Renovation & Design
Renovation & Design
SOLUTIONS: It's canning time --keep fruit flies in check
QUESTION: During this time of canning and preserving, how does one manage all the fruit flies? Can't seem to find the answer in my Household Solutions book, so it must have been in one of your columns once upon a time. Thanks. Glynis, Winnipeg
ANSWER: You need a big plastic juice-pouring jug with a removable lid. Inside of the juice jug, place a bowl of wine (red or white). Put banana peels inside the jug around the bowl. Both banana and wine smells are wonderful for attracting flies. Put the lid onto the juice jug and tape the opening of the jug so there is only a small hole (this way the flies can't easily escape). You will need to replace the banana peels every day so the house doesn't smell foul.
At this time of the year when fruit flies are a nuisance, refrigerate as much fruit as possible to keep flies to a minimum. Bananas are normally stored at room temperature but you may want to experiment by keeping them in plastic containers in the cupboard for a day or so. Some people store bananas in the fridge to guard against fruit flies, the peel becomes dark but the banana will remain intact for several days.
QUESTION: My son threw an apple core into his backpack with his mohair/acrylic toque and left it for a few days. The result is a stain in his toque that won't come out. I have washed it several times and used a stain remover, to no avail. I wonder if you have a solution for this? Bonnie, Winnipeg
ANSWER: Soak the toque in 3per cent hydrogen peroxide and sprinkle the stain with a liberal amount of salt. Place the toque outside on the grass for several hours. Next soak the toque in washing soda and hot water for 30 minutes or until all yellow is gone. Rewash the toque as normal.
Comment from Manitoban Who Cares:
Re: The question on Sept. 3rd. about hairspray on the wall. I remember a few years ago someone phoned Shell Busey about that very problem. His response was, "How do you get hairspray out of your hair?" Shampoo of course! It works for me every time. I don't know if the brand of shampoo makes a difference, but this is one easy option to try. Keep up the good work. Brenda, Winnipeg
Re: Uses for soap slivers:
I like your idea about putting soap slivers into knee-high stockings and then using them in the bath/shower. In the days before dish soap, my mom had a little metal doo-dad (with wire netting) that we filled with soap slivers. We swished it into dish water to wash dishes. What I currently do with soap slivers is, add them to the new bar of soap when the bar is wet, they will stick together. Gradually the slivers are used up. As long as you don't care about how it looks (I don't) this has always worked for me. Arline, Winnipeg
Re: Uses for soap slivers:
Make your own liquid hand soap because buying it in the store is costly. Into a microwavable bowl, grate 140 grams of soap slivers (or one bar of soap) with a hand grater or food processor. Mix soap with 3 cups water. Microwave on HIGH for four to seven minutes or until the mixture comes to a boil and the soap dissolves. Don't worry if the mixture looks thin, it will thicken as it cools. Pour into dispenser. RT Aster (St. Adolphe, MB)
Update from Reader:
Re: A precious etched vase
Well, I finally remembered to ask my mother-in-law for a denture tablet. I'm pleased to say it worked on my etched vase so now there are just a few visible etch marks, however, the shininess covers them very satisfactorily. Much appreciation for your help. Cheers, Suzette
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
Countertop options abound
Dear Marc: I am remodelling my kitchen. I've chosen these beautiful dark-stained cabinets and will be painting my walls a light espresso colour. I currently have stainless-steel appliances which I would like to keep for the new kitchen. What kind of stone countertop options do I have for my kitchen? Emily
Dear Emily: There are a number of different options when designing a kitchen. Whether it's selecting cabinetry, countertops or flooring, each decision will alter your kitchen's look and feel. The best way to create a great end-product is through proper pre-planning. It's through the pre-planning process that you can identify exactly how the different elements work or contrast together.
In a kitchen, it's important that we balance the esthetics with their functionality to truly make an educated decision.
When it comes to selecting hard surfaces such as countertops, we're fortunate to have a wide array of options. The first step is to determine our material options. Countertops today are made with many different materials. Some of the most popular ones include granite, quartz, concrete and laminate.
A popular material we see used in new homes are granite countertops. Granite counters are wonderful for homeowners who like the unique quality they possess. No two counters are the same.
As for maintenance of the counters, they simply need to be sealed every now and then. It's recommended that homeowners seal their countertops at least once per year. Another advantage of the granite countertop is that it is a clean product that holds little bacteria when properly sealed.
Quartz countertops, on the other hand, are man-made. They are produced by combining quartz with a binding epoxy resin which makes a very durable end-product. Quartz countertops come in a variety of colours, which is great since some homeowners love ultra-chic colours such as white.
One of the newest options for homeowners is concrete are concrete countertops. They come in a variety of different colours and share some of the advantages of other stone countertops. Some manufactures will even build the concrete counters on site in order to fully customize them to your space. The maintenance is quite similar to other stone counters -- it's recommended that they be sealed every nine to 12 months.
Stone counters are a wonderful additional to any home as they add to your property value. Many realtors will even list this as a selling feature in their listings.
Renovation & Design
New gardening lingo
Green thumbs looking to add to their gardening vernacular need look no farther than wordspy.com, a website dedicated to tapping in to the English language's latest words.
Impress your garden-loving friends by working these zingers into your next over-the-fence conversation:
Extreme gardening: Gardening that takes place in hostile or difficult conditions (think springtime in Calgary).
Potscaping: Artfully arranging shrubs and flowers planted in pots and other containers.
Guerrilla gardening: The surreptitious or unauthorized planting of flowers, shrubs, vegetables, and other flora in a public space.
Heirloom seed: A type of seed that has been passed down through a number of generations; a type of seed that is traded between individual gardeners rather than through a seed catalogue (you can actually bid for these online).
-- Postmedia News