Dear Reena: As gardening season arrives, I am thinking about planting cucumbers. The problem is that garden cucumbers always taste bitter. Do you have any solutions to get rid of the bitter flavor?
Pearl
Dear Pearl: This old trick works on bitter garden and store-bought cucumbers. Cut the end off the cucumber. Use the detached piece to rub the exposed cucumber end. The cucumber releases a white foam. Repeat the process at the other end of the cucumber. Peel and cut as usual, no more bitter taste.
• Extra cucumber tip: Make a refreshing summer facial spa mask. Blend together in a food processor one peeled and chopped cucumber, half a cup plain yogurt and one tablespoon milk powder. Smooth this mixture over your face to cleanse and close skin pores. Leave for 10 minutes and rinse with cool water.
Dear Reena: A group of us recently dismantled six church pews. They are in rough shape, but the wood is still solid and can be reused for another project. The seats of the bench were upholstered with foam underneath, glued to the wood. We have removed as much of the foam as we can but some is left, firmly attached to the glue. You can imagine what it looks like. What can we use to remove the rest of the foam and glue?
David
Dear David: The first option is to cover the foam with ice cubes. As the ice melts the foam hardens, making it easier to peel away. Plan B would be carpet-cleaning product applications. A power steamer or Goo Gone are options. You could scrape with a plastic putty knife then sand the wood. Last resorts are acetone or WD-40, and these must first be tested on an inconspicuous area.
Dear Reena: How do you restore yellowed tablecloths and pillow cases to their original whiteness? These are handmade, mostly cut-work and are probably 70 years old. They have been lovingly kept in a cedar chest or a cupboard all these years. Barring any solution, what does one do with them?
Aurise
Dear Aurise: The linens may never appear exactly the same white hue they once were, but there are many shades of white.
There are a few products that you can use to whiten textiles. Soak the items in 12 cups water and one cup of either washing soda or borax. If the items are cotton or linen, put them into a stainless steel pot and boil in the solution to whiten.
Last option: buy Rit Dye Whitener to revive whiteness.
Get rid of silverfish
• Remove old stacks of newspapers, magazines, papers, books and fabrics. Clear away any food spills or food stored for a long time. Reducing available water and lowering the home’s relative humidity with dehumidifiers and fans often helps. Repair leaking plumbing and eliminate moisture around laundry areas.
Once the cause is remedied, there are many products on the market from baits to sprays that will get rid of silverfish. Aerosols such as Raid and Air Devil get to hard-to-reach places. As with all insecticides, read the directions and warnings very carefully.
• A simple silverfish trap can be made by taking canning jars, scrubbing them clean and then covering the outside with masking tape to make them easy to climb. These traps are then placed in areas of infestation. The bugs will climb up and fall into the jars and then will not be able to climb the walls to escape. Moist cotton or starchy foods work as bait. Cloves are a cheap and harmless repellent for silverfish. Finally diatomaceous earth, available at garden stores, is harmful to insects but not to kids or pets. If all else fails, call an exterminator.
Note: Every user assumes all risk of injury or damage resulting from the implementation of any suggestions in this column.
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