QUESTION -- I have a problem with stains on marble flooring. Most stains are water and the tiles are also dulling with no shine, is there a cure? Many thanks in advance, Glenn, Dauphin
ANSWER -- Regardless of anything else you may have heard, don't ever allow yourself to be tempted into using normal household cleansers on your marble floor. Not even in a pinch. If visitors are coming just when you happen to be out of marble and stone cleaner, mop with warm, clean water only.
Marble is a soft material made from calcium carbonate that is very sensitive to any acid or high alkaline chemicals. Do not use any tile cleaners, vinegar, ammonia, alcohol (Windex), Ajax, etc. on your marble floor. Use only liquid stone soap or neutral cleaners that have pH 7.00 and were made specifically for cleaning stone. In this way you prolong the stone life. When you clean your marble flooring, make sure to use lukewarm water and soap.
Skilled natural stone floor experts can turn your dull and stained marble floor into a new one, their work is very specialized, and with the explosion in stone floor installations that are being done in new construction, the number of restoration contractors to choose from is growing fast. You should be able to get several quotes and evaluations.
Keep a spray bottle of marble and stone cleaner handy to clean spills and marks as they happen. If you make a practice of doing this, stains will be kept to a minimum and all you'll need to do on floor washing days is pass a cotton mop dampened with warm water over the floor. With the stains and dullness that you are encountering, pour some of your marble and stone cleaner from your spray bottle into the warm wash water and mop as usual.
If you do not want to consult a professional and you do not want to use commercial cleaners, you can wipe the marble with three per cent hydrogen peroxide and buff with a soft cloth. Some people advise on using acetone on marble but this sounds too risky to me. Another option to give marble a quick shine is to crush a child's stick of common white chalk (made of limestone) into a fine powder. Dampen a clean white wash rag and dip it into the chalk powder. Rub it on the marble with smooth, overlapping back and forth strokes. Allow to dry for a moment, then rinse with fresh water on a damp rag, and dry thoroughly.
Lastly, after your floor has been professionally cleaned you may want to consider sealing the floor so that its beauty lasts for a long time. All the best!
QUESTION -- Do you have a solution for cleaning an antler handled carving fork, it is very old, and was stored in a dampish atmosphere for perhaps two years. The handle has a strong mildew musty smell. Any suggestions on how I might rid the bone of this smell? Look forward to hearing from you, Kerrie, Winnipeg
ANSWER -- Wash the handle with one quarter cup three per cent hydrogen peroxide and one cup of warm water. Wipe well. Next polish the handle with linseed oil, the smell should disappear and the handle will look like new. Another suggestion (and this is what I would use) -- wash the handle with non-gel toothpaste, scrub with an old toothbrush. Leave for at least 10-15 minutes and rinse.
QUESTION -- We have just purchased two cream-coloured leather sofa's second hand. They are in wonderful condition, however, the previous owner was a smoker. I have wiped them down with warm water and then used leather cleaner. The smell is not as strong but they still have a stale smoke smell to them. Can you suggest anything to get rid of the lingering odour? Christine, Winnipeg
ANSWER -- The first thing I would do is clean the entire surface with saddle soap. You can get it at the same place you buy shoe polish. Moisten a soft cloth, rub it over the saddle soap and wipe the leather. You will likely see smoke colour come off onto the cloth (it will look dark and smell). Change to a clean place on the cloth and repeat until that section of the seat no longer smells. You will need to take a clean damp cloth and remove any excess saddle soap and then buff it with a dry cloth. Saddle soap is not typical "soap" therefore don't expect to see suds.
If you cannot find saddle soap, sprinkle the furniture liberally with baking soda, leave and wipe off with a damp cloth. Or make a spray of enzyme cleaner and water (purchase this at your local pet store). Or create a solution of white vinegar and tea tree oil (found at grocery and health food stores). Wipe the leather down with the solution and dry with a soft cloth. Another option is to wash down the sofa with commercial leather cleaner or Murphy's Soap Oil. As well, if you happen to have sprigs of eucalyptus in your home, lay them onto the furniture everyday for three days to help zap the odours.
Here is your last desperate resort solution: In a ventilated child free, pet free area, preferably outside, elevate the couch and place a plastic pan of household ammonia under the couch. Do not allow any ammonia to touch the leather. Cover the entire couch with plastic drop cloths and tape the edges down so that no air enters the enclosed leather couch area. Leave for 3-5 days. While wearing a mask and gloves, remove and discard ammonia and drop cloths. This should zap any smoke odour. Note: Ammonia is not considered a safe product, although it is found in many commercial household cleaners. Use ammonia with great caution! Test all solutions on a small inconspicuous area first.
Fabulous Tips of the Week: Put a rubber-backed bathmat over the edge of the bathtub to help prevent children from slipping when getting in and out of the bathtub. This also works for seniors.
Reena Nerbas is the author of the national best sellers, Household Solutions 1 with Substitutions, Household Solutions 2 with Kitchen Secrets and the soon to be released book Household Solutions 3 the Green Edition available on-line and in stores across Canada.
