Home, clean home

I guess I’ve rediscovered my inner domestic goddess, or I’ve just got past my dust denial, and I have to admit it’s made me a bit nuts. Maybe it has something to do with the Tacoma Health Department’s “Dirt Alert” campaign and the thought that little particles of arsenic are frolicking and cavorting with the fairy dust and dog hairs all over my home.

Naturally, when I enter a new “phase,” I look at it as an opportunity to shop.

Since I needed vacuum bags anyway, for the big strong, super-filtered German Sebo vac that I call “Dieter,” I popped in to Big Vac and found my new best friend, ever, Gunter.

Gunter is a dust mop with an adjustable extension rod ideal for getting the wayward cobwebs on the ceiling. Gunter is basically a Swiffer on steroids with a washable microfiber attachment that easily Velcroes on and off. Amazingly, Gunter actually stands up to the obscene amounts of dust, dog hair and other particles I don’t want to think about that the floor manages to collect, and then traps the particles in his big, swiveling head.

Did you hear that? My floors just squealed with joy.



[Big Vac, 2412 Sixth Ave., Tacoma, 253. 272.1485]

Home, tiled home

As we wandered around Art on the Ave, we had to stop and see Claudia Riedener’s work. We saw it all around us, since her hand was in organizing the day. But the actual fruits of her day job — which you can also see newly installed on the outside of Masa — were also at the event.

While my friend fell in love with the botanical imprint tiles, I loved the mosaic tables and the large installation pieces, similar in style to the mirror surrounds also at Masa, in the restrooms. Even though I’d like to rip out my backsplash in our sadly basic kitchen, build on a master bathroom with a fabulous William Morris flavor, or create a flower-infused fireplace surround, or maybe dig a pool into the backyard for a water lily set, I have to keep my goals realistic and settle with a single tile that’s actually a mighty handy, mighty pretty coaster.



[Ixia Tile, www.ixiatile.com, 253.274.0655]