Question: I notice that when I remove my teacup from the dishwasher it has a brown stain on the inside of the cup. What is the best way to prevent this? Thank-you, Louisa
Answer: Most of the time, if you apply a little dish soap to a green scrubby pad and scrub the inside of the cup, the stain will disappear. For stubborn stains, apply baking soda to a damp, green scrubby pad. Wipe and rinse.
Question: When I roll out bread dough, I lay my plastic cutting board on the counter and roll out the dough on the board. My cutting boards are so old that the dough picks up the odour left behind on the board. Are there any cutting boards, that would not transfer an odour to the bread dough? Liezel
Answer: A stainless steel cutting board is a good investment for kneading dough. Avoid using them as surfaces for cutting, as you will notice that your knives become dull, but for bread dough they are perfect because they don’t transfer odours. Dampen a dish cloth and lay it under the cutting board, so that the board doesn’t slide around while you knead the dough.
Question: I have a door that squeaks, it absolutely drives me crazy especially at night when I am trying not to disturb my dog. As cautious as I am, she inevitably wakes up and then wants to be let outside. I recently painted the door, I am wondering if this may have something to do with the squeak. Any suggestions? Derrick
Answer: The first solution is to tighten the hinges and use a cotton swab to apply petroleum jelly or spray WD-40 on the hinges. Next, rub paraffin or paste wax onto the door jams. If that doesn’t fix the sticking, secure transparent tape inside the door jams. If all else fails, lightly sand the areas, not to remove the paint, just to add roughness to the sticky areas.
Question: When measuring ingredients for some of my recipes, they call for six tablespoons of margarine. What is the equivalent in cups? Knowing this would save me a lot of time. Thanks, Texas
Answer: Eight tablespoons is equivalent to half a cup, but six tablespoons is equal to 0.375 cups. A quick trick for measuring six tablespoons is to fill a half cup with butter or margarine, and then scoop two tabelspoons out of the cup — it’s backwards, but it works.
Question: What is the fastest method for drying a stack of lumber? I want to build a sauna, but I don’t want to wait for months to dry out the wood. Many thanks. Kenton
Answer: Position a dehumidifier beside the wood and let it take care of the moisture. This method will reduce drying time from months to weeks.
Note: Every user assumes all risks of injury or damage resulting from the implementation of any suggestions in this column. Test all products on an inconspicuous area first.
Have a great suggestion or tip? Please send an email at: info@reena.ca. Reena Nerbas is a popular motivational presenter for large and small groups; check out her website: reena.ca.
