“
It was pleasant to wake up in Florence, to open the eyes upon a bright bare room, with a floor of red tiles which look clean though they are not; with a painted ceiling whereon pink griffins and blue amorini sport in a forest of yellow violins and bassoons. It was pleasant, too, to fling wide the windows, pinching the fingers in unfamiliar fastenings, to lean out into sunshine with beautiful hills and trees and marble churches opposite, and, close below, Arno, gurgling against the embankment of the road.
”
”
E.M. Forster (A Room with a View)
“
She felt the cold blast from the sterile air conditioning on her bare arms and thighs, as she ambled down the center of the shopping complex's ground floor.
The scene was a swirl of candy bright lights--the Victoria's Secret fuchsia signboard, signboards which lured one to purchase "confidence," or "sexual appeal," or whatever it was that was being advertised--the fluorescent lights in each store, contrasting with the shiny, black-tiled walls and eye-catching speckled marble tiles on the ground.
One could lick the floor--the tiles were spotless, clean like the fake air she was breathing in, like the atoms and cells in her that were decaying in stale neglect.
”
”
Jess C. Scott (Jack in the Box)
“
To put it lightly, I don’t enjoy showering. Being clean, yes. The act of being in the shower, also yes. But everything about having to brush out my tangled hair beforehand, stepping out onto a ratty bath mat or tile floors, getting dry, combing my hair out again—I hate all of that, which means I’m a three-shower-a-week person to Alex’s one to two showers a day.
”
”
Emily Henry (People We Meet on Vacation)
“
ALTERNATE UNIVERSE IN WHICH I AM UNFAZED BY THE MEN WHO DO NOT LOVE ME when the businessman shoulder checks me in the airport, i do not apologize. instead, i write him an elegy on the back of a receipt and tuck it in his hand as i pass through the first class cabin. like a bee, he will die after stinging me. i am twenty-four and have never cried. once, a boy told me he doesn’t “believe in labels” so i embroidered the word chauvinist on the back of his favorite coat. a boy said he liked my hair the other way so i shaved my head instead of my pussy. while the boy isn’t calling back, i learn carpentry, build a desk, write a book at the desk. i taught myself to cum from counting ceiling tiles. the boy says he prefers blondes and i steam clean his clothes with bleach. the boy says i am not marriage material and i put gravel in his pepper grinder. the boy says period sex is disgusting and i slaughter a goat in his living room. the boy does not ask if he can choke me, so i pretend to die while he’s doing it. my mother says this is not the meaning of unfazed. when the boy says i curse too much to be pretty and i tattoo “cunt” on my inner lip, my mother calls this “being very fazed.” but left over from the other universe are hours and hours of waiting for him to kiss me and here, they are just hours. here, they are a bike ride across long island in june. here, they are a novel read in one sitting. here, they are arguments about god or a full night’s sleep. here, i hand an hour to the woman crying outside of the bar. i leave one on my best friend’s front porch, send my mother two in the mail. i do not slice his tires. i do not burn the photos. i do not write the letter. i do not beg. i do not ask for forgiveness. i do not hold my breath while he finishes. the man tells me he does not love me, and he does not love me. the man tells me who he is, and i listen. i have so much beautiful time.
”
”
Olivia Gatwood (New American Best Friend)
“
The sunrise flickers against the sky in shades of gore as the night is eaten away, scavenged clean by the circling rooks. The light is painful against window and roof-tile, for if there was any scrap of mercy in this old cold earth, the sun would not have risen again.
”
”
Padrika Tarrant (The Knife Drawer)
“
[The FBI offices]: Antiseptic white tiles shone everywhere. Workmen were always busy, constantly repainting, cleaning, and polishing. The obsession with hygiene reeked of an unclean mind.
”
”
Peter Wright (Spy Catcher: The Candid Autobiography of a Senior Intelligence Officer)
“
Firstly, though we have to clean this blood up off the tiles before it dries. It is far easier to clean the blood up while it's still wet."
"How do you know this stuff?" Grace said completely baffled.
"Dexter," Angela said shrugging and thinking that was as good an explanation as any.
”
”
Patti Roberts (Progeny of Innocence (Paradox, #2))
“
It sounds like there are no rules here at all,” Sticky said. “That’s true, George,” said Jillson. “Virtually none, in fact. You can wear whatever you want, just so long as you have on trousers, shoes, and a shirt. You can bathe as often as you like or not at all, provided you’re clean every day in class. You can eat whatever and whenever you want, so long as it’s during meal hours in the cafeteria. You’re allowed to keep the lights on in your rooms as late as you wish until ten o’clock each night. And you can go wherever you want around the Institute, so long as you keep to the paths and the yellow-tiled corridors.
”
”
Trenton Lee Stewart (The Mysterious Benedict Society (The Mysterious Benedict Society, #1))
“
Will you pour out tea, Miss Brent?' The elder woman replied: 'No, you do it, dear. That tea-pot is so heavy. And I have lost two skeins of my grey knitting-wool. So annoying.' Vera moved to the tea-table. There was a cheerful rattle and clink of china. Normality returned. Tea! Blessed ordinary everyday afternoon tea! Philip Lombard made a cheery remark. Blore responded. Dr. Armstrong told a humorous story. Mr. Justice Wargrave, who ordinarily hated tea, sipped approvingly.
Into this relaxed atmosphere came Rogers. And Rogers was upset. He said nervously and at random: 'Excuse me, sir, but does any one know what's become of the bathroom curtain?'
Lombard's head went up with a jerk. 'The bathroom curtain? What the devil do you mean, Rogers?'
'It's gone, sir, clean vanished. I was going round drawing all the curtains and the one in the lav - bathroom wasn't there any longer.'
Mr. Justice Wargrave asked: 'Was it there this morning?'
'Oh, yes, sir.'
Blore said: 'What kind of a curtain was it?'
'Scarlet oilsilk, sir. It went with the scarlet tiles.'
Lombard said: 'And it's gone?'
'Gone, Sir.'
They stared at each other.
Blore said heavily: 'Well - after all-what of it? It's mad - but so's everything else. Anyway, it doesn't matter. You can't kill anybody with an oilsilk curtain. Forget about it.'
Rogers said: 'Yes, sir, thank you, sir.' He went out, shutting the door.
”
”
Agatha Christie (And Then There Were None)
“
Yet attentiveness to detail is an even more critical foundation of professionalism than is any grand vision. First, it is through practice in the small that professionals gain proficiency and trust for practice in the large. Second, the smallest bit of sloppy construction, of the door that does not close tightly or the slightly crooked tile on the floor, or even the messy desk, completely dispels the charm of the larger whole. That is what clean code is about.
”
”
Robert C. Martin (Clean Code: A Handbook of Agile Software Craftsmanship (Robert C. Martin Series))
“
Home is where I take up such a tiny portion of the memory foam; home is a splintered word. His pillow is a sweat-stained map of an escape plot, also a map of love’s dear abandon. (When did he give way, at which breath?) Forgiveness may mean retrospectively abandoning the pillow and abandoning the photograph of someone with curious eyes, kissing my toes, poolside. I paint my toes Big Apple Red. I don’t know what to do about the shock of red nails on clean, white tiles except get used to it. (And when he gave way, was there room for feelings or the words for feeling?) While I brush my teeth, I can see him in my periphery at the other sink. The outline of him lulls and stings. (And when he gave way, was it the end of the beginning of suffering?) I draw his profile near, I make him brush his teeth with me, he spits and makes a mess. I could love another face, but why?
”
”
Karen Green
“
He stood in the kitchen for a while, pinching the little tumoric blobs of pastry off their cooling racks to keep them from sticking, looking at the stack of plastic containers with their herbed shortbreads and cornmeal gingersnaps and feeling slightly sad – the same sadness he felt when he noticed that Jude had cleaned after all – because he knew they would be devoured mindlessly, swallowed whole with beer, and that they would begin the New Year finding crumbs of those beautiful cookies everywhere, trampled and stamped into the tiles.
”
”
Hanya Yanagihara (A Little Life)
“
The whole right side of his face was smashed in, concave forehead and crushed cheekbone and one eye bugging precariously from a broken socket. He was purplish-black, and dirty white: Maggots seethed from every pore and crawled across him in excited wriggly piles, blowflies waving and blooming and wilting, the bits of bone they'd scraped clean glinting like tiny mosaic tiles. Scraps of jeans and a leather jacket clung to the sticky seething mess of his flesh. He was big, big shouldered, a good foot taller; chit-chitter, he went, even standing still.
”
”
Joan Frances Turner (Dust (Dust, #1))
“
Women! We’re going to blow the soot off you, clean the smoke from your nostrils, the din from your ears, we’re going to get you a potato that peels itself magically, in an instant, we’re going to give you back the hours the kitchen has stolen from you—you’re going to get half your life back. You, young wife, you cook your husband soup. You sacrifice half your day to a puddle of soup! We’re going to transform your puddles into shimmering seas, we’re going to ladle out cabbage soup by the ocean, pour kasha by the wheelbarrow, the blancmange is going to advance like a glacier! Listen, housewives, wait, this is what we’re promising you: the tile floor bathed in sunlight, the copper kettles burnished, the saucers lily-white, the milk as heavy as quicksilver, and the smells rising from the soup so heavenly they’ll be the envy of the flowers on your tables.
”
”
Yury Olesha (Envy (New York Review Books Classics))
“
Arin said, “If I win, I will ask a question, and you will answer.”
She felt a nervous flutter. “I could lie. People lie.”
“I’m willing to risk it.”
“If those are your stakes, then I assume my prize would be the same.”
“If you win.”
She still could not quite agree. “Questions and answers are highly irregular stakes in Bite and Sting,” she said irritably.
“Whereas matches make the perfect ante, and are so exciting to win and lose.”
“Fine.” Kestrel tossed the box to the carpet, where it landed with a muffled sound.
Arin didn’t look satisfied or amused or anything at all. He simply drew his hand. She did the same. They played in intent concentration, and Kestrel was determined to win.
She didn’t.
“I want to know,” Arin said, “why you are not already a soldier.”
Kestrel couldn’t have said what she had thought he would ask, but this was not it, and the question recalled years of arguments she would rather forget. She was curt. “I’m seventeen. I’m not yet required by law to enlist or marry.”
He settled back in his chair, toying with one of his winning pieces. He tapped a thin side against the table, spun the tile in his fingers, and tapped another side. “That’s not a full answer.”
“I don’t think we specified how short or long these answers should be. Let’s play again.”
“If you win, will you be satisfied with the kind of answer you have given me?”
Slowly, she said, “The military is my father’s life. Not mine. I’m not even a skilled fighter.”
“Really?” His surprise seemed genuine.
“Oh, I pass muster. I can defend myself as well as most Valorians, but I’m not good at combat. I know what it’s like to be good at something.”
Arin glanced again at the piano.
“There is also my music,” Kestrel acknowledged. “A piano is not very portable. I could hardly take it with me if I were sent into battle.”
“Playing music is for slaves,” Arin said. “Like cooking or cleaning.”
Kestrel heard anger in his words, buried like bedrock under the careless ripple of his voice. “It wasn’t always like that.”
Arin was silent, and even though Kestrel had initially tried to answer his question in the briefest of ways, she felt compelled to explain the final reason behind her resistance to the general. “Also…I don’t want to kill.” Arin frowned at this, so Kestrel laughed to make light of the conversation. “I drive my father mad. Yet don’t all daughters? So we’ve made a truce. I have agreed that, in the spring, I will either enlist or marry.”
He stopped spinning the tile in his fingers. “You’ll marry, then.”
“Yes. But at least I will have six months of peace first.”
Arin dropped the tile to the table. “Let’s play again.”
This time Kestrel won, and wasn’t prepared for how her blood buzzed with triumph.
”
”
Marie Rutkoski (The Winner's Curse (The Winner's Trilogy, #1))
“
Slave, my hands are sticky. Come, wash them. Bring the perfumed water." Passia waved at me with a finger slick with honey. She was radiant, lying on the couch next to Helene. Both were dressed in new stolae that Aelia had gifted them for the holiday.
I grinned and rushed forward with the basin and a towel. "Permission to speak," I asked her as I took her sticky hand in mine.
She smirked. "Permission granted."
I slowly ran the damp towel across each slender finger. I kept my voice low so only she could hear. "Later, my dear Domina, I would be delighted to wash you in private."
She raised an eyebrow at me. "I think you will have to prove yourself first, boy."
I bowed in front of her, my head on the tiles. "I will do anything you require, Domina."
"Good. Now fetch me some more honey fritters. And you will clean my hands again, when I call for you."
I winked at her. "Yes, Domina. Anything for you."
That night our lovemaking tasted sweeter than all the honey in Iberia.
”
”
Crystal King (Feast of Sorrow)
“
She wraps her legs around my waist, and I walk us slowly down the hall.
"Mmm, wait," she whines against my mouth. "I haven't showered. I'm so gross, and I don't..."
She trails off as I turn into my bathroom, then set her down. She shuffles her bare feet against the gray stone tile, an inquisitive look on her face as she looks around the narrow space bathed in neutral hues.
I push open the glass door and turn on the shower. Water cascades from the waterfall showered.
"Oh," she says as she grins and bites her bottom lip.
By the time we've helped each other out of our clothes, the water's warm. I help her in first, then step in. And then, under the hot stream of water, we resume our dirty kissing and grabbing.
"Wait, wait." She presses a hand against my chest, then reaches for the shampoo bottle on the ledge. "I do need to get clean first."
I laugh and follow her lead by shampooing my own hair and doing a quick rinse with body wash. She holds her hand out for the loofah, but I shake my head. "Let me?"
A devilish smirk tugs at her perfect mouth. When she nods and licks her lips, I have to take a second. God, this woman. The way she's sweet and filthy all at once is enough to make me lose it right here. But I refuse. Not before she gets what I'm dying to give her.
I work up a lather and run the loofah all over her body. I take my time, paying attention to every part of her. These beautifully curved hips, the fullness of her thighs, the gentle curve of her waist, her arms, her hands, the swell of her boobs. And then I lather up my hands and slowly work between her legs.
She clutches both hands around my biceps, and her toes curl against the earthen-hued river rock that lines the shower floor. Her eyes go wide and pleading as she looks up at me.
I lean down to kiss her. "Tell me what you want."
"You. Just you. Please."
With her breathy request, I'm ready to burst. Not yet, though.
She reaches down to palm me, but I gently push her hand away. I want this to be one hundred percent about her.
When she presses her mouth against my shoulder and her sounds go louder and more frantic, I work my hand faster. She's panting, pleading, shouting. When I feel the sting of her teeth against my skin, I grin. Fuck yeah, my girl is rough when she loses it and I love it.
I love her.
She explodes against my palm, the weight of her body shuddering against me. I've got her, though.
I've always, always got you.
When she starts to ease back down, she lets out a breathy laugh.
"Oh my god."
I nod down at her, which only makes her laugh harder. Then she glances down at what I'm sporting between my legs and flashes a naughty smirk. "Let's do something about that."
Soon it's me at the mercy of her hands. My head spins at the pleasure she delivers so confidently, like she knows every single one of my buttons to push.
When I lose it, I'm shuddering and grunting. For a few seconds, my vision's blurry. She's that incredible.
”
”
Sarah Echavarre Smith (The Boy With the Bookstore)
“
For most people moving is a tiring experience. When on the verge of moving out to a new home or into a new office, it's only natural to focus on your new place and forget about the one you’re leaving. Actually, the last thing you would even think about is embarking on a heavy duty move out clean. However, you can be certain that agents, landlords and all the potential renters or buyers of your old home will most definitely notice if it's being cleaned, therefore getting the place cleaned up is something that you need to consider.
The process of cleaning will basically depend to things; how dirty your property and the size of the home. If you leave the property in good condition, you'll have a higher the chance of getting back your bond deposit or if you're selling, attracting a potential buyer. Below are the steps you need to consider before moving out.
You should start with cleaning. Remove all screws and nails from the walls and the ceilings, fill up all holes and dust all ledges. Large holes should be patched and the entire wall checked the major marks. Remove all the cobwebs from the walls and ceilings, taking care to wash or vacuum the vents. They can get quite dusty. Clean all doors and door knobs, wipe down all the switches, electrical outlets, vacuum/wipe down the drapes, clean the blinds and remove all the light covers from light fixtures and clean them thoroughly as they may contain dead insects. Also, replace all the burnt out light bulbs and empty all cupboards when you clean them. Clean all windows, window sills and tracks. Vacuum all carpets or get them professionally cleaned which quite often is stipulated in the rental agreement.
After you've finished the general cleaning, you can now embark on the more specific areas. When cleaning the bathroom, wash off the soap scum and remove mould (if any) from the bathroom tiles. This can be done by pre-spraying the tile grout with bleach and letting it sit for at least half an hour. Clean all the inside drawers and vanity units thoroughly. Clean the toilet/sink, vanity unit and replace anything that you've damaged. Wash all shower curtains and shower doors plus all other enclosures. Polish the mirrors and make sure the exhaust fan is free of dust. You can generally vacuum these quite easily. Finally, clean the bathroom floors by vacuuming and mopping.
In the kitchen, clean all the cabinets and liners and wash the cupboards inside out. Clean the counter-tops and shine the facet and sink. If the fridge is staying give it a good clean. You can do this by removing all shelves and wash them individually. Thoroughly degrease the oven inside and out. It's best to use and oven cleaner from your supermarket, just take care to use gloves and a mask as they can be quite toxic. Clean the kitchen floor well by giving it a good vacuum and mop . Sometimes the kitchen floor may need to be degreased.
Dust the bedrooms and living room, vacuum throughout then mop. If you have a garage give it a good sweep. Also cut the grass, pull out all weeds and remove all items that may be lying or hanging around.
Remember to put your garbage bins out for collection even if collection is a week away as in our experience the bins will be full to the brim from all the rubbish during the moving process. If this all looks too hard then you can always hire a bond cleaner to tackle the job for you or if you're on a tight budget you can download an end of lease cleaning checklist or have one sent to you from your local agent. Just make sure you give yourself at least a day or to take on the job. Its best not to rush through the job, just make sure everything is cleaned thoroughly, so it passes the inspection in order for you to get your bond back in full.
”
”
Tanya Smith
“
As Frank promised, there was no other public explosion. Still. The multiple times when she came home to find him idle again, just sitting on the sofa staring at the rug, were unnerving. She tried; she really tried. But every bit of housework—however minor—was hers: his clothes scattered on the floor, food-encrusted dishes in the sink, ketchup bottles left open, beard hair in the drain, waterlogged towels bunched on bathroom tiles. Lily could go on and on. And did. Complaints grew into one-sided arguments, since he wouldn’t engage.
“Where were you?”
“Just out.”
“Out where?”
“Down the street.”
Bar? Barbershop? Pool hall. He certainly wasn’t sitting in the park.
“Frank, could you rinse the milk bottles before you put them on the stoop?”
“Sorry. I’ll do it now.”
“Too late. I’ve done it already. You know, I can’t do everything.”
“Nobody can.”
“But you can do something, can’t you?”
“Lily, please. I’ll do anything you want.”
“What I want? This place is ours.”
The fog of displeasure surrounding Lily thickened. Her resentment was justified by his clear indifference, along with his combination of need and irresponsibility. Their bed work, once so downright good to a young woman who had known no other, became a duty. On that snowy day when he asked to borrow all that money to take care of his sick sister in Georgia, Lily’s disgust fought with relief and lost. She picked up the dog tags he’d left on the bathroom sink and hid them away in a drawer next to her bankbook. Now the apartment was all hers to clean properly, put things where they belonged, and wake up knowing they’d not been moved or smashed to pieces. The loneliness she felt before Frank walked her home from Wang’s cleaners began to dissolve and in its place a shiver of freedom, of earned solitude, of choosing the wall she wanted to break through, minus the burden of shouldering a tilted man. Unobstructed and undistracted, she could get serious and develop a plan to match her ambition and succeed. That was what her parents had taught her and what she had promised them: To choose, they insisted, and not ever be moved. Let no insult or slight knock her off her ground. Or, as her father was fond of misquoting, “Gather up your loins, daughter. You named Lillian Florence Jones after my mother. A tougher lady never lived. Find your talent and drive it.”
The afternoon Frank left, Lily moved to the front window, startled to see heavy snowflakes powdering the street. She decided to shop right away in case the weather became an impediment. Once outside, she spotted a leather change purse on the sidewalk. Opening it she saw it was full of coins—mostly quarters and fifty-cent pieces. Immediately she wondered if anybody was watching her. Did the curtains across the street shift a little? The passengers in the car rolling by—did they see? Lily closed the purse and placed it on the porch post. When she returned with a shopping bag full of emergency food and supplies the purse was still there, though covered in a fluff of snow. Lily didn’t look around. Casually she scooped it up
and dropped it into the groceries. Later, spread out on the side of the bed where Frank had slept, the coins, cold and bright, seemed a perfectly fair trade. In Frank Money’s empty space real money glittered. Who could mistake a sign that clear? Not Lillian Florence Jones.
”
”
Toni Morrison (Home)
“
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”
”
Starr Cleaning Services
“
when this particular mood strikes me, I tend to wind up at a store. Target. Best Buy. Sometimes a hardware store. Never a grocery store. I need clean, contrasting colors. Sharp red on white tile. Order. The reds and whites bring a sense of calm that I cannot explain, and gliding amongst the little people scurrying around, living their frantic, sweaty lives, brings me back.
”
”
Molly Doyle (Caution Tape (Mutual Monsters Duet Book 1))
“
I'm fucking done with this, Scott," I told him in a flat, emotionless voice. "I'm done with you terrorizing me. I'm done with the packages and the phone calls and the photos. I'm done. Kiss my ass, motherfucker." Bang. The gun kicked in my hand, but my aim was true. Scott inching closer had made sure of that for me. The bullet hit him clean between the eyes and sent his body sprawling across the black and white tiles of the foyer. For a moment, I stayed exactly where I was, my gun aimed at Scott's body.
”
”
Tate James (Fake (Madison Kate, #3))
“
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”
”
Carters Carpet Restoration
“
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”
”
Chem-Dry Draz
“
She pressed her forehead down onto the cold, clean tiles.
“Please undo what I’ve done, Lord,” she said. “I will never ask anything of you, ever again, if you just give me back the life of Gideon Nav.”
“I can’t,” he said. He had a bittersweet, scratchy voice, and it was infinitely gentle. “I would very much like to. But that soul’s inside you now. If I tried to pull it out, I’d take yours with it and destroy both in the process. What’s done is done. Now you have to live with it.”
She was empty. That was the terrible thing: there was nothing inside her but the sick and bubbling detestation of her House. Even the silence of her soul could not dilute the hatred that had fermented in her from the genesis of the Ninth House downward. Harrowhark picked herself up off the floor and looked her Emperor dead in his dark and shining eyes.
“How dare you ask me to live with it?”
The Emperor did not render her down to a pile of ash, as she partly wished he would. Instead, he rubbed at one temple, and he held her gaze, sombre and even.
“Because,” he said, “the Empire is dying.”
She said nothing.
“If there had been any less need you would be sitting back home in Drearburh, living a long and quiet life with nothing to worry or hurt you, and your cavalier would still be alive. But there are things out there that even death cannot keep down. I have been fighting them since the Resurrection. I can’t fight them by myself.”
Harrow said, “But you’re God.”
And God said, “And I am not enough.
”
”
Tamsyn Muir (Gideon the Ninth (The Locked Tomb, #1))
“
Elwood had thoughtfully fed Patrick. There was a clean-licked plate on the kitchen tile. Patrick was curled up before a gas fireplace, though there was no fire.
”
”
Michael Grant (Gone (Gone, #1))
“
We offer a full range of cleaning services to Utah County residents and businesses. Our services include carpet/tile/grout cleaning and treatments!
”
”
Jamie Palmer
“
Immaculate Carpet Cleaning offers a full range of cleaning services to Utah County residents and businesses. Services include carpet and upholstery cleaning, pet stain and odor removal, tile and grout cleaning, and carpet protectant application.
”
”
Jamie Palmer
“
Immaculate Carpet Cleaning offers you the best in cleaning services. We use the best and most advanced processes and techniques to clean your carpet, tile, grout, and mattresses the right way. Our truck-mounted high-powered steam extraction process heats water to 185 to 200 degrees, a temperature that allows us to loosen and remove stains while also killing germs, bacteria, and dust mites on contact. Cleaning your carpet the right way will make your carpet last longer and save you money over the long run.
”
”
Jamie Palmer
“
A few times a week Fernando would go out, when he wasn’t working at the library, to clean people’s houses. A good way to make some extra money, he explained. I spend three hours cleaning someone’s house and I take home seventy dollars. Tax-free. And no one bothers me. I’m my own boss and the whole thing is between me and the carpet, me and the windows, me and the bathroom sinks and toilets and tiles. Not bad.
”
”
Adriana Lisboa (Crow Blue: A Novel)
“
Grabbing the bowl with both hands, I stepped right up behind him, reached my arms up high, and tipped it over. The sense of glee I got as I watched his entire body stiffen and all that batter fall onto his head was kind of alarming. No wonder he’d been so proud of his suction-cup hickey. I was damn proud of this mess. When only a little dribble was falling from the bowl, I brought the bowl away from his head, set it on the counter, and had only taken two steps when he grabbed me around my waist and hauled me back to him. The movement made him lose his footing on the now-slippery tile and we both crashed down to the floor. Quickly getting up on my hands and knees, I slip-crawled a few feet before my legs went out and I fell back to the floor. Kash dragged me back by my legs and I was laughing so hard I couldn’t even attempt to try to crawl away as he flipped me over on my back and slipped toward me until he was covering my body. I laughed harder and wiped at his cheek, which was completely covered. “You, uh, got a little something there.” His eyes were silver as he growled, “Now do you feel better?” “Much!” “I probably deserved that.” “A little bit.” My laughter finally quieted and I smiled widely at him. “Rachel . . .” His voice dropped and the huskiness alone caused my breathing to deepen. When I realized that our bodies were flush, mine started warming again, and my eyelids fluttered shut when he brought one hand up to cup my cheek. When he repeated my name, I could feel his breath against my lips and they parted in anticipation. His hand left my cheek and he leaned closer to whisper in my ear, “Your hickey looks really lonely.” Wait. What?! My eyes flew open just as he wiped a hand covered in batter across my face. “You son of a bitch!” Kash laughed loudly and attempted to move some of the batter so it wasn’t in my eyes. “I will end you,” I said, making him laugh harder. “I hate you.” “Don’t lie, Sour Patch, you love me.” He was joking, I knew he was joking—but my heart still took off at his assumption. Kash must have noticed the change somehow, because he immediately stopped laughing and his gray eyes turned silver. “Rachel?” “I, uh—we should clean this up.” I attempted to slide out from under him, but he kept his weight on me and brought his hand up to my cheek again. I stopped moving beneath him and locked up my body as his gaze held mine. His silver eyes fell over my face as his head inched down, and in the torturous seconds where his lips hovered over mine again, I told myself a dozen times I needed to push him away. But needing and wanting are two completely different things. Kash closed the distance between us and pressed his lips to mine, and in that instant, I felt like I was exactly where I belonged and my body relaxed between him and the tile floor.
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Molly McAdams (Forgiving Lies (Forgiving Lies, #1))
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The Plexiglas window was half an inch thick. No sound could be heard from the clean room beyond the glass. There wouldn’t be much noise, anyway. The ten-year-old boy lying on the stainless steel gurney was barely breathing, and the blood oozing from his orifices would create only the faintest dripping noise as it fell on the powder-blue floor tiles. The boy had pulled at the leather straps holding him down when the doctor entered the room. As he’d stared, owl-eyed, at doctor Brandt he’d whispered the only word in English he seemed to know – father – before the doctor gave him the injection. Doctor
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Laurence O'Bryan (The Nuremberg Puzzle (Puzzle #4))
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You’re home.” Emmie stopped her puttering, a luminous, beaming smile on her face, a pan of apple tarts steaming on the counter before her. “I am home”—he returned her smile—“though soaked and chilled to the bone.” “I thought I heard the door slam.” Val appeared at Emmie’s elbow. “It looks like a half-drowned friend of Scout’s has come to call. Come along, Devlin.” Val tugged at his wet sleeve. “Emmie had the bathwater heated in anticipation of your arrival. We’ll get you thawed and changed in time for dinner, and then you can regale us with your exploits.” “Behold,” Val announced when they returned forty-five minutes later, “the improved version of the Earl of Rosecroft. Scrubbed, tidied, and attired for supper. He need only be fed, and we’ll find him quite civilized.” Emmie smiled at them both, and Winnie looked up from the worktable where she was making an ink drawing. “I made you a picture,” she said, motioning St. Just over. “This is you.” She’d drawn Caesar and a wet, shivering, bedraggled rider, one whose hat drooped, whose boots sagged, and whose teeth chattered. “We must send this to Her Grace,” St. Just said, “but you have to send along something cheerier, too, Win. Mamas tend to worry about their chicks.” “I thought she wasn’t your mama,” Winnie countered, frowning at her drawing. “She is, and she isn’t.” St. Just tousled Winnie’s blond curls—so like Emmie’s—and blew a rude noise against the child’s neck. “But mostly she is.” “When will you go see her again?” “I just did see her in September. It’s hardly December.” “She’s your mother,” Winnie said, taking the drawing back. “Every now and then, even big children should be with their mothers.” In the pantry, something loud hit the tile floor and shattered. Val and his brother exchanged a look, but Emmie’s voice assured them it had just been the lid to the pan of apple tarts, and no real harm had been done. “That’s fortunate,” St. Just said, going to the pantry and taking the pan from Emmie’s hands. “Watch your step, though, as there’s crockery everywhere.” “I’m sorry.” Emmie stood in the middle of the broken crockery, her cheeks flushed, looking anywhere but at him. “It was my own pan, though, so you won’t need to replace anything of Rosecroft’s.” “Em.” He sighed and set the tarts aside. “I don’t give a tin whistle for the damned lid.” He lifted her by the elbows and hauled her against his chest to swing her out of the pantry. “We’ve a scullery maid, don’t we?” “Joan.” “Well, fetch her in there. I am ravenous, and I will not be deprived of your company while I sup tonight.” “You didn’t stay in York,” Emmie said, searching his eyes. “There is very little do in York on a miserable afternoon that could compare with the pleasure of my own home, your company, and a serving of hot apple tarts.” She blinked then offered him a radiant smile and sailed ahead of him to the dining parlor. “Winnie,” St. Just barked, “wash your paws, and don’t just get them wet. Val, it’s your turn to say grace, and somebody get that damned dog out of here.” Scout slunk out, Winnie washed her paws, Val went on at hilarious length about being appreciative of a brother who wasn’t so old he forgot his apple tart recipe nor how to stay clean nor find his way home. Except
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Grace Burrowes (The Soldier (Duke's Obsession, #2; Windham, #2))
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a few simple cleaning products such as multi-purpose cleaner, glass cleaner, heavy-duty degreasing cleaner, tile cleaner, and an abrasive powder cleaner.
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Katie Sawyer (Cleaning and Organization Hacks: Discover Simple and Powerful Hacks for Housecleaning, Staying Organized & Clearing Clutter Today)
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That's the thing about angry words - once you spill them out, they are like a broken jar of honey on the floor, all sticky and mess. And no matter how hard you try to clean it up, you can always feel that sticky part of the tile" -Cordie
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Shelley Moore Thomas (Secrets of Selkie Bay)
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HOUSEHOLD MAINTENANCE I’ve written the following list to help you with the maintenance tasks that will have the most impact on the longevity of your belongings. Every day Act fast to clean up spills on furniture or clothing. Update software as needed to avoid getting hacked. Every week Vacuum, dust, and clean the house and furniture. Condition regularly worn shoes. Clean clothes as necessary. Clean out the dishwasher filter. Every month Descale the coffee maker (see this page). Condition regularly used leather bags and shoes worn less often. Fix any garments in the mending pile. Every three months Oil wood cutting boards and spoons. Put frozen vinegar cubes in the garbage disposal. Check the smoke alarms. Check the water softener (if you have one). Every six months Deep clean the house. Turn and vacuum the mattress. Launder the pillows and duvet. Polish wood furniture. Deep clean the fridge. Clean the refrigerator coils. Put petroleum jelly on the fridge seals. Run the cleaning cycle of the dishwasher and washing machine. Inspect the gutters. Every year Take stock of the items in your life (see Chapter 8). Have any leather jackets professionally cleaned. Get the knives sharpened. Clean the filter in the kitchen hood fan. Check the grouting around the tiles in the kitchen and bathroom. Flush the hot-water system and have the boiler serviced. Inspect the roof and exterior of your home (best done in spring/summer). Fix any loose fixings or screws. Clean and consider repainting/resealing the exterior woodwork. Every two years Have a professional deep clean of your upholstery and carpets.
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Tara Button (A Life Less Throwaway: The Lost Art of Buying for Life)
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Another good tip is to set boundaries on your beloved accumulations. When the yarn or drawings or tiles or glass or whatever reach a certain level, stop collecting and start disposing. You know in your heart that in the blink of an eye, more will come your way.
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Rita Emmett (The Clutter-Busting Handbook: Clean It Up, Clear It Out, and Keep Your Life Clutter-Free)
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Tile Grout Cleaning Mckinney TX
972-850-6769
You may not be aware of one of the reasons why your tiled floor is stained, discolored, and unattractive. It turns out that using soap and water to mop the floor might be ruining the tiles' appearance. Once you get in touch with us, we can use efficient methods to clean ceramic tile and grout. You are aware of how challenging it is to maintain tile floors.
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Tile Grout Cleaning Mckinney TX
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One great way to do that is by playing what I call the “I have to listen to you now” game. Introduce this by saying, “I know being a kid is tough. There are so many things that parents ask of you! So let’s play a game. For the next five minutes, you’re the adult and I’m the kid. I have to do what you say, assuming it’s safe.” Explain to your child that the game does not involve food or gifts (your child cannot tell you to go buy them a hundred new Pokémon packs or give them thirty bags of Skittles)—it’s really about the routine of your day. But the details here aren’t important. What’s important is to reverse roles, allow your child to experiment with the position of powerful adult, and express empathy for the difficulties of being a child. While you play the game, exaggerate how hard it is to listen to your “parent”; voice things like, “Ughhhhhh, really? I have to clean up the Magna-Tiles? I don’t waaaaaaant to,” and “Ughhhhh, I wish I didn’t have to take a shower right now!” I find this game useful for myself as well—it reminds me how hard it can be to take orders when you don’t want to do something.
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Becky Kennedy (Good Inside: A Guide to Becoming the Parent You Want to Be)
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Tile and Grout Cleaning Richardson TX
(972) 454-9815
We have a Cheap Tile Cleaning service that brightens your floor and gives your home a clean look if you've been putting off cleaning your tiles because of the cost. Carpet cleaning in Richardson, Texas, doesn't just clean carpets. We cover everything when it comes to cleaning your home, from your ducts and vents to your tile and grout.
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Tile and Grout Cleaning Richardson TX
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Tile and Grout Cleaning Richardson TX
972-698-4478
When it comes to porcelain tile, each of our cleaners knows exactly how to provide you with the cleanst tile they've ever seen. because we've come up with the best methods for cleaning tiles ever. Your home's tile and grout will regain their shine and brightness using these methods. We all have a clear understanding of how to make your home appealing to you and your friends.
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Tile and Grout Cleaning Richardson TX
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Tile Grout Cleaning Garland Texas
972-853-1366
To restore the appearance and feel of your floor, tile grout cleaning should be performed with skill and care. If you use a basic machine to polish your floor, you probably know it's not doing a good job because your floor is in bad shape. Our tile grout cleaners are available to assist you.
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Tile Grout Cleaning Garland Texas
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Here at a fresh new look we invested in the best Equipment, and bio friendly cleaning chemicals to make sure that you get the best clean that you’ve ever had in your life, as a customer you are family and we care about you and your belongings. from A fresh carpet cleaning to tile and grout cleaning, upholstery cleaning to an in-home maintenance services A fresh new look Is a leading company in the industry that will show you the difference, Our expertise and skill to perform various tasks it’s very critical to our business operations and as A business owner and operator I guarantee you After you use us the first time you will never use anybody else again! 100% satisfaction guarantee.
Phone: 801-793-0906
business email: info@afreshnewlookutah.com
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A Fresh New Look Utah
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he said, and straighten his life out. Georgie and I felt good about helping Mr. Potter reform. Lissa’s answer disappointed Georgie. “I think I’ll just go to bed and read for a while,” she said. “I’m tired, Daddy.” He yawned. “I’m pretty done in myself. We’ve had a big day.” The kitchen light went off and the bathroom light came on. In a few moments, the light in the small bedroom came on, too. Without a word, Georgie and I sneaked across the yard to Lissa’s room. We’d peeked in the windows many times before, often with pranks in mind. To make things easier, we’d hidden cinder blocks in strategic places. Standing on them, we could look in any window except the one in the bathroom, which was higher than the others. Of course, we wouldn’t have looked in the bathroom even if we could have. People deserve some privacy. Lissa was already in bed. The grumpy old men caretakers had used her room for storage, but now it was clean and neat. A green and yellow rag rug covered most of the old linoleum tile. A small desk, a narrow bookcase, and a white dresser with a mirror were crammed into the tiny space, along with Lissa’s bed, painted white to match the dresser. She’d made a little nest of pillows and quilts and stuffed animals, and she looked cozy and comfortable snuggled
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Mary Downing Hahn (The Old Willis Place)
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talking and laughing loudly as they enter the kitchen that I paid for, with its marble countertops and clean lines, subway tiling and customised Smeg fridge, and picture them drinking wine that is at the perfect temperature because it lives in a state-of-the-art wine cooler that I purchased for money that bordered on obscenity
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Ore Agbaje-Williams (The Three of Us)
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Iam glad she allows me to use her shower. She is trusting and kind, my Payton. Which is good, because it means I get the opportunity to mark the lavatory area. I marked the front door days ago. Soon, I will mark the bedroom, and then it will be well established that Payton is claimed and no one will ever think to touch her...because she belongs to me. While I do need a shower, it is not the most pressing thing on my mind. Instead, it is declaring Payton and our children as mine. I undress and step into the shower cubicle and then take myself in hand, stroking with rough, practiced drags over my cock. I picture Payton as I come, my hand pressed to the tile as I spray my seed and my scent all over the walls. I do this twice more, hitting different spots each time, before I get down to the business of getting clean. I scrub my skin, noting that the bath soaps smell like her—floral and sweet—and for once, I like the scented cleaners because it means I can carry her smell with me as I go about my day.
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Ruby Dixon (When She Wishes (Risdaverse))
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I’ve learned how to put my mind somewhere else. I’m getting good at it. I start by counting the tiles systematically from the top down. Then, I group them in threes and see how many times I can multiply them by four in my head. Once he moves down to my privates, I imagine myself being able to leave my body. Like the real me is this teeny-tiny person inside my brain that can step out and go somewhere else. Sometimes I walk on the bubbles. Other times, I dive under the water and swim near the drain. I do laps back and forth across the length of the tub. I’m usually still swimming by the time he pronounces me clean.
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Lucinda Berry (Appetite for Innocence)
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DeShawn once briefly worked at the baths. One night he was cleaning the bathrooms when he heard a meek cry for help from one of the stalls. He saw beneath the stall door a pair of feet moving precariously on the wet, tiled floor. DeShawn cracked the door open and saw a man, he looked to be in his seventies or maybe even eighties, barefoot in a towel. He was so stiff he couldn’t gain control of his feet, and DeShawn had to lend a hand to ground him and lead him out of the stall, as a fall at his age could prove fatal. DeShawn looked at the man and all he saw was his future.
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Brontez Purnell (Since I Laid My Burden Down)
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Carpet steam cleaning & upholstery cleaning & mattress cleaning & tile and grout cleaning & hardwood floor cleaning in Rockford, IL. To get carpet cleaning services it's good to look for professionals in Rockford, IL to do the job. The company is legally certified by IICRC government inspection and has the Seal of Approval from Carpet and Rug Institute. Also, it's is credited with Clean Trust Certification. All these certifications by government relevant institutions show credibility of company.
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Rockford Carpet Illinois
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Tile floor cleaning & restoration. Specialist stripping, cleaning, sealing & polishing of all types of tile & grout including, porcelain, ceramic, slate, sandstone, marble, travertine, limestone, quarry tiles and victorian tiles. All domestic & commercial work undertaken. Bring your floors back to life and save a fortune on replacement costs.
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Cannon Stone Care
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This age is the age of spring cleaning … spring after spring, and the furniture gets shabbier and shabbier and has to be replaced, and the walls get filthy and have to be repainted, and the tiles fall off and have to be put back, and the owners grow old and are succeeded by their heirs, and the house falls down and has to be rebuilt, and the state collapses and has to be reformed, and the world economic system gets out of date and has to be remodelled, and the world sources of supply dry up and new ones have to be found, and the sun cools down and the solar system gets deranged… It is the “progress” which keeps you where you are; and the whole thing is kept going by hope and fear, dangling their carrots and cracking their whips.
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Nanamoli Thera
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He trims his eyebrows and nose hair and leaves his clippings all over the floor, the sink, the tiles. No matter how many times I mention this to him, he never cleans them up. He thinks he does. I’ve watched him sweep his hand across the tiles, gathering a few hairs, leaving hundreds. Sometimes I think he can’t see them. There’s no other explanation.”
—Tina, Memphis, TN
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Merry Bloch Jones (I Love Him, But . . .)
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On the television, a woman was scrubbing her kitchen tile with her magical new mop. It had not only cleaned the tough-to-reach space behind the fridge, it had saved her marriage, listened to her deepest secrets and given her orgasms too.
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Sidney Bell (Loose Cannon (The Woodbury Boys, #1))
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I grabbed the ice-cream sundae from in front of her placing. ‘Yes, thank you. Thank you for the dessert. Very generous of you.’ She went to protest but, I simply took the spoon from her hand about turned and headed for the doors and where I’d left my… I dropped the ice-cream. The glass bowl smashed on the floor. The ice-cream splatted on the clean, tiled floor. ‘What’s it doing?’ I pointed through the glass window to where my wife and I had been seated. ‘What’s it fucking doing?!’ A blackbird was sitting - quite comfortably - on the table, next to the salad bowl. Next to my wife. ‘Will someone please tell me what it’s fucking doing?!
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Matt Shaw (My Wife, The Worm: Not Your Average Romance)
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but I’m a supermarket own brand multi-surface cleaner girl really. I just decant it into the nice brown glass bottle so that people will think I’m wholesome and care about the planet and probably steep my own cleaning sprays with home-grown lavender. Not that I don’t care about the planet of course, it’s just that it all takes up such a lot of time, doesn’t it? And when you’ve got a full-time job, two children, two cats and a husband who doesn’t even own any grout and tile deep cleaner, there isn’t a lot of time left for steeping things.
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Jo Middleton (Happy Bloody Christmas)
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If you've ever noticed white stains on your bathroom tiles, rough hair after a shower, or reduced water flow from taps, you're probably dealing with hard water problems. In many parts of India, water contains high amounts of calcium and magnesium salts. Over time, this causes scale buildup in pipes and appliances, as well as dull skin and faded clothes.
Switching to soft water can significantly enhance your home experience. Let's see how.
1. What is Hard Water and Why is it a Problem?
Hard water is water that has a high mineral content, especially calcium and magnesium. While these minerals are not harmful to drink, they cause big issues in household chores and maintenance:
White spots and scaling on taps, showerheads, and utensils
Reduced efficiency of geysers, washing machines, and RO filters
Increased soap and detergent usage
Dry skin and rough hair due to mineral deposits
Faded clothes after a few washes
According to studies, hard water can reduce appliance efficiency by up to 30% over time, leading to higher electricity bills and expensive repairs.
2. How Soft Water Solves These Problems
Soft water is water where excess calcium and magnesium have been removed through a water softener. The result?
Sparkling bathrooms and kitchens - No more stubborn white stains or scaling.
Healthy skin and silky hair - Soft water is gentle on the body.
Long-lasting appliances - Protects heaters, washing machines, and pipes.
Lower cleaning costs - Requires less soap, shampoo, and detergent.
Energy efficiency - Appliances work at full capacity without blockage.
3. Benefits of Installing a Water Softener in India
Installing a home water softener can make a huge difference:
Protects plumbing systems from clogging
Saves money on repairs and replacements
Eco-friendly option with reduced water wastage
Low maintenance and long lifespan
Ideal for Indian hard water conditions
4. Choosing the Right Water Softener
When buying a water softener, look for:
Capacity suitable for your family size
Salt-based or salt-free technology, depending on water hardness
Low-maintenance design
Brand reliability and service availability
Modern solutions like SOFTFLOW® Water Softeners are built for Indian water challenges. They are eco-friendly, easy to install, and protect both your health and home.
5. FAQs about Hard and Soft Water
Q1: Is soft water safe to drink?
Yes, soft water is safe for most households, though the taste may be slightly different.
Q2: How do I know if I have hard water?
Common signs include scaling, dry skin, dull hair, and high soap usage.
Q3: How often should I maintain my water softener?
Most modern softeners need minimal maintenance - usually a salt refill every few months.
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softflow
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I hate my things being touched by people. Now he’s gone and bled all over my floor too. It’ll take me forever to clean all that up. I’d call him inconsiderate, but since I’m the one that sort of stabbed him, then I guess it’s my own fault. I should have let him run into the knife on the tile floor instead of the carpet.
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S.T. Abby (Scarlet Angel (Mindf*ck, #3))