Renovation & Design
Renovation & Design
You'll need a side of mayo to remove that Christmas tree sap
Question: While putting up the Christmas tree my pants, shirt and hands became layered with tree sap. What can I do? Thanks for your help! Conrad
Answer: Smear your hands, shirt and pants with mayonnaise. The tree sap will come right off. Follow with a solution of dish soap and water. Blot the area and wash the pants and shirt according to the care label.
Question: A friend has purchased a home with tile and grout everywhere and says both are very dirty. We are looking for an easy and effective cleaning process. You have helped us in the past and I’m hoping you can do so again; fingers crossed. Elaine
Answer: Get yourself a handy little piece of pumice stone. Pour some dish soap onto the pumice stone and wet it, then scrub the grout. Next spray isopropyl alcohol onto the grout to prevent mildew from growing and discolouring the grout (keep away from small children). Another option is to make a paste of borax and water and scrub grout with an old toothbrush.
Question: How can I make perfect cream puffs and prevent them from sinking after they are taken out of the oven? Andrea
Answer: A perfect cream puff is definitely a work of art and here are a few tricks to getting them right every time. After you stir the water, salt, butter and baking powder together, turn up the heat and bring the water to a full rolling boil. Turn the burner to low and dump the flour mixture in all at once, stirring it together with a wooden spoon. Once mixed, remove from heat. Let the dough cool for 20 minutes before adding the eggs one at a time.
Total time for beating each egg is about two minutes. Test your dough by lifting out a spoonful and dropping it on top of the rest of the dough. If it stays on top and maintains its shape, it’s ready to bake. If not, beat it some more. Drop the dough by large spoonful’s onto a cookie sheet. Don’t crowd the puffs. They should be at least three inches apart. If you want to make mini puffs, drop small spoonful’s on sheets — 15 to each sheet. Without opening the oven to peek during baking, bake at 400F for 20 to 25 minutes for large or 15 to 20 minutes for mini puffs. Finished cream puffs should feel firm to the touch and appear golden brown. Remove the cream puffs from the oven and pierce the side of each one with the point of a sharp knife (to remove moisture from inside puff); this is not necessary for mini puffs. Cool puffs on a baking sheet, careful to keep them away from drafts. Fill with something delicious such as whipped cream, tuna, chocolate, whipped coffee, chicken salad, vanilla custard, salmon or crab mousse. So delicious!
Holiday cheer!
I came to the end of my Nutella jar and had a brainstorm that turned into a tasty win! Place a few scoops of vanilla ice cream into the jar and…eat with a spoon. — Sol
I read a study that said adding one tablespoon of glycerin to Christmas tree pots reduces the loss of pine needles. — Margaret
Add one package of instant-pudding mix to a boxed cake mix to moisten the cake and enhance the flavour. — Jamie
Note: Every user assumes all risks of injury or damage resulting from the implementation of any suggestions in this column. Test all products on an inconspicuous area first.
Have a great suggestion or tip? Please send an email at: info@reena.ca. Reena Nerbas is a popular motivational presenter for large and small groups; check out her website: reena.ca.
Renovation & Design
Many options for removing stains from vinyl flooring
Question: How can I clean a brown stain off my vinyl flooring under the baseboard heater?
Answer: Many have found pouring three per cent hydrogen peroxide onto the floor every day for three days is helpful. Others have had great success by combining 1/4 cup OxiClean with about four litres of boiling water and pouring the solution onto the area. Another solution is bleach, but this application removes the finish and shine of the floor. Mineral spirits are another treatment people have used succesfully.
Question: How do you keep meringue from shrinking? I have tried adding cream of tartar (about 1/2 teaspoon per pie) but it has not helped. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Stuart
Answer: Here are a few tricks to prevent meringue from shrinking. Instead of cream of tartar, add cornstarch to the egg whites. In a small pot dissolve, two tbsp. sugar, one tbsp. cornstarch and half cup of water. Heat on medium and stir until clear. Prepare filling as normal and spoon onto crust very evenly while the filling is nice and hot. Beat three (room temperature) egg whites and 1/2 tsp. vanilla until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in six tablespoons of sugar. Add the cooled cornstarch mixture and beat until stiff peaks form. Be sure to spread the filling over the entire edge to seal the sides and prevent the meringue from shrinking. Bake in a 350F oven until meringue is golden brown. Cool and refrigerate.
Question: I have been baking bread for 40 years and every once in a while, the bread goes in the oven looking fabulous, only to sink in the middle as it bakes. It still tastes fine. Any idea why this happens and how to correct it. Thank you, Rod
Answer: There are a few common reasons for this: The dough has not been kneaded long enough to activate the gluten. The protein content in the flour that you are using is too low, check the ingredient list to make sure the protein content is at least 11 per cent. Ensure your yeast is fresh and you do not over proof the dough. I always let the dough rise for one hour, shape into buns or bread, and let rise for another hour before baking. High humidity in your oven can also affect your dough, as it will rise at the beginning of the bake and then fall. Lastly, I bake most breads at 350F.
Question: I have old country china and it’s not supposed to go in the dishwasher. I’m hoping you have a homemade dishwasher detergent that won’t harm my china. Thanks, Linda
Answer: China should not be washed in the dishwasher if it was made before 1979. If the china is newer, you can use the delicate setting and a commercial product such as Cascade. Make sure the water temperature is not too hot. If you do not trust commercial products, use two cups of vinegar and run the delicate cycle, however, because of the state we are currently in, I would opt for a commercial detergent.
Tip of the week
When it comes to products such as salad dressing, soya sauce, vinegar and cooking oil, the contents tend to pour out too quickly. Instead of removing the seal, after opening the bottle, puncture a hole in the seal. This will make controlling the flow easier.
Note: Every user assumes all risks of injury or damage resulting from the implementation of any suggestions in this column. Test all products on an inconspicuous area first.
Have a great suggestion or tip? Please send an email at: info@reena.ca. Reena Nerbas is a popular motivational presenter for large and small groups; check out her website: reena.ca.
Renovation & Design
Small amounts of asbestos can be contained
Question: We have a wood stove from the 1950s in our living room. When I was about to paint the wall, I noticed a few pieces with loose fibres of paper or paperboard behind the stove. Could this be some kind of asbestos paper? If yes, is it safe to leave it there, untouched? Or would you recommend some actions?
Best regards, Thor Hirsch.
Answer: It is likely that the fibrous paper you see sticking out from behind your old wood stove has an asbestos content, but there is no need to panic. Sealing the gap between the wall and the materials surrounding the stove should be all you need to do to properly encapsulate the asbestos paper and prevent any health concerns, as long as the old heating unit is no longer used.
There are numerous materials in older homes that have some asbestos content and it seems like they are finding more every year. This can range from really old plaster to relatively recent drywall compound. Most of these products have the asbestos embedded in a relatively stable material, which should not be harmful unless damaged. Older vinyl floor tiles are a good example of a product that may have a significant content of asbestos, which is surrounded by very durable vinyl. Unless the tiles are cut, scraped or sanded, there is almost no chance the asbestos fibres will come loose and become friable. This also goes for the greyish-white tape or paper that was commonly used for heat protection for fireplaces and heating ducts. That is the likely material that you see sticking out from behind your older wood stove.
The asbestos paper product in your home is one that is quite commonly found in homes built in the 1950s and earlier, and is not often a serious concern unless it is deteriorated. It is mostly found on the outside of warm air ducts, which are pressurized when the furnace is operating. Because of this, it is very unlikely that any loose fibres will be sucked into the ducts and circulated throughout the house. The easy fix for that situation is to cover the material with modern duct tape, or aluminum tape, which prevents the fibres from coming loose and becoming airborne. This process, known as encapsulation, is the acceptable alternative remediation to removal. Taking the asbestos-containing product out of the home is more likely to release fibres into the living space, and is normally a costly process done by a licensed remediation contractor. Because of this, these specialists take many precautions to prevent contamination of the home during the removal process.
The approach I would recommend for you is the first one, where you seal up any accessible material. Since you have only a tiny amount emanating from behind the solid material surrounding your old stove, it should be easily accomplished. First, you should carefully push any of the protruding paper or loose material back into the tiny gap. You should wear a proper respirator, or mask rated for asbestos, goggles, and gloves when working anywhere near an asbestos-containing product. Any small amounts that fall out should be immediately discarded and the area vacuumed with a HEPA filter appliance after you are done. Once no loose portions of the product are sticking out beyond the gap, it should be caulked with an appropriate sealant. The sealant should be high quality, flexible, and designed to adhere well to masonry surfaces. This is normally applied with a caulking gun and should be the end of the job once it is cured. Using a paintable caulking will also allow you to complete your wall painting job properly.
The next item to discuss is another safety aspect of the wood stove area unrelated to asbestos. The photo you sent me suggests your old wood stove is installed almost directly against the wall behind it. Regardless of the very thin layer of fire-retardant paper between this and the walls, it will likely not meet safety requirements for clearance from combustible materials. Even if the material surrounding the stove is non-combustible stone the sides and back appear to be too close to combustibles, even if there is an air space behind the unit.
Also, I don’t see a typical stove pipe or chimney coming out of the top of the unit, so it has either been removed, or is coming out the back and exiting through the exterior wall. If it has been removed, and the stove is simply decorative and not in use, that is fine. Otherwise, the horizontal pipe sections may be a major fire hazard, are fully enclosed, and also not visible for inspection or cleaning. Either way, this unit should not be used under the current circumstances, as it could put you and the other home occupants in serious danger.
Finding a minor amount of asbestos building materials in your older home, even if it is slightly deteriorated, may not be a need for major concern. Simply covering and sealing it in place, with a good quality caulking, should prevent any further safety issues other than highly hazardous use of the wood stove.
Ari Marantz is the owner of Trained Eye Home Inspection Ltd. and the past president of the Canadian Association of Home & Property Inspectors — Manitoba (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 trainedeye.ca.
trainedeye@iname.com
