Diving & Bathrooms

In Kung Fu on Wednesday we did break falling and rolls. These classes rarely treat me well. Typically we’ll set up some mats and take turns diving and falling to the ground. I have a high tendency to tense up my neck when practicing this and the result is extreme soreness. Even today, two days later, it hurts to rotate my head. I’m sure once I get the maneuvers down I’ll loosen up a bit.

So much about Kung Fu requires looseness. Many of the wrist grabs and pressure point stuff can’t be completed if you try and throw in some muscle.

It can be frustrating.

In House news, I’ve finally completed the work on the downstairs bathroom. It took well over two weeks of restructuring, painting, caulking, and cleaning. I’m mostly pleased with the result – though the tub is stained and I’m not sure how to clean it. Anyone have any surefire methods to shine up a tub?

8 thoughts on “Diving & Bathrooms

  • 8/24/2007 at 10:46 am
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    Tub cleaning? Aside from Clorox? You could “CLR it.” That stuff works pretty well. My favorite cleaning product right now it Soft Scrub with bleach. Makes the kitchen sink nice and shiny.

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  • 8/24/2007 at 12:03 pm
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    Use an ammonia based cleaner and let it sit for several minutes before scrubbing and rinsing.

    Open any/all windows while you are using the cleaner and make sure not to mix it with any bleach products.

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  • 8/24/2007 at 12:35 pm
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    You could also try getting the stain off with a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser, which smcquaid claims will get anything off anything… plus its MAGIC and there are no nasty fumes!

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  • 8/24/2007 at 3:42 pm
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    I must concur with the previous statement. Magic Erasers are indeed magic. I’ve used it on the following items to remove unsightly stains: Floor, Sink, Pot ( the cooking utensil variety, not the plant), Pan (Cooking utensil not the Mythical figure), Drafting Table, and on one unsupervised Session my hand.

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  • 8/24/2007 at 4:58 pm
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    I had an old enameled cast iron tub in worcester and it cleaned up really well with baking soda sprinkled on liberally and made into a paste with water, and used as a scrub. Your house isn’t that old though – I’d suggest GREASED LIGHTNING! seconding what Caitlin said about letting whatever cleaner you decide to use sit on the “affected area” for a good 10 minutes. Then attack it with a nylon scrubby sponge – you can add in some baking soda or salt on the sponge for some extra exfoliating dual-action.

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  • 8/25/2007 at 12:54 am
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    How much “clean” do you think you need?

    1. Paint thinner (not mineral spirits, or denatured alcohol solvent which are for weaklings) – should do the trick.
    2. Lacquer thinner – might melt the plastic a bit, but on the bright side there’s a definite possibility it will burn the bottoms of Liz’s feet.
    3. Oven cleaner – this stuff is pretty nasty, I suggest EZ Off brand – I used it to strip varnish off my rifle stock when I refinished it.
    4. Paint stripper – like the oven cleaner, but pasty (better for leaving it sit a while) and the fumes will take your eyebrows off.
    5. High concentration acid – hard to find, but instant results!
    6. Bath fitter – install new plastic over your existing tub! This was done in my apt., it’s pretty sleazy practice, it squeaks and the mold that grows inbetween may advance to the point where they develop spaceships.
    7. Fire! Again, a danger for melting your tub, but the stains will probably burn faster.

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  • 8/25/2007 at 9:24 am
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    I thought of some more cleaning methods!

    8. Pressure washer – mask of anything water-sensitive with plastic, and have at! Wear goggles.
    9. Massive amounts of bacteria – they’re bound to eat whatever’s on the tub floor, then just rinse them away with some bleach or something.
    10. Wire or hard bristle brush – mount a circular brush on an angle grinder or drill, then go to it! Buff out scratches with some polishing/honing compound and an electric buffer.
    11. Tell Kurt there is lots of bacon JUST beneath the surface of the tub – he’ll lick it clean in a few hours in an attempt to wear away the tub material.

    Happy hunting,

    _S

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  • 8/27/2007 at 7:16 am
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    As Kurt indicates, I’m a big proponent of the Magic Eraser. Especially the “heavy duty” one, which is truly magical. Also, there’s this amazing cleaner called “The Works”, which eliminates hard water stains (rust, magnesium, etc) from surfaces that have been stained for a LONG time. The only reason I didn’t have to replace the toilets in my house was because of The Works.

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