Renovation & Design
Renovation & Design
Clean suede boots with rubbing alcohol
Question: I have a pair of tan suede boots and I spilled black copier toner on them. I know you’re supposed to vacuum the toner, but instead I rubbed what I could. Then at home, I put Oxyclean on them and ran them through the washing machine with cold water, twice. Is there anything else that can be done? Bertha
Answer: Great that you did not put the boots in the dryer! Begin by spraying the area with a spray bottle containing rubbing alcohol. Dab the suede with a cloth. If the ink transfers, continue to dab the stain. Allow the boots to dry. If the stain remains, gently rub the area with fine sandpaper, being careful not to damage the textile. Worst-case scenario, dye the boots black to hide the stain.
Question: I was going through your book, Household Solutions 3, about laundry. My question is, can I use chlorine in my washing machine to wash whites? I have never done this. I hope you have an answer for me. Thanks, Joanne
Answer: Yes and no. While there are many alternatives to full strength bleach, including borax, washing soda, hydrogen peroxide and baking soda, some people prefer to use bleach. Never add chlorine bleach directly into your laundry, this can cause holes in your clothes (personal experience). Instead, read the manufacture’s washing machine instructions for bleach. Add the amount of bleach, specified by the manufacturer, five minutes into the cycle as this will give the laundry detergent time to clean.
Question: Any hints on how to remove fold line wrinkles from a plastic tablecloth? I tried warming it with a hairdryer and smoothing with my hand, but no luck. The backing seems too synthetic to use even a low temp iron. I don’t want to damage the iron. What about soaking it in a tub of warm water? I’d like the tablecloth to look as real as possible, so thanks for any ideas. Irene
Answer: Soaking it in the bathtub with a bit of hair conditioner should do the trick, this is the easiest process for getting rid of the wrinkles.
Question: Help! I had a red blanket on a white leather couch. The red bled through onto the couch and now the leather is tinted red. I tried leather cleaner, Mr. Clean Magic Eraser, even bleach and nothing worked. Do you have a solution? Mona
Answer: Your safest bet, is to leave the stain alone and allow the dye to fade on its own. Second option, purchase a leather cleaner and use it according to the instructions on the packaging. Third option, purchase Sunlight detergent laundry soap, use water and a soft cloth to clean the area. Option four, spray the area with hairspray, and wipe. Always test on an inconspicuous area first.
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.
Reena Nerbas is a popular motivational presenter for large and small groups, check out her website: reena.ca.
info@reena.ca
Renovation & Design
Baking soda will remove stubborn teacup stains
Question: I notice that when I remove my teacup from the dishwasher it has a brown stain on the inside of the cup. What is the best way to prevent this? Thank-you, Louisa
Answer: Most of the time, if you apply a little dish soap to a green scrubby pad and scrub the inside of the cup, the stain will disappear. For stubborn stains, apply baking soda to a damp, green scrubby pad. Wipe and rinse.
Question: When I roll out bread dough, I lay my plastic cutting board on the counter and roll out the dough on the board. My cutting boards are so old that the dough picks up the odour left behind on the board. Are there any cutting boards, that would not transfer an odour to the bread dough? Liezel
Answer: A stainless steel cutting board is a good investment for kneading dough. Avoid using them as surfaces for cutting, as you will notice that your knives become dull, but for bread dough they are perfect because they don’t transfer odours. Dampen a dish cloth and lay it under the cutting board, so that the board doesn’t slide around while you knead the dough.
Question: I have a door that squeaks, it absolutely drives me crazy especially at night when I am trying not to disturb my dog. As cautious as I am, she inevitably wakes up and then wants to be let outside. I recently painted the door, I am wondering if this may have something to do with the squeak. Any suggestions? Derrick
Answer: The first solution is to tighten the hinges and use a cotton swab to apply petroleum jelly or spray WD-40 on the hinges. Next, rub paraffin or paste wax onto the door jams. If that doesn’t fix the sticking, secure transparent tape inside the door jams. If all else fails, lightly sand the areas, not to remove the paint, just to add roughness to the sticky areas.
Question: When measuring ingredients for some of my recipes, they call for six tablespoons of margarine. What is the equivalent in cups? Knowing this would save me a lot of time. Thanks, Texas
Answer: Eight tablespoons is equivalent to half a cup, but six tablespoons is equal to 0.375 cups. A quick trick for measuring six tablespoons is to fill a half cup with butter or margarine, and then scoop two tabelspoons out of the cup — it’s backwards, but it works.
Question: What is the fastest method for drying a stack of lumber? I want to build a sauna, but I don’t want to wait for months to dry out the wood. Many thanks. Kenton
Answer: Position a dehumidifier beside the wood and let it take care of the moisture. This method will reduce drying time from months to weeks.
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
Outdoor kitchens add extra spice to our backyard retreats
Our backyards promise to be popular spots again this year with the prospect of continued social distancing. And with the arrival of spring, our outdoor spaces are now getting extra attention.
“The boundaries between the inside space and outside space are vanishing more and more,” said Lydia Thammavong, a marketing specialist in seasonal and outdoor living for Lowe’s Canada.
According to Thammavong, outdoor kitchens are a particularly growing trend. She noted that online searches and sales for charcoal barbecues and smokers at Lowe’s have increased since the pandemic. And for those eager to upgrade their barbecue setup to something more functional or refined, creating an outdoor kitchen is the natural next step.
For Mike and Janneth Nolet, installing an outdoor kitchen in their Weston backyard was a no-brainer. Mike is an avid barbecuer and grills four nights a week in the summer. Janneth, who is from the Phillipines, grew up with the traditions of outside cooking. Their outdoor kitchen was part of a large three-year backyard remodelling project, which included the installation of a pool, bar, outdoor bathroom and shower, sound system and outdoor television.
The Nolets enlisted the help of Glen Griffiths, owner of My Outdoor Kitchen, to design, source and install their L-shaped backyard feature. It includes high-grade stainless steel appliances from the California-based manufacturer Hestan: a commercial fridge, two power burners and a $10,000 gas barbecue. There’s additional cupboard space under the barbecue for storing tools. Pull-out garbage and recycling bins are built into the unit. The countertop is made of leathered granite and the sides are finished in granite.
The structure of the Nolets’ outdoor kitchen cost about $28,000 to install, while appliances totalled around $22,000. Their outdoor kitchen was completed by the end of the summer in 2020. “We got our yard done at the right time, with COVID and everything,” Mike Nolet said. “Sometimes three or four friends will come over in the evening and we’ll barbecue and watch sports on the outdoor TV.”
Griffiths said that interest in his outdoor kitchen company has been higher than usual this year. “People are more prepared and planning ahead. They know to get a jump on it, because last year there was a problem getting things like grills from manufacturers.”
The starting price for a simple 10-foot-long outdoor kitchen would cost about $15,000 — or $1,500 a linear foot — not including the cost of appliances. Condo terrace kitchens can cost more with added considerations including the floor it’s on, the size of the elevator and elevator access, parking, utilities and condo permissions.
Premium materials, such as stone and wood, can be selected to match your home’s exterior. “Something popular now is the large-format slabs made of Dekton (a manufactured marble-like material) on the countertop and the face of the island,” Griffiths explained.
Griffiths says that sinks are often a challenge for outdoor kitchen builds, due to the cost of installing plumbing and a drain line. But direct gas connections and power are more common, and more easily fulfilled requests.
Pergolas and covers offer protection from the elements, while built-in heaters can help extend the grilling season into early spring and late fall. According to Griffiths, high-end outdoor kitchens can cost upwards of $70,000. “People start looking at things like pizza ovens, fridges, ice makers and sinks.”
On the other end of the price scale, Thammavong said a simple, DIY outdoor kitchen with six feet of counter space can be built for around $2,000. This setup could be as easy as building a roll-out storage cart to go beside a barbecue, creating a small grilling station. As well, a waist-height wooden bench can be built to serve this purpose. If you DIY the project, you can incorporate custom features — like a drop-in beverage bucket to keep items cool, or a ceramic grill or smoker.
If you’re not so handy, Lowe’s offers a kitchen prep station and an outdoor storage cart, made to withstand the elements, for $400 to $700. Or, for a step above, a seven-foot ready-to-go outdoor kitchen with a grill cabinet, drawers, a bar cabinet costs around $3,700. Made of stainless steel, these kitchens are built for all four seasons if covered and protected from winter weather.
As a first step toward an outdoor kitchen, Thammavong recommends surveying your space. “How big can you go? How many square feet do you want to sacrifice in your backyard, terrace or balcony for the kitchen area?” she said.
Next, consider whether you’d like to install a permanent fixture, which will require weather-proof materials. Or, if you’d like the flexibility to move the kitchen around, carts and benches can also be stored indoors in the winter.
Lastly, determine your budget before you start shopping. “You can do a little or a lot, depending on how much you want to spend and how you want the space to look,” Thammavong added.