Until a year and a half ago, a light weight corded vacuum for bare floors was the best way I knew of to keep hard surfaces clean. I used a Bissel Broom Vac. THEN I discovered the Mint Robotic floor "sweeper", not a vacuum! OMGosh! In fact, it just finished sweeping the kitchen and is now mopping it. This product has been a life changing thing! That might seem like an extreme thing to say but if you had the bad back I do and MS, you'd understand. But, I have many friends have bought Mint that don't have the physical problems...just want more time to do the things they want to do and do it with cleaner floors than they've probably ever had :) It's one of those things I never want to be without. I'd like to have a couple backups for when one ultimately bites the dust :) There are two models. The black one (5200 model) is the newest and well worth the extra money. The addressed some issues and added some features. Monica Here is a link that might be useful: Mint Automatic Floor Cleaner

Tile spacers should not be grouted over. No exceptions. As to their proper orientation, they can be fully set so they act as a spacer in both the "X" and "Y" axis. On floors I don't use spacers. I snap grid lines every 2-3 feet, depending on the size of the tiles, and lay the tiles off those lines. If you use spacers to space the tiles and the tiles are not rectifed, meaning that they are not all the perfect same size, then an off-sized tile can throw the line off a tad here, another a bit off there, a bit of thinset between the spacer and the tile can mess things up more. A slight exaggeration, but hopefully you get the picture. On walls, I use spacers and tile shims to keep the rows or courses of tiles level. I may or may not use spacers to gap them horizontally. So, how to properly use the "X" spacers? Yes, you can fully set them in so they gap in both the horizontal and vertical. I don;t know of any tile setter that does that on a regular basis, though. The spacer are usually set in so that just one leg of the "X" is in between the tiles. Yes, it takes more spacers that way, but again, on walls it's not uncommon to tweak here and there. For a brick or running bond pattern, at each "T" joint, use one leg of the spacer to set the vertical grout line. Use two more, one under the corner of the adjacent tiles, to shim the upper course from sliding down onto the lower course. Mongo

I have had a swiffer duster, but I thought it was VERY expensive. Especially since I have a ton of dust in my house it doen't last that long. Fortunately, I went to the Dollar Tree and got a cheap duster with a REUSABLE cloth. So I can just toss it in the wash and have it clean the next day. I think it works great and I have had it for 1 year and it has held up wonderfully. Especially since I am harsh on it. If you would like one I got the one with the thread kind not the ones with the finger like one. I think it is better than a swiffer duster and I is MUCH cheaper because you can reuse the cloth. You don't have to replace it:)

Well, we definitely love it! It was embarrassingly expensive and I was told there were very limited quantities. If we ever move I am taking that stone off the island and putting the unobtrusive one we have elsewhere (leathered Cambrian Black, very nice) on the island for selling the house! Sorry you can't find it in NY/NJ. It did take quite a bit of time for me to get this one. The place we got it, Cumar, had stones with this *name* but not as vibrant, and we spent weeks trying to talk ourselves into liking what they had. Somehow we found this one. Good luck - there are definitely a LOT of beautiful stones out there! (And, I have to say, sheepishly, that five years later we kinda have to remind ourselves how glorious our stone is. We just have gotten used to it.)