into a full-blown sitcom scene. Picture a handyman sitcom crossed with a classic slapstick comedy, and you’ve got the idea.
The Mystery of the Musty Smell
It all started with a smell. For a few weeks I’d been catching a faint musty, rusty scent in our bathroom, and it was driving me wild. Having lived in a few old historic houses over the years, I know that “old house smell” all too well, and I was determined not to let it creep into this home, which has always felt fresh and clean.
Since my husband has chronic sinus problems and can’t really smell much, “odor detection” is usually my department. So over our Saturday morning coffee-in-bed chat, I announced that I was going to deep clean the bathroom floor. I’d noticed a rusty spot on the floor under the toilet tank and figured some summer condensation had dripped and caused it.
The Shaving Cream Experiment
When I mentioned I wasn’t sure how to deep clean the floor without harsh chemicals, my husband found a “brilliant” short video showing how to clean bathroom floors with, wait for it, shaving cream.
And wouldn’t you know it, we just happened to have a can of shaving cream he didn’t like. So I thought, why not?
I emptied the bathroom, squirted the shaving cream all over the floor like frosting on a cake, pulled on my rubber gloves and spread it around. I have to admit, that part was oddly satisfying. It felt like being a preschooler again, writing letters in foam on a table.
I let it “sit and work its magic” for 15 minutes, as the snappy little video instructed, while I tidied up the kitchen.
When Cleaning Turns Sticky
That’s where the fun ended.
The video suggested wiping up the shaving cream with paper towels, but that seemed wasteful. So I grabbed my trusty squeegee and dishpan, scooping and rinsing foam out on the deck with the hose. But as the last of the foam disappeared, I realized my floor was now… sticky.
Like, glue-your-knees-to-the-floor sticky.
After three rounds of rinsing, on my hands and knees with a rag and a bucket, ending with my microfiber mop and clear water, I was sweaty, exhausted and determined never to do that again.
And, much to my utter dismay, although the entire house now smelled like a barbershop full of “old man shaving cream,” the original musty, rusty smell was still there.
Enter: The Rusty Bolt Battle
Determined to solve this mystery once and for all, I went back into detective mode. I sniffed around (glamorous, I know), peered up, down and all around. When, lo and behold, deep underneath the toilet tank was the source of the smell.
The bolts were completely rusted out and surrounded by a nasty black buildup.
When I showed my husband, he agreed and decided to replace them. It sounded simple enough: “I’ll just run down to the hardware store and pick up some new bolts.”
Ha! Famous last words.
What should have been a five-minute job turned into an hour of every troubleshooting hack the internet could offer. We tried them all: penetrating oil, pliers, locking pliers and, finally, the very last resort, a hacksaw to cut the bolts off.
Thankfully, after we’d worked ourselves into a lather, with sore muscles to show for it, this morning I don’t smell a whiff of that “musty, rusty smell.” However, the shaving cream still wafts through our house so strongly that even my husband’s sub-par smeller can sniff it!
So in the end, we’ve got a shiny new toilet setup, a funny memory and one more story for the “remember the time…?” file. Homemaking isn’t always glamorous, but it sure keeps life interesting!
Cleaning Solutions I Do Recommend
So, while I can officially say I do not recommend deep cleaning your bathroom floor with shaving cream (and I’m still looking for a good alternative method), I can recommend a few cleaning methods that actually work:
My favourite homemade glass shower door cleaner (it does smell strong, but it works! I also use it on my fiberglass shower and tub unit, and it works amazingly well.)
How to clean grout without harsh chemicals. I still hold the unpopular opinion that I prefer linoleum over tile. But if you do have tile with grout, that method works!!
In Case You Missed It This Week on Bildirimlerim
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See how we brought cozy, classic charm to our small townhouse this season. Watch the video here
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Holiday Dinner Recipe Book Available Now: Grab your copy here
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This Week’s Recipe Features:
- Homemade Turkey Gravy Recipe Rich, flavourful and perfect for your holiday table.
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Christmas Storytime with Grandma Rita
I read some favourite Christmas books aloud for your little ones (or grandkids!) to enjoy. Watch them here.
