In My Own Style

Happy Friday everyone. It has been a busy week around here…B-U-S-Y. Busy not with fun creative and decorative stuff, but boring cleaning stuff – yep, cleaning, you know the water and scrub-brushing kind! You don’t read about that much here, but it does happen on occasion.

Now that it is nearing the end of May the start of outdoor living and entertaining has arrived. I had to get my butt in gear to get my deck, patio, and backyard in general – fit for outdoor living. I prefer interior decorating over exterior any day, but I do love to be outside and want to make the outdoor space at my house as nice as afford-ably possible. When it comes to getting the outside DIY done, the words – chores and drudgery come to my mind. Tasks is how I have to think of them or I would be too overwhelmed by all that has to be done. I completed one of these “tasks” this week with the help of my daughter.

My backyard gets full sun all day, but we still end up with lots of mold and mildew all over – YUCK-O!!! It won’t come off with soap and water – the big guns have to come out and I have found the best big gun to get rid of all of it is with a few pumps of a trigger.

Here is the gross BEFORE of the rails around my deck.

This year I got to do this chore “task” in style as the makers of Bogs Footwear sent me a pair of their waterproof boots to try out. They were the perfect footwear for the wet and messy job I took on.

The “big cleaning gun and trigger” I needed to use to get this job done – Clorox Pro Results Outdoor Bleach. They are not paying me for this post. This stuff works wonders and makes cleaning my deck and outside furniture truly – EASY! All you need is a bucket, sponge or scrub brush, rubber gloves and boots to protect your hands and feet. If you are going to clean something high, I would recommend safety glasses so that when you rinse with a hose, the spray doesn’t get in your eyes.

Tilex brand also makes a Mold and Mildew formula. I have used both and they both do the job – excellently!!! What I like about them is that bottle has a handle that you can carry around as well as a hose and trigger spray that makes it easy to walk around and simply spray all the yucky mold and mildew away. I bought both at Lowes.

Once you have the mildewed surfaces sprayed, let it sit for awhile and then hose it off. If there are any stubborn spots, use a scrub brush.

My older daughter helped – she thinks the boots are ultra cool, and has been wearing them to garden over the last few weeks, too. I picked out the Classic Mid Lanai 52483-400 that are just high enough that your feet stay dry if you step in a big puddle or are using a hose and not too tall that they would be uncomfortably hot as a higher boot would be in the summer months.

They are quite roomy and my feet stayed dry the entire time I worked, even with everything around me soaking wet.

AFTER spraying and rinsing the cleaner off, the deck rails were all white again.

I also needed to do the patio chairs. I did the work, my daughter modeled so I could take photos. :)

If you have mold and mildew problems, you know soap and water will not remove it. Before I found out how well the Clorox/Tilex cleaners work, I was ready to throw the chairs out. Not anymore – they look as good as new after one treatment. I am just thrilled to have them look good again.

I was also thrilled with the boots. When I first took them out of the box, I could feel the high quality of the construction and knew they were going to be much better than the flimsy pair I bought at Target a few years ago. They also smelled like tires – car tires so I knew they were going to be tough.

Bogs boots come in many different styles, prints, and colors – all are warm, waterproof, and ready for all-weather conditions. They have men’s, women’s, and kids outdoor, casual, industrial, hunting and agricultural industries boots.

My daughter also wore them when she planting a veggie garden a few weeks ago. She had been stomping in mud and muck and told me her feet stayed warm and dry, plus she never brought the caked-in mud into the garage or mud room because she simply hosed them off, soles and all while she had them on. They looked like new after hosing off.

They are a little heavy, but once you walk around for a while, they are nothing but comfy and easy to work in.

They only come in whole sizes and fit true to size. There is plenty of room to wear thick socks if needed as I think they are a tad roomier than most boots. My daughter agreed with me. I also think my daughter

has taken ownership of them she likes them so much. Of course I will let her have them especially since she has been such a huge help in getting the back yard summer ready.

It always takes some doing to get me going with the cleaning and drudgery tasks, but once I start I always seem to get on a roll and get it all done. I am now rewarded for all my hard work – My backyard, deck, and patio are ready for summer. I hope it is a good one with lots of perfect sunny days to sit outside and enjoy.

I started this morning and ate my breakfast outside – it was a perfect. I have to thank Bogs Footwear and the Clorox/Tilex cleaners for helping me make it happen.