Renovation & Design
Renovation & Design
Ways to keep out the neighbours' smoke
Question: I live in a wood-frame condo. One owner lives on the main floor and I live on the second- and third-floor unit above. The main-floor owner smokes and the second-hand smoke carries up into my unit. I think I have figured out where it is coming from. I believe the smoke carries up through my utility room. I have noticed the interior wall dividing the kitchen and utility room does not go all the way up to the ceiling, leaving the joists exposed to my second floor. I also believe it is coming up through a corner kitchen cupboard where the wall is open with the plumbing pipes exposed.
My question to you is: How would I solve this so that I do not smell any more smoke? If I cannot rectify this problem, is there a company of some sort that could help me seal off the smell of smoke? Would spray foam in between the walls work?
I am at my wits end. Thank you for taking the time to read my letter. Any information would be greatly appreciated.
-- Barb Gessler
My family recently moved into a side-by-side house in the Transcona area. The house itself is fine, but the problem is that the two brothers who live in the adjoining property are heavy smokers, and the smell of tobacco smoke is coming into our home through the wall. There is a concrete separation between the two houses and we can't hear a thing from the other side of the wall, but the cigarette smoke is penetrating into every room where the properties connect. We are non-smokers and have a seven-year-old, so besides the unpleasantness factor, there is also health to consider.
I tried removing the baseboards in our bedroom and sealing up the airspace at the bottom of the wall with expanding foam, but it doesn't seem to have made a difference. I asked a contractor who does foam insulation to take a look. He came over, but said he couldn't see where the smoke would be coming from, and of course they weren't smoking when he was over.
His suggestion was to buy more expanding foam and try to seal around the rim joists where the floors/ceilings attach to the wall. I have bought the foam, but have yet to do the job. He also said he'd never faced this problem before, so he didn't know what else to suggest. I'm hoping you might be able to shed a bit more light on the problem. Many thanks.
-- Steve Foden.
ANSWER: Both of your questions are almost identical, except for the location of the adjoining dwelling where the smoke smells are coming from. I will offer a few suggestions for both of your dilemmas, and one that you may not have considered.
You may both be on the right track in trying to identify the locations where the smoke or odours are coming into your home from the neighbour's. In doing so, you may be able to minimize the problem by sealing these areas, but you may not be able to completely eliminate it. Stopping air movement that may be occurring between adjacent living areas is a first step, but it may not completely solve the problem. If you both do succeed in sealing any areas or small gaps you think may be letting in the smoky air next door and still notice the problem, further investigation may help. You may want to call an energy evaluator or HVAC contractor who has a "blower-door" apparatus to come and test your home. This large fan is temporarily installed in your open front door and is turned on with all the other doors and windows of the home closed. This causes an exaggerated depressurization of the home so air leaks can be readily detected. By using a simple smoke pencil or mechanical measuring devices the locations of significant air leaks can be found. If the results of this evaluation show a significant amount of air leakage in enough locations, further caulking or foam insulation installation may minimize the problem.
Cigarette smoke and other air pollutants may indeed enter your living space through small openings where air can penetrate, but there may also be other factors at work. Many of these compounds can embed themselves in the surface of walls, ceilings, furniture, carpets, drapes and other household items. While you perceive that you are smelling the smoke actually penetrating through from the other dwellings, you may actually be detecting lingering particulates that are getting into your unit from various areas. I have inspected many homes where nobody was smoking for the duration of my inspection but my clothes and skin smelled like an ashtray hours after leaving the premises. There may be only one practical way of preventing this by-product of heavily smoking neighbours.
My suggestion is to politely and diplomatically talk to your neighbours about your concerns. While it is unlikely they will immediately kick their nasty addiction, you may be able to talk them into smoking outside their home rather than indoors. I know many homeowners who only smoke outdoors due mainly to health concerns for other family members, and their living spaces are almost odour-free. If you are somewhat successful in this endeavour, and with some additional air sealing in your suite, the problem may become tolerable. If not, installation of an air purifier in your heating system or other mechanical solutions may help.
Though it may seem a little old-fashioned or just plain difficult, good neighbour relations may go a long way to resolving difficult situations like your smoke problems. Talk to the neighbours in a friendly way after inviting them for a coffee or cold beer and explain to them that this is a big concern for you and your family. You could also suggest that smoking outside their own home will prevent unsightly stains on their walls, ceilings and other areas, making their maintenance easier. You might be surprised at the positive response and simple solution to the problems. If you currently don't get along well with them or get an overwhelmingly negative response, call your friendly HVAC contractor to see what can be done to clean the air in your home.
Ari Marantz is the owner of Trained Eye Home Inspection Ltd. and president of the Canadian Association of Home & Property Inspectors -- Manitoba (www.cahpi.mb.ca). Questions can be emailed to the address below. Ari can be reached at (204) 291-5358 or check out his website at www.trainedeye.ca
trainedeye@iname.com
Renovation & Design
Variety of tactics can be used to repel cats
QUESTION: Your "Fantastic Tip of the Week" in regards to getting rid of rodents certainly makes sense. I live in East St. Paul, and we are invaded by chipmunks and they create havoc in my garage. So I'll put your tip into practise, and hope it works. It should, because it makes an awful lot of sense.
Now we also have a cat problem. We have lived 22 years at the same address and this last spring, we noticed for the first time two stray cats coming into our yard on a regular basis. They have started using our flower beds as, you guessed it, their toilet and we do not like that. So I was wondering if by any chance you would also have a tip to get rid of those cats or to prevent them from using our flower bed as a public washroom. Thank you. Jean (East St. Paul, Man.)
ANSWER: Just like children, what works for one will not necessarily work for all. Continue experimenting with a variety of deterrents until you find the most effective solution for your visitors.
The No. 1 tip is to make your yard unattractive to cats by making digging difficult and uncomfortable. Bury chicken wire under the soil or top the soil with pinecones, flat rock or mulch. Position rose bush branches along the ground where cats like to step. If you do not have rose bushes, ask your local garden centre -- they may be willing to donate thorny branches. Alternatively, lay down or bury mats that have upward-facing points; cats don't like prickles. As well, make your yard unattractive to cats by planting a patch of catnip away from your yard or plant rue -- cats detest the smell.
Keep cats out of the garden by sprinkling coffee grounds or onions on the soil. Pet and garden stores sell a variety of products, such as predator urine and cat repellents, or you can make your own.
Cat repellent: Combine and sprinkle two parts cayenne pepper, three parts dry mustard and five parts flour. The drawback is you will need to reapply the mixture after rain. You could also purchase a motion-sensor sprinkler system, because most cats detest water.
QUESTION: We recently moved and our teak furniture was shrink-wrapped. We now have a sticky residue on our teak buffet and don't know how to safely remove it. Can you help us? Edith, Winnipeg
ANSWER: Teak is a tropical hardwood with a beautiful golden brown colour and needs to be cared for properly. In a ventilated area, brush on a layer of teak oil. Leave it on for 10 to 15 minutes. Wipe the surface with a cloth, making sure to spread the oil evenly so no pools of oil remain in one spot. Using a clean cloth, wipe the table and hopefully the sticky residue will be history.
Feedback from Manitobans who care:
Dear Reena:
I had a funky odour from my top-loader washing machine and tried vinegar, bleach and baking soda, along with wiping the top area of the drum, all to no avail. Then I started using dishwasher detergent and voila! Problem solved. (Use at your own risk.) Roger, Winnipeg
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.
Renovation & Design
Side-yard garden an excellent green idea
QUESTION: On one side of our property, the neighbour's house is nine feet from ours, directly south. The space in between our houses is effectively useless. The area is quite warm, as the sun does shine here very strong throughout the day and reflects off the white stucco walls. Over the years, I have been keeping the grade raised so that any water runs away from the house. But I was thinking this might, in fact, be a great location for a long, slim, raised garden about 20 feet by two by one-foot high. I have a rain barrel nearby and could install a slow-drop irrigation system for watering. Is this a bad idea?
ANSWER: You have raised a couple of interesting points that I am quite passionate about -- gardens and rain barrels. There is no reason not to grow a small garden in the location you have mentioned, and I would strongly encourage you to do so as long as you observe a few simple precautions.
I am a huge fan of homeowners growing their own produce and herbs, especially in our often crowded urban environment. My own vegetable garden is a constant source of joy, and sometimes grief, from May until October. There is nothing more rewarding than walking into your backyard barefoot on a hot summer day and picking a few items to add to a salad or to throw in the steamer. Anyone who has tasted a tomato picked fresh from the vine will have a hard time stomaching the rock-hard and tasteless imitation sold at the local grocery store. While you may have limited space to grow more than a few different selections, using this area for your intended purpose will be fine.
The main concern with having gardens, or any vegetation, right up against the home is moisture. Just as was highlighted in several of my previous articles, care should be taken to try and shed water away from the foundation in this area to prevent seepage. It seems like a contradiction to say a garden is OK against your house when it needs constant watering, but let me end the confusion. We should always try and maintain a moderate amount of moisture in the soil around our homes. Too wet is not good, but too dry can be just as detrimental. As many homeowners experienced in last summer's extremely dry weather, the soil can shrink considerably if we let it dry out too much. Many people saw large gaps develop between the foundation walls and the soil, as well as sunken sidewalks and driveways, because of this soil shrinkage. This phenomenon can also lead to moisture intrusion once heavy rains finally arrive, due to the missing soil in these areas.
Having a small garden beside your home, whether it is vegetables, berries or flowers, will allow you to properly monitor and regulate the soil moisture. If there is a lot of rain, like this past spring, no additional watering will be needed. As the weather warms and the often hot, dry summer days begin, regular watering can begin. The benefit of the garden is that it will give you a reminder to check this area regularly to ensure the soil is properly hydrated, but not swimming. If the plants are withering, add water. If the plants are rotting or develop fungus or other diseases, you are over-saturating the soil.
The next suggestion of yours, using rainwater from the eavestrough system for watering the small garden, is an excellent one. Collecting in a rain barrel the summer precipitation that falls on the roof of your home is one of the greenest initiatives you can have. Firstly, the water is well-oxygenated and will be ideal for use in replenishing lost soil moisture. Secondly, tap water in our area is quite high-quality but is also is treated with chlorine and fluoride for health reasons. These chemicals are not normally present in rainwater, making the water from the barrel better for your plants. Finally, it will save you money and also help preserve our natural water source for the future. Your plan to use a slow-drip irrigation hose attached to the rain barrel may work, but you might be better off without it.
Like your intended method, the first couple of years that I collected eavestrough water for my garden, I had it connected to a slow-drip hose for constant irrigation. While I thought this was a good way to prevent the barrel from overflowing as well as save me time in regular watering, it didn't quite work out that way. The problem with that idea is there is not always enough pressure from the water leaving your rain barrel unless you elevate it quite high. Many drip hoses are designed to work well with the pressure generated from a lawn faucet, so the water in the hose is forced out of tiny holes. My experience was that the first section of the drip hose worked well most of the time, while the farther sections from the rain barrel barely dripped. This changed somewhat during heavy rains when there was added pressure in the tank, but was not very reliable. Also, the hose could get partially plugged by debris that washes into the rain barrel from the downspouts, which can be difficult to completely prevent.
You are to be highly commended for wanting to grow your own produce in the small area of land where this will work in your yard and provide some natural irrigation, but care must be taken not to overdo it. Some plants, such as tomatoes, will thrive in the very sunny location, but you must constantly monitor the soil moisture in this area to ensure you prevent over- or under-watering. An easy way to do this is to use a large watering can that can be filled from the spout of the rain barrel, which will also allow you to frequently ensure proper hydration of the soil is accomplished.
Ari Marantz is the owner of Trained Eye Home Inspection Ltd. and the president of the Canadian Association of Home & Property Inspectors - Manitoba (www.cahpi.mb.ca). Questions can be emailed to the address below. Ari can be reached at (204) 291-5358, or check out his website at www.trainedeye.ca
trainedeye@iname.com
Renovation & Design
How to make a product similar to RetrObright
QUESTION -- Regarding your April 7 column on RetrObright, where can this product be purchased? Thanks Reena, enjoy reading your column every week! Shirley, Winnipeg
ANSWER -- RetrObright seems to have been discontinued or at least very difficult to find. They don't appear to have a website where you can order the product. You can make your own similar product, keeping in mind that the ingredients may be challenging (but not impossible) to locate. Use at your own risk and always test on an inconspicuous area first. Blend together 500 milliletres eight to 15 per cent hydrogen peroxide (can be purchased through hair salon suppliers) and two heaping tablespoons Xanthan Gum (available at health food stores). Blend for five minutes. Add 1 tablespoon glycerine (available where bandages are sold) and mix for another five minutes. You should now have a smooth gel solution. Store in a dark container until ready to use. When ready to use, mix in a half teaspoon of Oxy laundry booster. Wear protective goggles and gloves when working with the ingredients listed.
QUESTION -- Can you give me advice on how to clean a black composite sink? The sink always has white residue on it that looks like mineral deposits and makes the sink appear worn and old. Penny (Steinbach, MB)
ANSWER -- Here are a few solutions to try! Scrub the sink residue with one of the following: Dawn dish soap and hot water or Mr. Clean Magic Eraser or baking soda and water boiled with rhubarb leaves. Always dry the sink when not in use. After cleaning, spread vegetable oil or mineral oil or linseed oil onto the sink to repel water.
QUESTION -- How does one clean the insole of leather sandals? My feet seem to leave a foot print. Marilyn (Brandon, MB)
ANSWER -- Typically, imprints made on sandals by toes are permanent and the best way to avoid this is to wear shoe inserts or insoles. While this feels comfortable and helps repel stains, it may look a little ridiculous depending on the design of the shoe. Some people get positive cleaning results by spraying the shoes with upholstery or carpet cleaner. Let the shoes sit for the time recommended on the product container and then scrub with an old toothbrush. Rinse with a damp cloth. Results will vary depending on the textile of the shoes.
Reena Nerbas is a highly popular professional speaker and author. I enjoy your questions and tips, keep them coming! Check out my website, www.householdsolutions.org
