Tuz Ruhu

"What do I use to clean the grout?" (I had made it part way across the floor with a basic kitchen cleaner and toothbrush, but the stuff was black as black.) "Tuz Ruhu." "Tuz Ruhu, is that like bleach?" "No, it's Tuz Ruhu, go get some and I'll show you, go ahead." So I go to the corner convenience store and say, "I need Tuz Ruhu." The girl at the store pulls a blue bottle off the shelf next to the bleach and demonstrates, pouring a few drops onto the store's own black grout. It fizzes, and in 15 seconds the area is white. Cool! It cost about 2 dollars. I take it home, and my cleaning lady spreads it on the kitchen floor. But boy the stuff stinks. Really stinks. No... it burns. Hmm, I read the label, "Hydrochloric Acid." That sounds bad. I google it. Definitely bad. The kids and I evacuate to the balcony, and I wonder what the cleaning lady is doing in there behind the closed kitchen door. She survives, and is very proud of the newly-white grout. I, on the other hand, wait 'till dinner time to approach the kitchen.

Fast Forward. New cleaning lady.

"How do you think I can get this black stain off my shower (I'm thinking it's mildew, but not sure). I tried bleach, and it didn't do anything" "Tuz Ruhu will take if off." Shoulda guessed. Fifteen minutes later she also was very proud of the shiny shower corner. However, she explained that I shouldn't use it too often because the grout will erode and water will run under the tile. Don't worry, I'm not touching the stuff. She asks for some fruit juice for her throat, and I ask if this stuff is dangerous. "Yes, it's very dangerous. We fainted one time because we used it and didn't know there was bleach." "You did?" "Me and a friend. We were cleaning at a new construction site, and we didn't know they had used bleach, and we passed out. When the home owner came back she found us and took us the to the hospital. They cleaned out our stomachs, and the doctor said if the home owner hadn't brought us right away, we could have died. It's very dangerous, very acidic."

Thanks anyway. I think I'll stick with my toothbrush.