Renovation & Design
Renovation & Design
How to remove plastic
QUESTION — A friend discovered that plastic parts of a kettle melted onto the enamel part of her stove. She can chip pieces off a bit but she is afraid of damaging the enamel. What can she do? Joy, Winnipeg
ANSWER -- Begin by heating the area with a blow dryer, leave it in place for three minutes and then gently scrape the residue off with a plastic putty knife. If the plastic remains, spray the stove with WD-40 wait for 10 minutes and then wipe. Caution should be taken when using WD-40 around a heated surface. However, we are tackling the outside and not the inside of the oven. After the plastic is gone forever, clean the stove with dish soap and water. I think that your friend will be smiling!
QUESTION -- I was told that you can clean a toilet with Kool-Aid or Tang. Is this true? Carol, Winnipeg
ANSWER -- Absolutely! Kool-Aid, just like Tang orange crystals, contains high amounts of citric acid. Citric acid is a powerful cleaner derived from fruit such as lemons, grapefruits and oranges. The added benefit to using Kool-Aid as a cleaner is that it is safe for homes where pets drink from the toilet and it is non-toxic for the air in your home.
QUESTION -- I look forward to your column in the newspaper each week. Your solutions are great! Here is my question; how do I get freezer smell out of ice cube trays? Best wishes and thank you, Liz, Grunthal
ANSWER -- When making ice cubes let's begin with the water supply. If you have hard water, with lots of minerals in it, you're best off to use distilled water. Whether starting with tap water or distilled water, boil the water to get some of the air out of it. If you're pouring the water into plastic trays, let the water cool somewhat before making ice cubes. Chances are that the odour is coming from food that has gotten into the insulation system of your freezer. Put one tbsp. vanilla extract on a small plate and set in the freezer, repeat three times. Or purchase activated charcoal from a pet store. Place in freezer to remove smell. Lastly, clean the ice cube trays periodically with a mixture of baking soda and water.
Reena Nerbas is the author of the national bestsellers, Household Solutions 1 with Substitutions, Household Solutions 2 with Kitchen Secrets and the soon-to-be-released book Household Solutions 3 with Green Alternatives available online and in stores across Canada.
Renovation & Design
Burgeoning market for recycled glass tiles
The windshield you glare through while tackling the daily commuter battlefield could one day be a cheery backsplash in the kitchen or swanky insets around the soaking tub.
Old car windshields, along with castoff pop bottles and glass jars, are being snatched up by the truckload for the burgeoning market in recycled glass tiles. And the results can be breathtaking: everything from exquisite mosaics to iridescent, multicoloured rectangles and big, bold slabs that trumpet, "I'm a design risk-taker and proud of it."
Enthusiasm for recycled glass tiles is rooted less in environmental concerns than in the products' sheer beauty, says Elaine Nikiforuk, owner of World Mosaic in Ottawa. Her store carries several lines of glass, porcelain and other green tiles, including the gorgeous Oceanside Glasstile line.
If the recycled aspect is mostly a bonus for customers, it's a key part of business for Oceanside Glasstile and like-minded manufacturers. Depending on colour, Oceanside tiles contain up to 87 per cent recycled material. That can range from trimmings from the company's own production lines to glass (nearly a million kilograms a year) from curbside recycling programs. The old glass is melted and blended with silica sand to produce the tiles.
The companies vigorously market their sustainable components and processes including energy-efficient manufacturing. DuPont, for example, has recently launched the Zodiaq Terra Collection of tiles containing at least 50 per cent recycled glass. The products can contribute to LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification, the environmental stamp of approval from the U.S. Green Building Council.
Glass tiles stretch back to Byzantine days. Especially big in the 1960s, when Italy was about the only producer of then-fashionable one-square-inchers, glass tiles fell out of favour before exploding again in popularity several years ago, with manufacturers around the world offering a dizzying array of textures, colours and, now, environmental pluses. Glass tiles work wonderfully in kitchens, shower stalls, around fireplaces, in spas and pools, and as accents. Small mosaic tiles are perfect for curves, while rectangular ones can spike a surface with visual allure.
"Glass has come a long way," says Penny Southam, whose Ottawa-based interior design firm, Southam Design, has seen a surge in tile appeal. "Now people are interested in contemporary, clean lines, and glass really lends itself well to that."
Though glass tiles from China are flooding the market at below $10 a square foot, you can pay up to $100 a square foot for recycled ones.
-- Canwest News Service
Renovation & Design
Turning inspiring words into exciting décor
When I'm out and about at retailers in the city, I'm always on the prowl for new products. I'm especially interested in new décor products that were created by Canadians. Supporting small business in Canada is important to me. I'm a bit of an entrepreneur so I know how tough it is to achieve success with a new idea or product.
In a recent venture, I happened upon a product called Walltalk, and got to work researching this Canadian company on the Internet.
The Walltalk site is impressive and instantly conveys the owner/creator's desire to inspire us with motivating words and quotes.
This genuine intention hooked me right away. Intention is everything and I think that's why owner Ronda Pegnam is so successful.
The company has a strong following in Canada and is supported by an amazing group of retailers, each of whom is listed on their website. When your intentions are genuine, your enthusiasm is contagious.
The Walltalk products are graphic precut, pre-spaced, removable lettering on a roll that you simply transfer to your walls, windows, mirrors, accessories and even your vehicle. Gone are the days of stencilling your favourite sayings onto the walls, which was time-consuming and limited to what size and font of stencils were available.
Up to this point, I was using wooden lettering that I'd painted and displayed around the home. While I love the effect, it is more cumbersome and expensive and again, limited to the lettering available. Walltalk opens up a whole new arena for all of us.
As a writer, I know that words can inspire, comfort and heal and I've always loved having important quotes and words as part of my décor.
What great gifts for a friend in need rather than just an inspirational card. It would be a lovely sentiment that would comfort and inspire the recipient for years to come.
I can see these given as gifts to someone battling breast cancer or to someone in a hospice or nursing home to brighten up their room. They are also great gift ideas for weddings, retirements and promotions. They come in funky little boxes that present nicely and are lightweight if shipping a gift is required.
Walltalk donates a portion of their sales to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, so you'd also be supporting a great cause with your purchase.
The Walltalk Company Inc., is located in a farmhouse in Grand Valley, Ont.; a farming community just north of Toronto.
This business has grown from a kitchen-table operation to a booming business that provides product to more than 1,100 retailers in North America. The farmhouse sat ready to be rented on the property adjacent to Ronda's country home that she shares with her partner, Tom.
Once her business grew too big to be run from her home, she decided to move the business next door to the farmhouse.
It needed some TLC, so she and her friends and staff spent a weekend painting and sprucing up the space and Ronda says that it's funky and more conducive to creativity.
Wallktalk has many product lines that include Baby Talk, Lipstick (for girlfriends), Graphically Speaking, Blessings, Signature Series and even a French line of products. They are always working on new ideas for additional product lines so they're product remains fresh and relevant.
You may have seen this product on HGTV or in popular magazines such as Canadian Living and Home & Décor Magazine. This product is available at retailers across North America. For a store near you check out their website at www.walltalk.ca. It couldn't be easier to use and has great bang for the buck.
I've never met Ronda, but I've dreamed of being where she is. We've all had at least one great idea in our lifetime that we hope might turn into something big and Ronda has been successful. Out of her success comes an easy decorating application that is quick and inexpensive that can change the look of your décor.
Good for her and good for us!
