We live in the country and have well water and a septic system. A long time ago I learned, the hard way, that bleach is not my friend because it bonds with certain molecules and creates a brand new molecule which leaves your whites a crinkly, rough feeling material in a lovely shade of orange, and it will also damage your septic system. For laundry I now use a product called Iron Out. This stuff also works to clean showers, sinks and toilets. My other goto is Bar Keepers Friend, preferably the powder but I also have the spray. The stage has been set to let the story unfold.
Rust and mineral deposits on shower wall before Ryobi power scrubber.
We are starting the process of moving our youngest down to the basement, not as a punishment or hostage type thing but rather because he is a full-time student and employed full-time. This can cause sound issues because his room upstairs was right next to Bill’s office. The basement is a full walk out, fully finished, 1220 sq. ft. ish area (this makes it bigger than my first house) independent living space. For the first time in 7 years, I opened the shower door.
I thought about walling it off and pretending it did not exist.
Our water conditioning system needed recharging when we bought the house, we can add that to the list of things I had no experience with before moving here. About 4 years ago it just flat out failed, and we replaced it. Water quality has improved dramatically but anything not cleaned in the three years before replacing it, was coated in all the minerals the land could provide. Over the years I had weekly fought the good fight and kept things pretty much so mineral free with products that claimed to not kill septic systems, it took a lot of elbow grease. Which brings us too today. My first attempt to clean the shower involved spraying it with Bar Keepers Friend for rust and mineral deposit cleaner. I let that sit for a few minutes and then tried to wipe it off, I swear I heard the stain laugh. I repeated this two more times before I realized that my idea of just walling off the room and never speaking about it again was the most reasonable course of action.
I cannot really scrub with gusto for six more weeks because I am sporting a broken arm which has cut my elbow grease by half. I also lack the ability to wait. Years ago, as a joke, my brother worked for Procter and Gamble, he gave his sisters a small handheld battery-operated spinning scrubber. I loved that stupid thing, but it lacks the power to deal with what happened in that shower. Recently while shopping at Home Depot, I checked out the cleaning aisle for something that would help me do battle. Low and behold the upgraded powerful version of my now puny spinning cleaning tool.
Ryobi hand held power scrubber with medium head.
Shower after initial cleaning and rinse, using the tool and Bar Keepers Friend spray.
The tool only comes with that medium cleaning head and no battery, but I have Ryobi batteries. All I needed was the tool and head. Yes, $79.99 might seem pricey. Yes, I think you might be able to use the pads on a cordless drill without buying the tool. Pain and a compulsion to have clean can make you do weird things, plus Bill gets a military discount. They also have this same tool in a version that reminds me of a weed whacker. It’s the pads for this longer tool that I think could be used in a normal drill. Try that at your own risk.
Upon returning home we gave our new tool a try, or should I say Bill tried it while Sam and I looked on in awe. He tried it on the dry shower wall, then sprayed Bar Keepers Friend rust and mineral cleaner and tried it again. Holy smokes the swirls of muddy red goo hid how well it was working till he rinsed it all down, magic time. He repeated this twice and then Sam tried and then I gave it a go. Now the shower still needs some work, but this task is no longer as overwhelming as it once felt, and I have so many more areas that need to be cleaned.
Here are some of the things we learned:
- Place your thumb on the top where the neck bends forward, don’t just wrap your fingers around the handle like you would hold a drill. This will give you a lot more control and it won’t get away from you as easily.
- If the pad tilts the spray will go everywhere, so protect your eyes, nose, mouth, clothing, ceiling, next room, pets, basically all surfaces in the same area as you.
- It’s not that heavy which makes it easier to use for longer/bigger cleaning jobs.
- That green pad did not scratch the shower or the glass door.
- The large pad can’t get into tight areas easily or at all, and if you must tilt it things get messy.
- I think that the powder cleaners would have improved the result because of their abrasive properties but the spray was easier, and it did work.
- You can buy different heads for different types of jobs and surfaces. Most of them seem to be under $20.
- The battery goes in what I’m assuming is a mostly water tight case on the bottom of the tool. This case then snaps shut and locks keeping the battery from falling off and protecting it from water and cleaners.
Studio floor, dark area untouched by tool, cleaner area gone over once with Goo Be Gone and tool.
I decided to do one more test. I had stripped, cleaned, sealed, and applied shiner to the studio and mechanical room floors seven years ago. Life has happened. Office chair wheels can be incredibly hard on floors and this floor had suffered. I had tried mopping, spraying it with cleaner and hand scrubbing, I used a magic eraser, then mopped it again. It was better, lots of stuff came clean in lots of areas in those spaces but it was not the pretty, shiny floor it had been. I sprayed the floor with Goo Be Gone and then hit it with the Ryobi tool. You can clearly see the swath of cleaner floor that the tool left. I did mop after cleaning to clear away the gunk. It might actually be cleaner than this, but I was struggling to wring the mop out using only one arm. Also I think the taller tool will make the job easier than crawling around on the floor using the hand held tool.
We are all impressed with how much easier this will make cleaning and we keep coming up with new things we can use it on. Sam was so impressed we went back and got the tool that has the telescoping handle for him to use at work. He works at the local Humane Society in the dog area. The floors and walls can get gross. They do have a power washer but imagine being able to scrub before washing, all the embedded and deep-down gunk can be loosened and then washed off. Plus, the one he got allows you to insert a bottle of cleaner, hook up a hose and then spray cleaning solution while you are using the tool. There will be a review of this tool once he has had a chance to use it. We want to use it to clean the concrete pad on the front of the house, the moss off the driveway, the front porch, the deck, the concrete lower deck, the garage floor, well you get the idea. This tool also did not come with a battery, so we bought a charger/battery set. The charger is supposed to be a quick charge so we can compare it to our older ones and see if it is faster, how much faster, and does it impact battery lifetime.
It is true that no matter what the job, somewhere out there, there is a tool for it.
