Unfuck Your Habitat

ashpags:

Last week I moved across the country, Louisiana to NYC, 1200 sq ft to about 350 sq ft, big changes! I was lucky enough to be able to hire professional movers to do the actual shipping, but I did all of the packing (with copious amounts of help from my mom), and in the process got rid of A LOT of stuff. Four carfulls donated, three taken back to parents’ house for storage, plus another few to recycling and a good bit of trash. I’m going to have to do another purge once my stuff arrives, but that was a good start! The only downside of pro movers (besides the cost) is that it’s taking a long time for my stuff to get here, since they have to wait until they have a full truckload before driving across the country. The small benefit of this is that it gives me plenty of time to really clean the apartment before filling it up with my junk!

First night celebratory drain volcano!

I no longer have a disposal or a dishwasher, and I currently only have one plate, one mug, and two sets of take-out silverware…I’m getting really good at washing things immediately, instead of waiting until the end of the night, because otherwise I have nothing to eat on/with. Doing all of the dishes at the end of the night, EVERY NIGHT, was a big UFYH improvement in my life. Now I’m getting even better—hopefully that will continue after I get the rest of my stuff!

In addition to all of the regular surface cleaning, I even Magic Erased the small row of tiles in front of my kitchenette. The building is pre-war, but I think they are from the renovation in the mid-1970s, and therefore had about 35-40 years worth of grime build-up. Look at the difference! (The clean bit’s in the middle. I…hope that’s obvious!)

So here’s where I have two questions for Mistress UFYH and the greater Team UFYH community. Any thoughts on how to clean these two things?

1.)

This is the stone in front of the tile…Magic Eraser didn’t really help. Is there anything I can do that will get the marks and stains off without damaging the stone? (No, I don’t know exactly what material it is, sorry!)

2.)

Yucky layer of rust on the shower curtain rod. My first thought is CLR, but I’ve never used it before so I don’t know if it would work in this situation. Yes, no, alternatives?

Thanks in advance!

For the rust, I’d use WD-40 and fine-grit sandpaper (very lightly). For the stone, try soaking a cloth in hydrogen peroxide, laying it on top of the stone, and letting it sit until it’s completely dry and evaporated. Some places will tell you to tape plastic wrap over the cloth and let it sit overnight. I’ve never tried that, so your mileage may vary.