Shaw Floors
A fork can be used to lift carpet fibres that have been indented by furniture.
QUESTION: We have wall-to-wall (Berber style/tight low flat weave) carpet in one of our bedrooms. When we rearranged the furniture, we were left with very deep indents in the carpet. It has been several years now, and it has not bounced back. Any ideas? Thanks. — Terri
Answer: Here is a suggestion for carpet dents sent in by a reader. "Use the ordinary fork! I have wall-to-wall carpeting, best described as carved pile. It is pretty forgiving for spills etc., but it does retain deep dents when furniture is moved. I had an inspiration one day and used an ordinary fork, putting the tines in the middle of the dent and twiddling gently to lift and separate the pile. It worked beautifully. If the dent is large, I just move the fork all over the entire area, twiddling and teasing until the dent is no longer visible. I hope this is useful."
Other people place ice cubes on the dent and use a warm hair dryer or a steamer to ease the carpet fibres back into place.
Question: What is the best way to remove a water mark from a wooden table? — Bobbi
Answer: Place a tea towel onto the area and press the mark with a warm iron. Observe whether the stain is gone. Next, smear mayonnaise over the spot, leave for one hour and wipe. If the stain remains, sand and refinish the table.
Dealing with difficult packaging
Shrink-wrapped items: Items such as batteries are imprisoned inside thick plastic shrink wrap, making the package difficult to open. Run a can opener along the edge of the package to open it, just like you would if you were opening a can. Or cut the package edge with tin snips. If the package comes with a hole at the top, grab the hole with both hands and pull.
Stitched rice bag: The stitches often break as you open the bag. Turn the bag so the smooth stitches are facing you and the looped stitches are on the back. With the bag facing you, untangle any strings sticking out on the right side. Gently pull the string, it should unravel and free all of the stitches. If you pull the wrong string, the stitches become tangled and won’t open.
Flour and sugar bags: No matter how careful you are, some of the contents spill as you open flour and sugar bags. Drop the bag onto the counter so that most of the contents fall to the bottom of the bag. Place the bag inside of your dry kitchen sink. Instead of tearing the bag open, use scissors to open the bag, thereby reducing spillage.
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.
Reena Nerbas is a popular motivational presenter for large and small groups; check out her website: reena.ca. Ask a question or share a tip at reena.ca.
