The War on Crud

I now understand why people across this great nation once rejoiced when “no- wax” flooring came to the market. The linoleium tile I put in the kitchen needs wax about two to three times a year and its  not an easy job. Without the wax, the floor will begin to look dull and is difficult to keep clean. I’ve tried a lot of products in an effort to aviod this chore, but nothing really seems to give the shine and durrability that the wax gives. So this Sunday I spent a lot time in the kitchen with the Johnson’s Paste Wax agian.

One thing I did puchase to make the task a little  lot less arguous was the orbital buffer. That was 30 dollars well spent. Buffing the floor is one of the few times that I am very thankful that my kitchen is as small as it is, since the process takes several steps to complete. Starting with washing and drying the floor and removing any stuck-on crud. Then I use an old sock to wipe on the paste wax. Once the wax dries I used to have to use another clean sock to buff the floor until it shines. That was the worst thing ever. So this buffer makes my life a lot less awful during this task.

I can not stand crud, especially in the kitchen and my nasty old sink is not helping in  that respect. The porcelin is sratched and stained and in order to clean it I have to scrub, scrub, srub with Commet and then the very next time I use the sink the crud settles back into the scraches and its gross again. So In the very near future I’m heading up to Ikea in order to get the Domosjo Sink. Since its the only farmhouse sink I can afford. Then I’m going to put it in the attic for a while while I search out a new countertop.

The countertop I have now was red linoleum which I painted with the countertop transofrmations kit when I moved in. Thats held up very well. The issue is that it has that metal banding around the edges which it a great hangout for more crud. So if the sink is replaced, I’m going to need to change the countertop as well.The good news about it is the counter is small, so I won’t need much of whatever I get so I’m thinking I would like Soapstone, but thats too pricey Butcherblock it is.

There is still one more place crud hangs out though, its on the top of the cabinet doors. When I added the moulding to the door faces it left a small seam on the sides of the doors and created increased surface area for things to get stuck. So I’d like to eliminate that by making new shaker style doors which sit inside the styles of the cabinets.

So to wrap up I’ll outline the plan for the War On Crud in the kitchen:

1.) Purchase sink from Ikea ($180.00)
2.) Price out countertop options. (budget – $300.00) 
       Install Phase One:
                  1.) Switch Sink 
                  2.) Add garbage  disposal and dishwasher hook up ($100.00)
                  3.) Install new Countertop
          Install Phase Two:
                  1.) Install 18 inch Danby dishwasher in white (~ $350.00)
                  2.) Purchase a router with a table
                  3.) Make 8 new, inset doors for the kitchen cabinets. ($300.00)

Total budget for The War On Crud is going to be about $1,500 but will be a major improvement in kitchen convience and my ability to keep it sparkling at all times.