Living Room: After

Dining Room: After

DIY: Over-dyed Rug

I bought this great Kilim rug on etsy a couple months ago: 

When it arrived, it was a little more off-white/cream than the photos showed. I am digging the pattern, but some of the colors clash with the motif I'm going for in my bedroom. 

I am in love with over-dyed rugs. (Join the club, right?) So after lots of debate on whether or not I would want to tackle this type of DIY project, I made the plunge. 

I was a bit nervous because:

a) I don't want to ruin a cool rug.

b) I have never dyed anything before. I've never even made/owned a tie-dye shirt. 

c) What if my washing machine or bathtub turns hot pink?!

But, as what usually happens when I try something new, I thought, "Eh, what the heck. Let's do it."

Supplies:

- Rug (Make sure the materials are able to take dye. Mine was a wool/cotton blend.)

- Dye

- Bleach

Step 1: Bleach the rug

I wanted the rug to be as vibrant as possible, but still have the pattern show through. The dye package directions said color mixing rules applied. I didn't want the cream parts to look orange, so I figured, if the rug is lighter, the dye will stand out more.

I placed the rug in the bathtub with enough water to let it move freely. I added 3/4 bottle of bleach and let it soak over night.

When the rug was done soaking, into the washing machine it went for a quick wash.

Step 2: Dye 

I dyed using the washing machine method and just followed the directions on the package. I used 2 packages of Dylon in Flamingo Pink. Looked like a bit of a blood bath. 

This was the result:

It was defintely lighter from the bleach, but the pink barely showed up. No thanks. So...

Step 2.5: Re-Dye

I figured adding red might give me more of the bright pink hue I was looking for. So I threw the rug in the washing machine again with 4 packages of Rit dye (2 in Scarlet, 2 in Fuchsia).

And TA-DA here's what Rit will give you: a hot pink washing machine (gonna have to work on that issue...) and a bright pink rug!

I'm hoping that it will fade slightly after a few more washes, but I'm still happy with the results! 

Cost:

2'7" x 5' Rug, $48

Dylon Dye, $5.98

Rit Dye, $12

Bleach, $0

Total: $65.98

Pinteresting: Cleaning Bathroom Grout

The longer I live in my house, the more I like my bathroom. I love the old tiles and since it's small, that just means less for me to clean! One of the first things I had to do before moving in was a deep cleaning. The bathroom floors and walls were pretty disgusting and I knew it would look so much better if only the grout wasn't so dingy. 

I mean, just look at those hexagon tiles! (What can I say? I'm a fan of this shape.) 

I headed over to Pinterest to see what I could use to give this grout a makeover. 

Attempt #1: Bleach pen

The only bleach pen I could find was the Tilex Tile and Grout pen with Bleach. I bought 2 pens and that was barely enough for half the tub. I let the solution stay for 10-15 minutes before rinsing it off. 

This didn't really do anything. The tiles were clean, but the grout wasn't any whiter. I think it was because the solution just dripped off the wall tiles. This may have worked better on floor tiles where the solution could penetrate the grout and not run off of them. I couldn't test this theory since I didn't have any more grout pens to use. 

Attempt #2: Baking Soda and Hydrogen Peroxide Paste

Hey, if it whitens teeth, it should work on grout, right? Plus, it would stick to the grout, which would solve one of the issues the grout pen had.

I made a paste of baking soda and hydrogen peroxide (3:1 ratio), slathered it on the wall tile, and let it sit  for more than an hour.

Huge mess. No results. Tile was clean, but the grout was still dark. 

Attempt #3: Toilet Cleaner 

Ladies & Gentlemen, we have a winner! 

It whitens toilets, clings, and has bleach. Sounds good so far! Plus it's super easy and fast to apply and doesn't cost too much. It took 2 bottles to cover all the tile on the walls and the floor. 

The excess cleaner pooled on the floor, so I just threw on some rubber gloves and spread it around. 

I did all this in the evening, after a long day of working on the house, so I was not in the mood to stay longer just to clean. So I let it sit overnight. 

The next day, I took a cleaning brush and a little bit of water, scrubbed the tiles, and wiped everything clean with a damp cloth. 

Just look at those gorgeous tiles! It's like a brand new floor! Now I'm not embarrassed to have people use my bathroom.

Hopefully the tiles will never look that gross again, but if they do, I know what to do!

DIY: Closet Shelves

The only downfall of my master bedroom: this tiny closet! Compared to the size of the bedroom & the closets (yes, that's plural) in the smaller bedroom, it's criminal!

Offenses: 

- Barely deep enough to fit a hanger. 

- Long, Unreachable space to the right of the door.

- Only one hanging bar. 

Initially I thought I could just get by with storing all my clothes in one of the spare bedroom closets, but I'll be honest...it's annoying going back and forth between bedrooms! Especially when the full length mirror and my shoes are in the master bedroom. It's just not conducive to the dressing process! (Although, having to decide on what to wear in a different room than I actually change in HAS prevented me from leaving piles of rejected outfits on the bed or floor...)

Master Closet Makeover

Step #1: 

Cut 1x2s to fit the depth of the shelf. 

Drill pilot holes. 

Realize that you don't have countersink drill bits or long enough screws and are too lazy to go to the store. 

McGuyver it and drill over pilot holes with a larger drill bit (but not all the way through) so the short screws can do the trick.

Step #2:

Fit into the narrow closet space and screw 1x2s into wall at the desired shelf heights.

Level and anchors are your friends.

Step #3: 

Measure the size of the shelf. 

Using a circular saw, cut shelves from 1/2" plywood. 

Paint shelves and ledges. 

Forget to take photos of this step.

Step #4:

Place shelves on the ledges. 

Make use of the weird space in the closet!