We have incredibly hard water, no softener and lots of mineral deposits on everything that touches water for any length of time. The solution is incredibly simple: white vinegar. It very simply and easily and gently dissolves the minerals. We had a shower head that my husband was ready to replace because the mineral deposits had clogged it. I unscrewed the head, submerged it in a cup of vinegar for 24 hours, rinsed it off and screwed it back on. Voila! Like new! I have tried CLR: worthless. I have tried abrasives: all they do is scratch and don't get rid of the deposits. Another spot where minerals accumulate is around the kitchen faucet. I take a bunch of paper towels, soak them in vinegar, then pack them around the faucet over the mineral deposits, keeping them good and wet with vinegar and let them sit for about a day, more or less. Rinse and wipe clean, will look like new! Our cat loves water. His favorite thing in the world is if I fill the bathroom sink with water and let him play in it. What happens? Water spots all over the mirror. Wet a cloth, add a dash of vinegar to the cloth, wipe the mirror... clean and shiny!

I agree with painting. I think sticking to a ready mix color in a quality paint like Benjamin Moore or Dunn Edwards is helpful- washability is key here, and more often than you'd think it's possible to wash away the issue. Also, it's important that the wood is poplar or better, and the interior of the cabinets is prefinished plywood. Painting the interior of cabinets is time consuming and expensive. The prefinished ply will eliminate that issue. Perhaps birch. Not melamine or similar because if it chips or bubbles tenants hate it and there's no great way to correct the problem. I also highly recommend spending decent $ on door hardware throughout. Baldwin or better. And faucets- Danze or better. The moving parts in these products are less prone to breakage. The initial cost is more but will pay you back in less maintenance as the property ages. Good luck with your project!

The faucet should have the name of the manufacturer like Kohler, Delta, Moen, etc. usually at the base of the faucet. Or there could be a logo instead of a name. In any case it looks like the weight is either missing, has slid down so it no longer pulls the hose tight to it's receptacle, or that the hose is tangled and not free to move underneath the sink. These are the likely reasons why the facet head sags down and doesn't stay pulled tight to the receptacle. If that's the only issue you may only need adjust the hose to move freely, or to secure the weight on the hose so that it is still pulling on the facet head when not in use. Cheers, Paul

Tsilanko, I would always recommend professional installation where needed. But what I am doing here is suggesting that WHEN you are planning to build or renovate, to consider how your plans will affect you in 20 or 30 years time. Split levels are very hep when you are young. A kitchen 3 steps down at 30 is rarely a problem, but might be a hazard at 60, or, as Marjie1059 suggested, if you break a leg. ... All my parents' homes were terrible for old people. They were forced to move to a bungalow in extreme old sge because the location and design of their home was more suitable for an active young couple with a large family than for an elderly couple with stroke disabilities. I would not want to move again, so my present home has features built in that make ageing in place simpler. Mostly small changes, like grab rails, and lever handles on doors and faucets. A major disability suddenly suffered requires major changes if permanent. I did look at this because it came up in the discussion, but if you look at the heading, Planning for Disability, it means just that. Plan ahead so you don't have to make expensive changes later on. But thank you for your advice, yes, major changes are not in the DIY domain.