Bleach is beautiful (and other assorted household projects)

So I have been a spraypainting, bathroom-cleaning, slipcover-bleaching FOOL lately!

Finished up the chandelier that will hang in the babies' room (Mary and Tigist.)  It started out brass, and ugly.  (But cheap!!!  $12 on Craigslist.)  Now it is black, and cute.  (Anna informed me that black is not an appropriate color for a baby's room.  Oops.)

In-process on the schoolroom table.  Went quicker than I'd thought--which is good for a horribly impatient, instant-gratification type of gal like me.  BUT, I did this particular project out on our deck and at one point it reached 100 degrees outside--causing the paint to do some strange things.  Planning to fix that today.  Anyway, this originally-maple-colored table (and matching chairs, not pictured, that I plan to Craigslist) comprised the "dining room set" Kevin and I purchased for our apartment when we first got married.  I think it was $250 at KMart, for everything.  And, it's still going strong.

Bathroom cleaning self-explanatory.  But it's a bit easier now that I've bought a nifty little plastic container at IKEA for my cleaning essentials.  It all stays together now (as opposed to getting seperated in the cupboard) and is so easy to transport downstairs to the kids' bathroom.  It's the little things, right?

Now for my most exciting work of the day.  

Three and some odd years ago, we moved to Denver and sold our large microfiber couches (they wouldn't fit in our moving van with the rest of our stuff!)--and bought the IKEA Ektorp couch and loveseat with the white slipcovers.  Because I love white couches. 

But sadly, our old fixer-upper of a house had some really old, disgusting carpet that made your feet/bottom positively black when you stepped or sat on it.  Same with our falling-apart deck outside.  (That carpet is now long-gone, and while the deck is unfortunately still there for now, it is not as filthy.  Thank goodness!) 

So it didn't take long for those beautiful slipcovers to get more than a bit dirty.  I've tried washing them before, adding a little bleach, but have just not been thrilled with the results. 

Several months ago we bought microfiber couches (Craigslist) for the living room instead (moving the white ones to other parts of our house where we wanted seating).  I've come to really miss my IKEA couches, but never wanted to put them back in here because of their stains and propensity to get dirty.

But yesterday I decided to give it one last shot and Googled "how do I bleach my slipcovers?"  Lo and behold, my friend Lindsey's blog popped right up!  Someone in the comments section of this post had asked her that very question, and she talked about SOAKING them first.

Um, I am so not the sharpest tool in the shed.  That had never even occurred to me! 

SO I did a soak cycle with bleach and detergent, and then a "whitest whites" cycle with bleach and detergent.

And it was revolutionary!!!

My slipcovers look almost brand new!

HOORAY!

So back in the living room they shall go.  I am no longer afraid to use them, and I LOVE the fact that I can essentially wash my couch when it gets dirty.  Plus, they smell so nice!

Thank you bleach.  Thank you IKEA.  Thank you Lindsey.

The frenzy of activity and house projects are ultimately in preparation of bringing Tigist and Mekdes home.  Who knows how much time I'll have once they're here (okay, I know, and it's not much!) so I want to do as much as possible now.  Kevin just informed me yesterday that he wants to get all the "projects to be done within the next six months" finished in the next four weeks.

So come to think of it, I probably won't have much time to sit on those nice white couches.  (But they'll stay clean that way, right?)