I have fallen in love with a steam cleaner!  Over all of the years that I have been renovating, I have often thought to  myself that at least 50% of 'renovation' is just cleaning up other people's messes.  If something is cleaned and maintained, it looks 100% better than something that is grotty and falling apart.  Does anyone else have the same theory?  Well, yesterday I was shopping in ALDI for some bikkies - you know, those delicious ones that have a chocolate topping?  I came out with two packets of those bikkies, two blocks of chocolate, two shirt and tie sets, a new pram, a grumpy toddler AND a fabulous little steam cleaner for not very much money.  I'm just embarking on a renovation and since, in my opinion, cleaning is the first step of any serious renovation, I figured that a steam cleaner might just make my life easier.  Well, it is just the bee's knees!  I'm sure there are steam cleaners and there are steam cleaners and the likes of Choice Magazine reviews will help the purchaser select the right one for their needs, but I am in love.  I love renovating and delight in swooshing out someone else's grime and making a tidy profit from it, but at the same time I am a bit squeamish about - ugh - dirt.  I don't mind my own dirt, but I swoon at other people's, well, uncleanliness - especially when I have to live with it!  So anything that cleans, shines and disinfects a secondhand living surface is a friend of mine!  The little steam cleaner I bought cleaned, shone and blew away quite a bit of dirt, grime, mould, toothpaste, scum, scale and I don't like to think what else and now I'm much happier to live in that 25 year old bathroom!  The fittings and fixtures still need to be replaced before we move on and sell the place, but for the short term, the master bedroom ensuite looks 100%!  And all it took was a jolly good clean.  Steam cleaning is evidently known for powerful, hygenic cleaning without harsh chemicals.  Elbow grease is all very well, but it wears one out after a short while!  Great for kitchens and bathrooms, windows and glass, I can't wait to have another go and see just what else I can clean with my trusty little home improvement helper!

An article in The Australian on 14 January 2011, “Flood damage bill to top $3bn”, explains why the cost to repair houses damaged by flood is relatively high.  According to the article, Professor John Handmer at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology said contemporary building technology made extensive use of lightweight materials that were water sensitive. "An old Queenslander built of hardwood isn't going to suffer that much structural damage from soaking in water, but a modern house full of composite materials is likely to face a full-scale interior reconstruction." 
In particular, the extensively used dry-wall plaster-board products are water sensitive and if inundated by water, they disintegrate and need to be replaced.  Plaster-board is far quicker and cheaper to install than internal solid plastering, and has reasonable fire resistant properties, but cannot withstand soaking and is susceptible to mould growth, which is hazardous to health.
Read the full article here : http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/flood-damage-bill-to-top-3bn/story-e6frg6nf-1225987413403