Four of the Best Father's Day Gifts for the Handy Dandy Dad Reviewed

The next big event on the horizon for everyone to get excited about is Father's Day!  I know my teacher friends are already busy getting the craft ideas ready so that Dad's will get a nice surprise on June 16th.  

I'd like to bring your attention to some interesting handy gifts that any Dad will want and enjoy too.

Whether they are true handy men or not, these tools will stand the test of time and usability.  I know from experience that even mom's would appreciate this gift. (What does that tell you?)

So what do I have in  store for you? Let's see!

Number One Father's Day Gift

Vitorinox, better known as the Swiss Army Knife, comes in a wide variety of styles. This one shown has a 5 out of 5 star rating and it is the one that my husband got many years ago from his children. He is never without it. I cannot tell you how many times he has tightened a nut and bolt on the kids' bikes or used it to pry out something that was stuck where it should not have been and so on.  This knife is small, but fits nicely in his hand to use and into his jeans when he's done.  I think the only time he's without it is when we are at a wedding or a function where we are all dressed up.  Even then, this knife is so handy that it  would fit into his jacket pocket without being too bulky.  It truly is a handy and useful tool that every father should have.  You just never know when you might need it.  It will not replace his tool box, but in a pinch the Swiss Army Knife is ready to do the job.


Number Two, Three and Four

There are countless father's out there that on a busy morning have forgotten where they put their keys or their cell phone. 

 Let's get that crazy picture out of our heads and find a way to make that scenario a thing of the past.  There is a new gadget out there that will help to make Dad's life a little easier.  It's call the "Tile". 




It's a little gadget that will really get used!  Just this past weekend I was with my grandchildren and Dad misplaced his keys.  Frantic running around ensued, when his  lovely wife says,  "Tile your keys with your phone!"  Lo and behold, his keys started "chirping" and the sound was getting louder till one of the kids came up with the "lost" keys.  The whole search process lasted less than a minute, and dad was on his way. Everyone had smiles on their faces too!

This item is Number two, three and four, for good reason.  With this package you get Four Tiles.  They are small,so they can be attached to several different objects!  Most people use them for their keys, but you can attach the Tile to almost anything.  If your briefcase isn't where you thought it should be, you can add a Tile to that.  It has a small hole in one corner so that you can attach it with split rings to almost anything.  Afraid someone will notice the "Tile" on your briefcase?  No problem, mount the "Tile" in the briefcase and no one but you knows it's there.  Problem solved and future problems averted!  This is a #1 Best Seller.

**Now the only thing I dislike about this package is that this model of the "Tile" only lasts one year.  Newer models are made with replaceable batteries but will cost you about double what this package runs.  If you are not sure that this would be a workable item for your Dad, you could always try it for the year and then decide if you should upgrade to the newer models.  It would be something to think about.  
**This is my own personal opinion!

 Fathers all over the world will be proud of their families and best of all,  they will all be Handy Dandy Dads with your help!

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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How to Successfully Clean Grout

Colorfast Grout Colorant

How to Clean Grout - A Review of the Products & Methods We Used

The best way we found to clean grout was to paint and seal it. Forget trying to scrub the dirt out of the grout lines 'til your arms fall off. We used this Colorfast Grout Colorant. You'll see some before and after pictures of our kitchen floor.

We've tried a few different ways to clean the grout on our ceramic floors - We've used a steamer (maybe you've seen that method advertised on the shopping channel) and we've even gotten down on our hands and knees and tried to bleach out those ugly dark lines with a toothbrush!

Guess what, both the steamer method and the hard-labor scrubbing method worked as well, but not even close to what this product did for our floors. Make sure you look at the before and after picture so you can see the final result.

Our kitchen tile floor was white, but the grout that was originally used by the builder of our house (19 years ago), was a light greyish color. I've never really liked that look - you know, where you see square

Here is our kitchen floor - Before on the left,
 on the right, After

tiles defined by grout lines that essentially make the tiles appear to be checkered on the floor.

After researching numerous product options for cleaning our grout, my husband decided to give this tile grout paint/sealer a try. It was a wise choice!

He selected the white grout colorant and carefully followed the instructions that came with the product. He put the colorant directly on the light grey grout but prepped the tile grout first according to the instructions. He put two coats, and applied it until the color of the tile grout was nice and white and clean looking. Note: you may not need two coats, we just decided to do it.

Also, we had a couple of chips in the white tile squares, and we HATED the look of that! So instead of going the route of replacing tiles, he simply dabbed the chipped areas with this grout paint.

Heavy Duty Steamer

Our plan is to eventually do a full kitchen renovation, but in the meantime we wanted to do something that would give our kitchen a bit of a clean facelift....because we really didn't like those dark lines!

It also seals the grout at the same time, so that dirt and grime have a harder time penetrating the surface and thus dirtying it up again! We've had it on our floors now for four months and it still looks great.

I'm not naive enough to think that this grout paint and sealer will last forever, and I'm sure at some point my husband will have to do a reapplication...but...so far so good - and YES my house has a lot of traffic - 6 people! (four boys!)

So, if you decide to go this route to clean your tile floor grout, just be sure you select the color you want and follow the directions on the package.

A Heavy Duty Steamer

If you would rather use a steamer to clean your tile grout,here's the floor steamer we've actually used - This can be used for so many other things as well - We've steamed the mattresses, the floors, tile grout, draperies, and even used it to steam the carpets in our car. It works very well, but it won't change the color of your grout - it will simply get the dirt out.

ADDED BONUS TIP:

When you use a grout colorant that is close in color to the overall color of the actual tile, it aids in the tile appearing more like one-continuous-piece.

In a smaller space, having tiles appear as individual squares can contribute to the room seeming even smaller. So the more you're able to get the floor to look as though it flows as one piece, the better for size impression.

by Barbara Tremblay Cipak
Funkthishouse.com

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Tile in a Snap

SnapStone Floating Tile

Seven years ago I bought a new home that was about 70 percent complete.  Part of the 30 percent that remained to be finished included flooring in two bedrooms, the upstairs loft, a half bath, pantry, laundry room, and stairwell.  To make the house immediately livable, I put in some flooring that was trendy at the time.  I figured if a product passed the Divine Design test of my HGTV guru, Candice Olson, it was certainly more than worthy of installation in my home.

I’m still happy with most of the flooring I installed, but I have since rescued a dog.  Anyone who has cared for larger dogs knows they can be hard on flooring.  The area that has taken a beating is the stairwell landing where Toby likes to hang out by a picture window that gives him a place to keep an eye on what’s happening in our world.  I need to install a tougher material that can take heavy traffic.

Having decided on tile, since my animals love to soak up the sun in front of that window, I have been researching DIY options.  How I love to come across web pages that show an innovative home improvement product in action.  There are many websites pushing products, but few that are exceptional when it comes to demonstrating an actual installation.  I appreciate a how-to presentation that is honest in sharing what went right as well as lessons learned.

Here’s one of the best Squidoo lenses I found.  KateHon demos a fabulous floating tile flooring option while sharing before and after photos of a bathroom renovation.  I can see myself installing this tile floor in my home.  How about you?

Have you published a home improvement product review?  If so, stop by and let me know.  I hope to feature your work.  You can find me at Home Renovation Central and "Do or Di DIY."

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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