QUESTION -- With spring just ahead I would like a solution for how to control night crawlers? They are ruining my lawn and I want to get rid of them. Garry, Holland, Man.
ANSWER -- At this point there is no registered chemical available to zap away night crawlers. Your best bet (when spring arrives) is to use Sevin at the label rate for grub control. Be sure to water well, with about one-third inch to one-half inch irrigation. Repeat again in the fall. These two treatments should give about 70 per cent control.
QUESTION -- After using rubber backed floor mats on my bathroom floor, a yellowish stain seems to be appearing. Why is this happening and is there a solution for restoring the floor? Thanks. SJS, Winnipeg
ANSWER -- The sulphur in your mat has left you with a yellow stain which is very often permanent. Many people have found 3 per cent hydrogen peroxide to be helpful: pour it onto the area everyday for three days and observe whether or not the stain is lightening. Other options are to combine one quarter cup OxyClean with 1 gallon boiling water and pour the solution onto the area. If the yellow does not budge, you may end up having to leave the stained area and cover it with a new mat, cotton mats are a wise choice.
It is too bad that so many floors have a tendency to yellow and discolour, most often from a rubberback rug or some other weight being left on one specific area.
QUESTION -- I enjoy reading your column every week and I immediately thought of you for advice with my problem. My father passed his old Crokinole board onto me recently. It was shipped about 20 years ago from the Caribbean to Winnipeg. Unfortunately the movers placed a 'fragile' sticker right on the playing surface and despite the efforts of my family at that time only a small portion was able to be removed. I would love to remove the rest and use the board but I have been unsuccessful with goo removers and water. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated? Cheers, Matthew, Winnipeg
ANSWER -- Begin by holding a hot hair dryer under one corner of the sticker. Blow hot air onto the board and peel the sticker as you hold the hair dryer in place. You will be amazed at how well this works. Use a plastic putty knife to scrape away gummy residue. Next apply Murphy's Oil Soap or olive oil onto the surface to give the board a good cleaning. If the sticker remains, in a ventilated area spray the area with WD-40. Leave for 15 minutes and peel. Test WD-40 on an inconspicuous area before using it on the Crokinole Board.
FABULOUS TIP OF THE WEEK: Next time company comes, think cloth napkins. Cloth napkins, contrary to popular belief are still better for the environment than paper, even though it takes water and energy to wash them. Cloth napkins are so small -- even if you have a big family, cloth napkins will only run you about one load of wash per week. If you wash on cold, hang dry, and use eco-friendly laundry soap, they just don't add up to the same eco-badness as paper napkins.
Reena Nerbas is the author of the national best sellers, Household Solutions 1 with Substitutions, Household Solutions 2 with Kitchen Secrets and the soon to be released book Household Solutions 3 the Green Edition available on-line and in stores across Canada.
