*Windgate Lane was provided with product for this post but all opinions are my own*
When Tide contacted me to participate in a challenge, they didn’t have to ask twice! Tide Oxi is a regular staple in my house… boys… remember?
I already use it regularly for stains and in my laundry. It is the only thing that has taken out red dirt stains from my son’s white baseball pants. I simply make a little paste on the spot and let it sit and then throw it in the washer. And just so you know, his first season of baseball he slid into every single base… just because.
I wanted to put it to the test in a different way though, so I picked some up at Home Depot and decided to take it outside! Our patio umbrella has seen better days. It was thrown down in a storm last spring and hasn’t really moved off of laying on the patio since then, which equals dirt, mold, and exposure to all the elements. It’s hard to see- but it was covered with a nice layer of crud.
I didn’t want to buy a new one, so I decided to see what I could do to freshen up the old one.
First I brought it out to the middle of the yard and carefully opened it.
And by carefully, I mean, I opened it and then ran screaming as bugs crawled out of it!
After I confirmed that I was not actually attacked by bugs, I proceeded to sprinkle Tide Oxi all over it. I then took the hose and started spraying it down so that the Tide Oxi foamed up and then I just let it sit for awhile.
(Some of you smarties will notice that I made an erroneous mistake and put the product I chose not to use in the original post- after trying several things- Tide Oxi was the winner of the Cleaning Challenge!)
I came back out about 20 minutes later and was pleasantly surprised! It was already looking so much cleaner! So I finished spraying it off completely and then let it dry… which took about 5 minutes since it was 100 degrees.
Now that the umbrella was all shiny and clean, it inspired me to spruce it up even more! You see, in TX, we don’t spend much time outback in the summer, it’s just too hot, but fall is when we can sit out and enjoy the weather while the boys play. So I wanted it to be a nice place for us to sit, eat dinner and relax.
So with a clean pallet- I was able to spray paint it! and trust me, if it wasn’t clean, the paint wouldn’t have adhered. I knew that spray painting on fabric was not going to ever look perfect- so I went for an abstract, aztec design that I kind of just went off the cuff with. I already had blues (big surprise) and blacks on my deck so I just grabbed some spray paint and went to town!
Now I get it- some of you are gonna say- ummm… why? Well, because it still works- it’s gonna get faded again- and it looked worse before… So I say… Why not?! Some blue, black, and white spray paint just gave me a fun new accessory out back:)
I am pretty excited for some cooler weather and some fun backyard dinners and listening to my boys play whatever sport is currently on their minds!
Shoot, I even think it looks pretty down!
Do you use Tide Oxi? Share your favorite use in the comments section- I would love to hear them! and if you want to check out some more great uses, you can check out Jonathan Scott, from HGTV’s Property Brother’s, Ideas Here!
I hope you are all having an amazing week!
xoxo
B
*Windgate Lane was provided with product for this post but all opinions and ideas are my own*