Patricia Sheridan / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
A simple mixture of shampoo, rubbing alcohol and vinegar can be used to remove nicotine stains from white furniture.
Question: I became the owner of a blond wooden china cabinet and table. They are beautiful; unfortunately the previous owners smoked heavily in the house! There is a thick layer of nicotine all over both pieces. Do you have a magic potion that will take the nicotine off without damaging these pieces? Thank you, Carol
Answer: Clean the entire cabinet using Murphy’s Oil Soap and water. Rinse well. Wash all glass pieces using the following recipe: In a spray bottle, combine 1 tsp. inexpensive shampoo, one quarter cup rubbing alcohol and fill remainder of bottle with white vinegar. Spray and wipe.
Question: I am hosting my annual summer party in a few weeks. Every year I set out the same colorful ice bucket as part of my tradition. Without fail, within two hours all of the ice melts. What can I do so that the ice cubes or shaved ice last longer? Jamie
Answer: The larger the ice, the longer it lasts; shaved ice melts quickly. Boil water in a pot, let the water cool and fill silicone shaped muffin tins with the water. Freeze. Next, fill a new rubber glove with water, tie with a rubber band and freeze. Before the party, place bubble wrap on the bottom of the bucket and cover the wrap with a tea towel. Place the frozen rubber glove in the ice bucket (leave glove on or remove). Fill the bucket with the large ice pieces and voila, your ice will stay frozen for a long time, especially if you place a lid on the bucket.
Household tips:
This tip came to me as I was working as a bus driver and janitor at a high school. School lunches: always buy the smallest apples for your student! Apples were the most often disposed lunch item, with usually only one or two bites from them. Parents look at the big shiny apples and purchase them thinking bigger is better. Nope, smaller is better as most children do not eat a whole apple. So the more apples per kilo, the more you save AND, the more inviting a small apple is for the student, when he or she realizes they can actually finish it. An eight or 10 ounce apple is a lot of food (200-300 grams). On my bus route where we allowed eating, it was not unusual to find five or six uneaten or partially eaten apples at the end of the day!
— Code
For all those with white plastic outdoor furniture at the cottage or in your back yard, it usually goes black or gets black spots if left out, over the years. My wife discovered that they are easy to clean. To clean, mix a solution of straight bleach or half water and half bleach, wet a paper towel with the solution, place on the black mold spots, then cover with plastic wrap and leave for a few hours. Voila, like new white plastic tables and chairs. Wear rubber gloves.
— Code
Instead of making a raised garden, I purchase 10 cinder blocks. I lay them in a rectangle formation in my garden. In the middle I lay sheets of newspaper on the ground. Then I fill all of the cinder blocks and the space in the middle with dirt. I plant herbs in each cinder block square and veggies in the middle. Doing this keeps everything separate and really cuts down on weeds.
— Leanne
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.
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