QUESTION: I read your column faithfully and I hope you can help me. I grated some lemon and orange rind on the fine side of my grater and I am having difficulty cleaning it. I've tried scraping it and using a toothpick to pick out pieces, to no avail. You have given me advice in the past and hope you can help me out again. Thanks in advance, Pearl
ANSWER: Here are a few suggestions for cleaning your grater: Grate a raw potato or apple; this helps unplug the holes on the grater. Use a nylon brush dish scrubber and scrub the inside of the grater; the rind should come out of the holes fairly easily. Anytime you decide to grate cheese (instead of fruit), spray non-stick cooking spray on the grater before you start grating. This helps clean the cheese out quickly, just a few dunks in warm, soapy water and the cheese should pop out. The next time you want to grate fruit, freeze the grater before and after use.
QUESTION: I just read your advice in the Winnipeg Free Press (Saturday, Oct. 29) on removing soap scum from a bathtub. You suggested half-cup baking soda, two tablespoons of glycerine and two tablespoons of dishwashing soap. Will this work on shower doors? I have tried everything with no success. RG, Winnipeg
ANSWER: When shower doors refuse to sparkle, they may be permanently etched. You want to use an abrasive cleaner but you do not want to scratch the glass. For the shower doors, clean with the recipe that you mentioned or substitute borax for baking soda (to add more abrasion). You can also scrub the doors with fine-grade sandpaper but test on an inconspicuous area, so that the glass does not scratch. After the doors are clean, wipe them with baby oil, this helps to repel water.
QUESTION: I bought a headboard for my bed and there is a musty, stinky smell coming off the wood. What can I do to get rid of this smell? I washed it with ammonia but that did not help. Thanks, Heather, Morris
ANSWER: The first attack method is to wash the entire headboard with Murphy's Oil Soap and water. This is often all that you need to get rid of smells on wood. Worst case scenario and depending on the finish of the wood, re-stain or Varathane the wood to lock out all musty odours.
QUESTION: Can you please tell me how to make a great vinaigrette salad dressing? Pauole, Linden, Man.
ANSWER: Normally for every two parts of oil you add one part vinegar plus assorted herbs and spices such as; garlic, salt and pepper, lemon juice, basil and Dijon mustard.
Wonderful Feedback from Caring Manitoban:
Hello Reena,
I was reading your column and had a couple of additions with regards to cleaning dirty keyboards. These have worked well for me (assuming the stickiness isn't caused by a liquid being spilled on the keyboard, which is pretty much impossible to fix as the cost to remove, clean and reinstall the stuck keys is more than the cost of a new keyboard).
I often unplug my keyboard and holding it upside down I shake it quite vigorously which dislodges most foreign matter, then vacuum it using the soft brush attachment on my vacuum cleaner to catch the rest. Karen, Lorette
Fabulous Tips of the Week:
-- If you run out of confectioners (icing) sugar. Grind granulated sugar in a blender; you'll have powdered sugar in seconds.
-- Make a banana hanger for your fruit. Buy a long utility hook and screw it underneath one of your kitchen cabinets. Hang your bananas on it.
Reena Nerbas is the author of the national bestselling Household Solutions series. Her website is www.householdsolutions.org You can contact her at Box 429, Blumenort, Man., ROA 0C0.
