Renovation & Design
Renovation & Design
SOLUTIONS: Slow cooker recipe serves 20 deliciously
QUESTION: What I need is a delicious slow cooker recipe for 20. This would be for a potluck dish and one I could put on in the morning and have ready six hours later. Simple but good. I'm done with all the salads I've prepared. Thanks. Ida, Winnipeg
ANSWER: Ida, here's a keeper! Fry four pounds lean ground beef. Drain. Put into slow cooker and add: 8 cubed potatoes, 2 chopped or sliced onions, eight medium carrots sliced, one cup chopped celery, 20 ounces frozen peas, two teaspoons salt, half teaspoon pepper and half teaspoon garlic powder. Add 20 ounces condensed tomato soup, one tablespoon beef bouillon powder and 1 1/2 cups water. Stir well. Cook low 8-10 hours or high four to five hours. Serves 20.
Here is another idea: Fry two pounds ground beef and one pound pork sausage. Drain. Drop into slow cooker. Stir in four pounds grated or cubed cheddar cheese and 20 ounces diced tomatoes and one can green chiles. Cook on low in slow cooker for to six hours. Serve with tortilla chips.
QUESTION: I am in the middle of a painting project and am having a terrible time creating straight lines. One paint colour runs into another paint colour. I tape the walls with painter's tape, paint and then remove the tape but the paint comes off and always needs touch-up. Thanks for your help. Gertrude, Crystal City, Man.
ANSWER: There is a new product on the market called, "Frog Tape". This exciting paint product is treated with a paint block system to prevent paint from bleeding. Frog Tape can be used on glass, dry wall, wood and metal and in my opinion works better than regular painters tape to control bleeding. You can find Frog Tape at most places where paint is sold.
QUESTION: How can I unstick a zipper on my new nylon fitness jacket? Brandon, Man.
ANSWER: Rub the zipper with one of the following: pencil lead, bar of soap or wax. Some say WD-40 is the answer but who wants to walk around smelling like WD-40?
Feedback from Manitoban Who Cares:
There was a question in the Free Press on Jan 16th about black markings on a glass-topped stove (Lorraine, Winnipeg). I have a glass topped stove as well -- it is white and every single bit of anything shows up on it. The good thing is you must keep your stove super clean, although sometimes I would love to just be able to ignore it like one can on a regular stove with wire elements.
However, since I cannot do that in good conscience, I have found a product that makes the job a whole lot easier. Vileda makes a product called a "Scrunge". There are several different types but the one for stovetops is the answer to a maiden's prayer. It takes a lot of the difficulty out of cleaning the stove top and so far I have not found anything that it will not remove, including sugary syrups which seem to be the most difficult.
One thing that also makes the job easier is to cover the element with a dish cloth (when it is cool of course) and then wet it down to soak it for awhile to soften it much like soaking a dish. Then I use the cream cleanser with the Scrunge and so far, I have kept my stove top clean. Hope this helps someone. I find your column most helpful. Marjorey, Winnipeg
Fabulous Tips of the Week:
-- Thought I would get on the soap sliver bandwagon, since, it just won't go away. Just kidding, but seriously, one more tip. I put my soap slivers in a toe of a knee high nylon, or a cut up pair of pantyhose, tie a knot, and then tie the pantyhose to the garden hose holder outside. When, I am finished digging in my garden, I have a bag of soap slivers handy to get my hands nice and clean again. Right beside the water source. Easy Peasy! Thanks Reena! Christine, Winnipeg
-- If you have several hot dogs that you want to cook over a bon fire fit, here is a real time saver. Put the wieners on the tines of a metal rake and cook many at once. Submitted by: Maureen, B.C.
-- To make raking easier, bolt two lightweight rakes together at the handles. Use them like tongs, makes picking up leaves fast. Wade, Blumenort, Man.
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
SOLUTIONS: All signs pointing the way to aggravation
QUESTION: I can't stand it when people knock on my door trying to sell me stuff. I put up a sign that says, No Solicitors! To my surprise, this does not stop people from ringing my doorbell and trying to pawn their junk off on me. From little kids to adults, they just won't leave me alone! Why doesn't my sign make a difference? Ben (Landmark, Man.)
ANSWER: Well, I can tell you that most young kids (and many adults) don't have a clue what the words No Solicitors means. You may want to begin by rewording the sign so that everyone can understand. Secondly, often companies training salespeople teach them to knock on the doors of people displaying those very signs. The reason? These are often the people who can't say No! The most effective signs are "Beware of dog" or "Do not disturb, baby sleeping." Of course you do not want to lie, so if you don't have a baby or a dog, your sign can just say, "Do not ring doorbell or knock." If all else fails, disconnect the doorbell or choose not to answer the door.
QUESTION: My blond hair has turned green from the chlorine in my friend's swimming pool. Amber (Dominion City, Man.)
ANSWER: When you combine high levels of copper in pool water, with chlorine bleach you'll leave Oscar the Grouch begging to be friends. Solution? Wash your hair in ketchup or a jar of tomato sauce and bring it back to its original blond. Shampoo and condition as usual.
QUESTION: I use dishwasher detergent in powder form and I have noticed over the past months that my detergent tends to clump. Is there a better way to store the detergent so that the powder stays loose? Thank you, Kelsey (Melita, Man.)
ANSWER: Whether you are storing homemade or store bought dishwasher detergent, you can prevent clumping with this easy solution: Pour powdered detergent into a plastic bucket and close with a tightly fitting lid. This way moisture and humidity will not find its way into your detergent and the powder will stay loose. Stores sell dishwasher detergent in plastic buckets, you may want to purchase one and continually refill it.
QUESTION: I am calling upon your assistance again. I have been fighting moths flying everywhere in my house for the past 6-8 months, trying to zap them every time I get a chance. It annoys me and my family to death and I don't know what to do. It gets into my food, flying over my head and everyone else's. I cannot even have anyone over at my house It is totally embarrassing. I have washed my kitchen cupboards, lined the shelves with newspapers (some one said newspapers keep them away) to no avail. They are there and everywhere, and merrily laying thousands of eggs. I don't even know how they got in my house to begin with.
Someone suggested I fumigate my house but the cost is exorbitant, also it means I have to throw all the food and everything out. Someone suggested using mothballs. But with my grandchild coming and staying with us I am afraid of spreading poison everywhere, plus he might put them in his mouth. I really need your help. Please can you suggest anything I can do to get rid of these little beasts? Please, please help. Thanking you in advance. Geeta, Winnipeg
ANSWER: Pantry moths can be found in rice, pasta, cake mixes, rat or mouse bait, breakfast cereals, children's artwork (containing pasta, corn, etc.), herbs, spices any grain, feed, seed, dried vegetables (decorative or edible) or dried fruit! Vacuum all shelves (throw out vacuum bag) and wash with vinegar and water. Throw out all grains that may have been infected by larvae. This is a waste of food but it beats paying for fumigation. For the next few months when you bring any grain-based products into the house, immediately store them in the freezer. This will kill all eggs or larvae that are already inside. Store your food in airtight containers, which are made of hard plastic, glass or metal (no plastic bags). The best way to determine whether a container is really airtight is to fill it up with water and see if it leaks. Sprinkle bay leaves or Bazooka gum in cupboards to repel moths from invading. Most of the commercial moth control products available are moth poisons, moth traps, and mothballs. You are right; mothballs are not a healthy product to keep in the home especially near food. Sprinkling borax on cupboard shelves is another effective option, but be cautious as borax is poisonous to humans and pets. Worst case scenario, fumigate.
Fabulous Tips of the Week:
-- If you plan to carve your pumpkin two or three days before Halloween, lightly smear petroleum jelly on the cut edges.
-- To lengthen the life of your carved pumpkin, spray with water and wrap in plastic wrap, store in fridge when not in use.
-- Create the smell of Halloween spice. On the bottom of the pumpkin lid sprinkle a half-teaspoon of each of the following: cinnamon, nutmeg, and pumpkin spice. Once the pumpkin is lit, it will create a wonderful seasonal scent.
-- Get creative! Illuminate your jack-o-lantern with a multicolour, changing battery-powered LED bulb.
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
ASK THE INSPECTOR: Managing heat, humidity and hardwoods
QUESTION: I was very interested in your recent article dealing with heat recovery ventilator. Six years ago, we moved into a new house that had an HRV. The house is air-conditioned and uses a forced-air furnace.
Because we have newly installed wooden floors in this bungalow, I was anxious during the summer months to keep the humidity reasonably low, which the air conditioner was able to do along with the fact that the humidistat was also "not in operation." I recognize that the HRV was operating at a low level bringing in moist air, but the humidity of the house was not out of control. So we have little difficulty in the summer months.
In the winter months we have difficulty getting the relative humidity above 30 per cent, even though there is a Desert Spring humidifier installed in the return-air plenum of the furnace. This is a problem for us as the wood-floor manufacturers indicate the humidity should be at the 40 to 50 per cent level at all times. I think if these humidity levels were achieved in the very cold weather we might have a lot of condensation on the inside of the house windows, but I have neighbours who say they do fine at 40 per cent.
As you might gather, I would like to see the humidity reach into the 30s at least during the winter, and I wonder what you would think about turning the HRV off altogether during the night. This way, there would not be as much humidity escaping the house, which might increase humidity levels. Needless to say, we have never had to use the humidistat because of the lower humidity levels in the winter months. -- Bruce Catchpole
ANSWER: While it may seem your question is about your new home and HRV, the issue that I will touch on is the need to maintain a high relative-humidity level in your home to prevent problems with your hardwood floor.
I think you have a common problem with your HRV, as many other people do, with controls that are improperly set up. This can be easily fixed. Time and time again, I have heard from clients and homeowners that they have been advised to maintain relative humidity (RH) levels in their homes well above 40 per cent, at normal room temperatures, to prevent damage to their hardwood floors. The logic for this always seems to escape any reasonable scientific explanation.
The information normally is gained from searching hardwood-floor manufacturer or association websites, or in warnings from installers or suppliers. I take exception to this bad advice because it normally comes from an industry that may be rooted in an area with a completely different climate than ours, often in the U.S. or eastern Canada. A lot of the hardwood for the flooring is sold and manufactured in those areas, which may never see temperatures below freezing year-round. They also may have high ambient relative humidity due to their geographic location. The information they supply for their product will not be applicable for all of their distribution area and I expect the authors of this misinformation have never experienced Manitoba in February, let alone find it on a map.
Hardwood is typically dried after being rough cut, often in kilns, to a moisture content below 20 per cent before it is ready to be further milled. This dry material can then be machined into smooth hardwood planks or flooring. From there it may be pre-finished or packaged and sent to a warehouse where it may dry even further.
To properly acclimatize this dry flooring it should be brought into the job site and left there for a couple of weeks or more prior to installation. This will allow the wood to adapt to the interior environment and will prevent shrinking or buckling after installation. If the wood is not left long enough to acclimatize, or if it has been stored in poor conditions at a supply warehouse, problems can occur. When this happens it's very easy for the manufacturer, supplier or installer to blame the homeowners, even if they are doing nothing wrong.
To further illustrate this point, I will use the example of hardwood flooring in numerous older homes in our area. I have seen homes that are nearly 100 years old with hardwood flooring that is in good to very good condition, mostly oak. I have also seen many more with floors that are in fair to poor condition, quite often maple or birch floors.
Many of these ancient homes had original central-heating systems with poor distribution and no humidification for the winter. These homes also would have originally been heated partially by radiant heat from wood or coal fireplaces, which can further dry the wood flooring adjacent to the fireplace. How then, could original hardwood-plank flooring survive without extreme shrinkage with winter indoor RH levels below 20 per cent, let alone above 40 as recommended?
You are absolutely correct in your assertion that you will create problems in your home if you try to keep the RH levels above the 40per cent range during the heating season. As for the current conditions in your home, a range of 30 per cent RH in a new home is not too low in the middle of winter.
As far as maintaining control of the moisture level in the air in your home, please refer to my previous column you sited that suggests your HRV controls are not properly functioning and the unit may be running continuously. If you have an experienced HVAC technician properly set up the humidistatic controls for your HRV, it will allow you to regulate the RH in your home to your desired comfort levels without manually turning it on and off.
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 e-mailed to the address below. Ari can be reached at (204) 291-5358 or check out his website at www.trainedeye.ca.
trainedeye@iname.com
