I learned about 50-50 alcohol-water for cleaning granite over in Kitchens. A lot of people over there swore by it. I stuck with commercial products though for awhile. When we reno'd our bathrooms recently, I was searching for stone-friendly, yet disinfecting cleaning products to use on our bathroom surfaces (FWIW, Seventh Generation makes the only stone-safe, disinfecting spray bathroom cleaner that I've found so far--I have a bunch of cans of Lysol Bathroom Cleaner still, so sometimes use it just inside the tub itself and in the sink--very carefully!). Anyway, during my seemingly endless search, came across numerous recipes utilizing vinegar (not stone-friendly), borax powder, etc., in conjunction with essential oils (like lavender, or tea tree, for example). I decided to mix up some alcohol, water, and lavender oil and give it a try. The proportions were mostly from following what they were using in the Kitchen forum (although the EPA doc said 10% alcohol to 90% water, or 85% water and 5% lavender oil, is perfectly effective). I kind of trial and error it when mixing up a fresh bottle, if it doesn't smell "right" or evaporate/dry up nicely (without smearing) as I wipe, I add little more of one "ingredient" or another. I don't think it has to be perfect. I ended up not using it much in the bathroom, but tried it on my granite, and really liked the results (no smears or residue). I figured it was worth trying on my SS as well (we stopped having our cleaning person come, and I had difficulty cleaning the fridge doors without smearing/streaking using the oil-based stuff). I had to scrub off any and all traces of the old cleaner, but once I did I was good to go. Now I can spot clean or fully clean the surface with just my spray bottle and a microfiber cloth. I even "salvaged" my bff's fridge (fingerprinted, smeary mess), by scrubbing it with BKF and then following up with the alcohol-water spray. *Note, "naked" SS appliances reflect light differently than the same appliances cleaned/polished with oil-based product. The surface has slightly less sheen, and because of that, perhaps look a little colder, or a bluer-based grey--not bad, just something I noticed. I'm much happier with the ease of cleaning, so the trade-off is worth it for me. I also use the spray on my sink after cleaning with a soapy sponge or BKF (wipe dry with a microfiber and it looks great). Also really nice on our Wolf range's black burner pans for spot or light cleaning (I make sure not to spray when any burners are lit!).

THANK YOU for all of your replies! You have no idea how much it has helped. We did talk to the pool builder and explained again that we wanted to work it out. They believe they can get this phase done with one more day's work and then move on. Our pool contract addendum states that we will pay him 5% after completion of this phase, and then the remaining (and final) 5% before pebblesheen. Our PB told us that we could either - A. Pay him the 5% immediately and get two days of work from him in a row, or....B. Pay him after he finishes this phase (as the contract states) and he won't be able to schedule us again for two weeks. He said it would be unfair to his other customers to be at our place two days in a row. He also blamed us for the four month process - saying that I hadn't chosen the grout color in a timely manner. Unbelievable. He is obviously looking for any excuse at this point. To top it all off, the stacked stone steps to the spa he built on Wednesday have been falling off. It seems that they mortared the vertical walls to DIRT, I'm no mason, but I do know that grout, cement, etc. doesn't stick to dirt. I'll post pictures tomorrow morning. I had called the ROC immediately after our PB had told us that if we pursued an ROC hearing, he would abandon working on our pool. The ROC told us that if our PB did that, it would be seen as retaliation against us for trying to protect our rights, and would NOT be in the interest of the PB. It is a direct violation of the statutes. At least our PB was kind enough to threaten this in an email, easy proof for later. The ROC also told us to forget paying this guy another penny (as all of you have suggested) until the final inspection is complete. Our payment schedule has been way out of line from the norm - we had paid him way too much up front before finding out from the ROC what the payment schedule should be. So, we are sending the PB an email in the morning to let him know we expect him to finish this pool. After final inspection, before Pebblesheen, we will give him the remaining 10%. If he wishes to stop work on the pool, we will consider it job abandonment and take it up with Administrative Judge at the ROC. What a friggin bummer. I absolutely hate that it's come to this, but we are just so tired of being brow-beat from this guy! If he does stop work on our pool, so be it. We tried to make the best of it tonight, telling each other that we will just focus on the BBQ kitchen, get some other outside bids, and enjoy other things. What's another couple of months to wait when we've already waited so long? It will all turn out OK. It is, after all, just a pool. THANK YOU AGAIN for all of your terrific advice. I might just be posting pictures of my kids or something for awhile since we won't have any pool pictures :). But someday soon, we will have water!

I will have a corner breakfast nook in my new kitchen (new build) and am struggling with lighting. There will be benches on two walls - 6ft x 8ft and a table that will usually be 42x42 or 42x54 inches, but may expand to 42x66 with extra company. It will be our daily eating and work space (homework, bills, snacks) but we will have a separate formal dining room. I am trying to look at lighting and feel as though I don't even have a good sense of what I need in that space (style is no problem - just the specifics.) Do I need downlights? (I prefer up lights or candles but don't want to have trouble with tasks). How many? I was thinking about 5-6. I will have a dimmer. How many watts? Is 300 enough - and is that how I should think about this - in terms of total wattage? Thanks for your insight and experiences.

Best of luck with your remodel! Mine is in week six and heading into the homestretch! Things I hadn't thought of ahead of time that I wished I had - the lighting plan. Go to an lighting store with your layout and have them give you a recommendation on overhead and undercabinet lighting. There are so many options available today than just 6" cans. Also the color, location and orientation of the outlets, especially on the backsplash area. Paint color - took me 3 weeks to find a paint color I liked. Make sure you have extra trim - my contractor needed to use some extra trim molding so I had to order more which held things up. Also pick out your cabinet hardware and decide where you want to place them on the cabinets. As everyone said, take lots of pictures and get some earplugs! It can be very noisy at times! Good luck!