Cleaning fest...

In preparation for sealing the back porch on Thursday, now that my firewood is all gone, I got out the power washer and set about tending to some cleaning tasks on my To-Do list even though most were for once fall arrives.  You see, we've been having unseasonably cool weather, so I thought to jump on the sealing, at least, because I need the overnight temperature to be above 50.  Lately, it has been in the 40s at times!  However, getting the power washer out and set up and then breaking it down and put away are two exhausting endeavors for me, so that is why I just ran down my list of cleaning tasks.

It really does amaze me how dirty the front porch was already.  I mean, I just power washed it and sealed it a couple of months ago.  Now that I own a power washer, I had intended that I would wash the porches at least twice a year to keep them up better.  I also should blow the dirt off of them, too, since I have a blower.  The issue is that my power cord is 100 ft and getting it out is a bit of work. I do, however, have a SUPER DUPER blower that my mother gave me a few years ago.  Anyway, the point is that I want to take better care of my porches.

Whilst I was cleaning the porches, I also cleaned the siding, the ceiling, and the light fixtures (all the bug activity residue around them).  I am well-pleased with having a clean front porch again!

The back porch is cleaned and ready to be sealed on Thursday  Oops!  I just checked the weather.  The temperature and lack of rain opening will not be Friday and Saturday.  So, I will probably try to get this done on Friday.  Either way, the back porch will be ready.

I haven't washed the car in five or six years.  I know that I washed it once after moving here, but I think just once.  I've never had the money to pay to wash the car and I have not felt strong enough to do it myself.  I wondered if I could clean the car with a power washer and I could.  I probably still should have used a sponge, but it is mostly clean.

I've wanted to clean the garage floor ever since the power washer was delivered to my doorsteps!  It was rather filthy when I purchased the home, and I haven't kept up with blowing it out as much as I should.  Then there was the car dirt.  And ... well ... Amos used to "water" my tires until I FINALLY taught him to "stay" at the doorstep instead of coming into the garage with me.  He also watered the soil supplies, so there were stains in that area, as well as the four spots where the tires rest.

I did not use any cleaner or a stain remover.  The job would have been MUCH easier had I disconnected the front hose and used the back hose on the power washer, but that would have been more work for me and more walking.  You see, I have to be as miserly with my steps as possible when trying to work.  I am tickled pink with just how much ICK came up off of the garage floor.  I think the concrete looks great for being 97 years old (yes, there are two cracks in it).  I think it will look less stained once it is dry.  Eventually I would like to see if I could get some concrete cleaner or something to do a more thorough job, but I am well-pleased with this first pass.

There is a long work bench on one side of the garage, which I decided to try and clean at the last minute because it was basically black with grime.  I forgot to take a good "before" photo, but you can see in this shot, especially on the back board, the difference between the uncleaned area and the cleaned area.

There is still a lot of paint and such on the boards, mostly on the front one, but I am well-pleased with how much ICK I was able to remove.  Now, I'm dreaming about getting out the heat gun and scraping away paint and then sanding and sealing the wood.  My dear friend Mary suggested I make that a Spring Cleaning task.  Perhaps she is right.  I am, however, a rather impatient homeowner once I determine there is a need to be met.  I think it would right cheery every time I pull into the garage to see a lovely, restored work bench along the wall.

I would also like to remove everything from the shelves, particularly from two cubby units—one adjacent and one atop the work bench—and power wash them, too.  Mostly, I think that they are just dirty and it would be the best way to clean them out.  I wouldn't attempt to seal them, too, because I do not think that I could get the wand in them at the right angle to get down to ... base?? ... wood (or whatever you call it).

You see, I have at least a half-dozen dreams about making my garage prettier and cleaning the cubbies is one of them.  I would also like to get all of the knobs from the knob and tube wiring off of the wood walls.  I would like to hang a few more things (which would mean help since I have learned that I cannot hammer into old hardwood), so I can organize by type all the things I have hanging up on the walls.  I would like to tear off the remaining tar paper that is scattered here and there along the walls (and the floor where I am constantly picking it up to put in the trash).  I would like to paint the old metal cabinet that is sitting in the corner (one of the coolest ones I've EVER seen).  [It is half drawers and half locker.  It must be a remnant from some factory here in town.] And I would like to better organize the stuff that is up in the rafters of the garage.

Mostly, what I want to do is a whole lot of labor intensive prettying up of the garage so that it looks as neat and organized as possible without actually spending money on organizational doodads.  I get exhausted just thinking about it.  At least the floor is in much, much, much better shape now.

Anyway, in a nutshell, today I had a cleaning fest.  Whilst I fainted several times, I am well-pleased with all the grime that was banished this day!