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Looking for some urgent advice, so I can clean the house before the missus comes home...
She's away for a few days, and I managed to flood one of the rooms with dirty (as in black) water. Emergency towels and an air mover have more or less dried things out, but the water got into the joins in the hardwood floor, as well as a couple of gouges in the finish. Those joins and gouges are now pretty much black, so kinda obvious and a bit tatty looking.
What're my best options for cleaning this up? The wood's pre-finished, lock n lock style, laid a couple of years ago.
Thanks!
Clean the whole floor with a toothbrush and soapy water
Best option?
Pack your bags and get yourself a head start!
Home insurance claim?
Yep you are screwed if its got into the endgain it aint coming out
Why oh why didn't you wait till she got back, then she could clean the house.
I'm hoping that if I open with "uh, I flooded the place, it was awful, but I've cleaned most of it up", she might be pleasantly surprised at how little there is showing... It's a long shot
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When she gets back make sure your standing there in her underwear, put my mrs off her stride when she came back after a 3 day jolly.
... and an opening gambit of "it's not what it looks like!"
"Hi honey, do you like the new rug?"
We need pics of the floor
You're a dead man......
icko74 - Member
I'm hoping that if I open with "uh, I flooded the place, it was awful, but I've cleaned most of it up", she might be pleasantly surprised at how little there is showing... It's a long shot
Although I do admire your optimism 😀
What bike have you got?
Dilute bleach applied with said toothbrush should do it.
Also to echo Flicker, what bikes?
You.Are.Toast.
Right, gone to town on it with a brush and soapy water and it seems to have made the lengthways seams cleaner. The endgrain seams are a bit screwed; and the scratches in the floor (which weren't obvious before) now are.
Plus, it allows me to focus on how much work I put into repairing it all, rather than what the hell I was doing to flood it in the first place.
As for bikes, a couple of relatively unused bikes that couldn't get me far enough away quickly enough... 😉
Now it's a question of whether I front up when she gets home (while wearing her underwear - top tip that), or wait til she notices and let it unravel from there...
Just blame it on one of yer mates.
I'd go with the rug option, cover it up properly until it's fully dried out!
Or give her a big mug of tea and drop it at the appropriate point on the flooring thus making it her fault 😆
Remember stay light on your feet,duck and weave.
Have running shoes on and enough cash for a B&B,pen and paper to write to the kids.
Try fine wire wool and beeswax if it's real wood .
You will be able to bleach it with oxalic acid. It can be used to get water staining out of bare wood. Easy enough to obtain but wear ppe. It burns the skin an I would hate to experience it in the eyes.
Time it right so that when she walks thorough he door you're furiously entertaining yourself over internet grot.
The flooded room will be low down on her radar then .
Man up and just tell her you have had an accident, if she goes mental tell her to **** off and chill out #growasetpussyboy
Mantastic - Member
Man up and just tell her you have had an accident, if she goes mental tell her to **** off and chill out #growasetpussyboy
I'm just guessing here, but are you single?!
Nope, happily married for 7 years thanks
Lucky lady 😀
Indeed she is, thankfully we are both adults and if one of us was to break anything in the house we accept the fact it's an accident and don't need to panic we just get it sorted with no need for trauma or hassles.
Not that I'm your wife, but what were you doing to flood a hard wood floored room with black water? I'd be starting to think on that explanation a little if I were you!
[i]but what were you doing to flood a hard wood floored room with black water?[/I]
I'm guessing it was a failed attempt at bleeding radiators.
I'm also in the "be an adult" camp. Shit happens. Insurance or just live with it.
I'm hoping that if I open with "uh, [s]I flooded the place[/s] the place has flooded, it was awful, but I've cleaned most of it up", she might be pleasantly surprised at how little there is showing... It's a long shot
Why would you want to take the blame for someone else mistake?
I'm guessing it was a failed attempt at bleeding radiators.
If this is radiator related then tell her it's cause she's been putting the heating up too high and the extra pressure has ruptured the internals of the radiator. Tell her not to worry, you managed to fix the others before they ruptured as well, but this winter the heating will have to be kept at a more sensible temperature.
You can still get a positive result here!
What lives in the room?
Washing machine or dishwasher, just pull the unit out, take off the back and leave screwdriver out, explain it went haywire and flooded the place, but you've worked out what the problem is and will pick up a new rotating thrunge valve in the morning.
Hero points for cleaning up the mess and man points for being able to fix it.
trout - Member
We need pics of her rug
FTFY
Flood the whole downstairs.....at least it will all match. 😉
I bet it looks exactly the same as it did before to you. Just repeatedly question her eyesight.
Washing powder disolved in mop bucket, warm water , then mop floor gently leave to dry then mop with just warm water, dont soak the floor, water has to go somewhere and you dont want it under the boards or smelly times await.
Use a walnut on the scratches. Rub in the scratch and the leave for a short while. Polish with a dry, clean cloth.