QUESTION: Thank you for all the great tips. Today I have both a tip and two questions.
My tip: When cleaning your tub or shower, spray it with cleaner and wipe it down while wearing a pair of dollar-store exfoliating gloves. These gloves are inexpensive, reusable and have just enough roughness to clean the scum but not scratch your tub or shower.
My first question is: My Jacuzzi tub is seldom used and I'm concerned there could be scum in the jets, which would then flow out into the bath water the next time the tub is used with jets on. How do I clean the jets in my tub?
My next question is: My pale blue towels seem to have taken on a yellowish tone in the centre area. How can I get them back to one uniform pale blue colour? Thanks again for the great advice you continue to give. Lorrie, Winnipeg
ANSWER: Thanks for the great tip Lorrie. Clean the water jets in your jet tub by pouring between 8-16 cups of white vinegar into the bathtub. Add enough water to cover the jets. Begin spraying action and run for one or two minutes. Your tub should be ready for some good old-fashioned rubber duckies and you.
The towel situation does not sound good. Without seeing the fabric, my guess is that either due to bleach products or a manufacturer's defect, the dye is permanently gone. Your best be is to re-dye the towels using Rit dye, however Rit dye does not always pick-up bleached areas.
QUESTION: I do hope you can help me. I have a white jacket that is washable and I tried to wash it, but all that happened was it floated on the top of the washer. The label says it is 100-per-cent polyester (lining) and 50-per-cent down feathers. I've tried pushing it down and it still wants to float on the top, so of course it is not coming clean to my satisfaction. I had no idea this would be such a nightmare when I purchased it. Again Reena I do hope you can come to the rescue. Thank you so much Sylvia (St. Andrews)
ANSWER: Celebrate, if your care label says "washable" because you will save yourself a lot of money with this home-cleaning method. Just follow the three R's (remove, room, rest and rest). OK wait; make that the four R's. Remove: Take off all fur or leather trim. Room: Give your jacket lots of space to move in the water. Wash your jacket by itself on the machine's gentle cycle. No bleach, just detergent and if your machine has an agitator then it's better to wash it by hand in the bathtub. I usually put weights (i.e. one white brick) on feather textiles when I am handwashing to keep them submerged in the water.
Rest: Not you, the jacket! Take the jacket out of the washing machine and either dry it by hanging it or in the dryer (no heat) to fluff it up and bring back the puffiness. Rest: Put your feet up and eat chocolate.
Fabulous Tips of the Week
-- I love my bananas but not overripe ones. Well, I came across a tip and it really works. When you buy 'somewhat' green ones from the store, separate them and a few days later they will be yellow and kind of ripe, but inside fairly firm. Thanks for listening to me. Gramma "Bev"
-- I recently read your solution for a badly burnt pan. Something that works really well is lemon juice. Just pour lemon juice into the pan and put it on the stove to heat up. As it is heating, use a heat-proof spatula or lifter and start scraping. As you scrape, the black stuff just starts to lift. A couple of years ago, my mom had a very black, burnt copper bottom pan she was using. I tried the lemon juice trick and soon the pan was good as new! Dianne
-- I really enjoy your column in the Free Press. Yesterday, I got a brilliant idea... well, I thought it was brilliant. Both my husband and I are in our 70s and it's a bit difficult for us to get down on the floor. We had to kneel down to read the serial number on our stove (to have it repaired). To get that number, one has to pull out the drawer at the bottom of the stove. The sticker is right there, on the right. But being able to read it, especially with bifocals, required some major efforts on our part. We did it, and after we were done, my brain clicked in -- I have a cellphone with a camera and it just requires one of us to bend over and click a photo. If it doesn't work, erase and do another one or use a digital camera. Plus, if numbers had been difficult to read, we could have transferred the photo to our computer. I'm going to use this trick next time something rolls under the bed! Thanks again for what you do. Lilianne
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.
