QUESTION: I was trying to replace a burnt-out light bulb in my overhead kitchen light fixture, and the bulb broke, leaving the socket and some broken fragments behind. How do I get this out? Moira, Winnipeg
ANSWER: Turn off the electrical power, put on leather gloves and safety goggles. Slice a potato in half and jam the exposed white potato into the socket. Turn and pull. Or insert pliers into the base and spread the handles apart. Rotate the pliers clockwise until the base comes out. Or insert a screwdriver between the base and the socket. Insert pliers and gently turn the base counter-clockwise until it comes out.
QUESTION: My daughter's washing machine has some black spots on the inside of the machine and on the rubber part. I believe that it may be mould, but am not sure. I leave my washer door open all the time so it dries out. She doesn't, and I think that these spots are from a buildup of moisture. Is there a safe way to remove these black spots? Val, Winnipeg
ANSWER: You are right about leaving the door of the washing machine open between uses. As for mildew on the seal, your daughter's best bet is to scrub the top of the seal as well as underneath the seal with 50/50 bleach and water. Following a good cleaning, soak the empty machine with one cup of bleach once a week. Leave bleach in the machine overnight and rinse in the morning. If you are hesitant to use bleach (like I am), vinegar is a great substitute.
QUESTION: How can I clean the non-slip flooring in my bathtub? It is going grey. I have tried Javex, Vim and vinegar but nothing has worked. Darlene, Winnipeg
ANSWER: I, too, am going grey but the following solutions won't work on me. Here are a few tricks with which readers have had success; make sure to test all solutions on an inconspicuous area first because you don't want to damage the finish. A mixture of salt and turpentine can return the bathtub non-slip flooring back to its original colour (ventilate when using turpentine). Other products to try are: Iron Out, toilet bowl cleaner or washing soda, a scrub with a green scrubby pad, not an S.O.S. pad. Rinse well between product uses!
QUESTION: I put tinfoil in the bottom of my oven to catch spills. Some pieces are now baked-on. It is a self-cleaning oven. How do I get the pieces of tinfoil off? I enjoy reading all your tips. Thanks, Jane (St. Andrews, Manitoba)
ANSWER: I guess it's too late to mention that foil should never be placed on the bottom of a self-clean oven for this exact reason. In my opinion, the best solution for you is to do very little because there isn't any safe way to quickly remove the foil without damaging the porcelain finish of the oven. You can use a plastic scrub pad, some liquid dish soap and a plastic scraper to remove what you can, this is best done when the oven is warm (be careful not to burn yourself). When you are wiping out the oven periodically, use a plastic scrub pad and each time more will come off. The great news is that the self-cleaning oven feature will eventually remove the foil; but it may take several cleaning cycles and a bunch of patience. Extra tidbit: "The key to everything is patience. You get the chicken by hatching the egg, not by smashing it." -- Arnold H. Glasgow
QUESTION: I have been having "fun" with those little black fruit or plant flies the last several weeks. They are from my houseplants and I have tried putting them outside and spraying the plants with a bought spray but nothing so far has worked. I was wondering if you had any ideas I could try. Thanks so much, Glenda, Winnipeg
ANSWER: You are at war with an insect but it may not the infamous fruit fly. The bugs that you are describing sounds like a fungus gnat. Sure, they disguise themselves to look like fruit flies but they are a cousin to the much-loved mosquito and sometimes bite.
Fungus gnats are caused by over watering and decaying material on the soil of houseplants. The fastest road back to happiness is to dump the infested plant soil into a garbage bag and re-pot each plant with fresh soil. Don't delay -- these little critters multiply quickly and will make their way into coffee cups, soup bowls and other food products.
If you think that you are dealing with fruit flies, you can make a fruit-fly catcher by putting a piece of banana in the bottom of an empty jam jar. Cover with plastic wrap; make a small hole for fruit flies to enter. Or fill an empty pop bottle one-quarter full with pickle juice and leave open on the counter. Or fill several coffee cups half-full with apple cider vinegar. Leave overnight where flies tend to congregate and in the morning they will be floating on the bottom of the cups.
Fabulous Tips of the Week:
* If you leave a metal can like shaving foam on the side of your bath, you will end up with a ring of rust from the base of the can. Combat this problem by covering the bottom of your shaving can with clear mailing tape.
* Are cockroaches in your home driving you nuts? Try this tested trick. Fill a large bowl with cheap wine and leave it under the sink. The pests will drink it, fall in the bowl and drown.
I enjoy your questions and tips; keep them coming!
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.
