Wednesday, March 5, 2008

These Little White Spots Are Making Me Crazy

I'm baaaack ... sort of.

Faithful readers of Emptying Our Nest (all five of you) may have noticed I've been absent since Haiku Friday. That's because, after one final miserable weekend with the heinous head cold (which has taught me that readers love it when you use the term "donkey balls" in a post)I had to buckle down and finish a bunch of work projects I didn't work on last week while my nose was dripping like a faucet. I'm almost done, and by tonight I may have time for a more leisurely post. For now, though, all I have time for is a moment with Works-for-Me Wednesday: The Backwards Edition.

Those of you who read Rocks in My Dryer -- it's a favorite of mine -- know that on backwards days, we bloggers ask questions. So here's mine.

How do you get toothpaste and soap splatters off a painted wall?

Yes, I know this is not exactly a weighty issue, and will certainly nip in the bud any credibility I might someday develop with the non-mommy crowd, but this issue is currently driving me a lot crazier, frankly, than what the presidential candidates think about NAFTA.

Last July we finally updated Ben's bathroom. His walls are now a lovely deep taupe called Warm Stone. (I don't know about you, but if the name of a color is wrong, I just can't go with it, no matter how great the shade. Warm Stone makes me think of a really great massage. Plus it went with his tile.)

Having at last made that bathroom presentable and crossed it off my guilt list, I was mighty peeved the other day when I realized that the toothpaste and soap splatters around his sink (yes, if you must know, it was the first time I'd cleaned around there since July) simply would not come off.

I sprayed. I sponged. I scrubbed. I scraped with my fingernail. Nothing. Those little white spots aren't budging.

So what do I do now? The paint is Sherwin Williams, with an eggshell finish. That's supposed to be washable, and I will note that all these removal efforts don't seemed to have harmed the paint in the least. But they haven't harmed the splatters, either.

Any thoughts?

7 comments:

Heather said...

Did you try the magic eraser?

That's why I keep my bathrooms white. :) Sorry that doesn't help.

Teri said...

Have you tried a microfiber cloth or a Mr Clean Magic Eraser? Or even just a plain old pencil eraser (might want to spot-check that one in an inconspicuous spot first)? :)

Anonymous said...

I'll try all these. I can't belief I'd forgotten about the Magic Eraser. It IS magic. It makes me believe they really can pull rabbits out of hats.

Unknown said...

I'm soooo with you! I actually look at the names of the colors, before I look at the colors... same with lipstick!

I have no idea how to help you. Sorry. Just had to chime in about the name thing! I have friends who give me grief about it. Glad to know I'm not the only one!

Anonymous said...

If I could design the perfect job, here would be my list of duties:
1) Name colors for paint, cosmetics, and fabrics.
2) Read lots of books.
3) Taste-test chocolae and coffee.
4) Go home early.

Monica said...

I love your name. I have a daughter, Elizabeth, whom we call Betsy Bird. Love it!!

As far as your walls? I'd say soap and water. Let it soak. I have the same problem in my kid's bathroom and that's the only thing that's worked.

I'm all about semigloss paint for this very reason.

Anonymous said...

I'm with you on the names. But my picks usually are with the foodie names "Warm Custard" , etc. If the name sounds good to eat, I'll probably like it! Big Mama