QUESTION: How do you remove blood from a blue carpet? My dog has cancer in his nose. Need an answer quickly. Thanks. -- Ann, Winnipeg
ANSWER: Sorry to hear about your dog. Your best bet for removing blood from the carpet without discolouring the spot is to scrub the area with Head and Shoulders Dandruff shampoo. Rinse with water. Of course you'll want to test the shampoo on an inconspicuous area first.
QUESTION: I went on vacation last November and forgot items in the refrigerator such as milk and an onion which rotted a little. Needless to say, the odour was pretty bad upon my return. I have washed the fridge with water, soap and baking soda. I also placed some vinegar in the fridge. The odour still remains but not as strong. Is there something else I can use? I also threw out all my condiments which were in plastic bottles. Thank-you in advance. -- Evelyne, Winnipeg
ANSWER: I like the way you think! But instead of just placing vinegar in the fridge, pour it in and let it work its way into every corner and crevice that exists in the fridge. After the fridge is clean and dry, unplug it and STUFF it full of several crumpled-up newspaper pages (not this page, of course) and leave it for a week. The ink in newspapers is a dynamic odour absorber and will zap all remaining smells.
QUESTION: How can I clean my oak kitchen cupboards? -- Joan and Cecile, Winnipeg and Brandon, MB
ANSWER: Mild dish soap and water is all that is recommended for cleaning the grease off of kitchen cupboards (just a damp clean cloth and no excess water, dry immediately). This should be very effective, since dish soap is created as a grease cutter.
QUESTION: I have a set of aluminum muffin pans and grease has hardened on them and browned. Can I soak them with something? -- Hazel, Killarney, MB
ANSWER: Presenting the world's easiest and oldest trick! Slice a raw potato in half; next, pour baking soda onto the muffin pan. Use the potato and baking soda combo to scrub away the rust. Extra tip: If you are out of potatoes, use an onion instead.
QUESTION: We bought a new kitchen range in December. It is white. The oven vent comes out below the dials on the front panel. The white plastic above the vent area has discoloured to a yellowish colour. Is there anything that I can use to restore the white colour? You can't feel anything in the discolouration area; it's smooth like the rest.
Also, what can you do to get spruce gum off of clothes? -- Shelley, Ashern, MB
ANSWER: Whoa, four months old and it's already discolouring, I know what I would do... call the manufacturer and ask for their guidance. There are certain manufacturer products with common design flaws. In my experience, the yellowing is permanent and cannot be fixed without replacing the part. You can try cleaning it with the helpful advice from a loyal reader who experienced a similar challenge.
Loraleigh from Manitoba suggests sprinkling the area with baking soda and scrubbing it with a grapefruit peel. However, in my opinion, contact the manufacturer before your warranty runs out -- perhaps the oven is recalled or a service person can be sent out.
To get spruce gum out of clothes, smear with mayonnaise. Wipe off spruce gum. Pour dish soap and water onto area and rinse. Wash as usual.
Fabulous tips to beef up your next meal
-- Sprinkle a little salt into your frying pan before adding meat to cut down on grease splatters.
-- Fancy up meatloaf by baking it in muffin tins or Bundt pans instead of loaves (cooking time will vary).
-- For perfect meatloaf slices, bake it, then freeze it for a couple of hours. Cut, reheat and serve. The added bonus is you can prepare the meatloaf well before serving.
-- To prevent meatloaf from sticking to the pan, lay a slice of uncooked bacon on the bottom before baking. For extra flavour, add a few slices to the top of the meatloaf as well.
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.
