Dear Reena: I have a box of old-fashioned moss killer for roofs, but suspect that it is not environmentally friendly. Can you please possibly direct me to a safe product and its supplier? Ian
Dear Ian: In order to clean moss off of a roof: Combine one pound zinc sulphate into 12 litres of water. Spray on; do not scrub. Double or triple recipe as needed.
Dear Reena: My telephone has hairspray on it from holding it to my ear. How can I remove the hairspray? I have tried rubbing alcohol and fingernail polish remover. It looks so dirty I need to remove it. Do you have any suggestions? Mary
Dear Mary: I am assuming that you are referring to a regular landline phone, not a Blackberry, cell phone or other doodad. Here are a few solutions to try: Combine baking soda and lemon juice into a paste. Spread onto phone. Wait 30 minutes. and scrub with a green scrubby. Or clean with baking soda and non-bleach, non-gel toothpaste. Or as a last resort, spray WD-40 onto a cloth and gently brush with 000 sandpaper, then wipe with dish soap and water to remove the smell.
Dear Reena: I always read your tips in my newspaper and think your environmental solutions are great. Maybe you can help me with my stinky drains? We rented our house out one year, and when we came back, our drains smelled horrible. I have tried the vinegar and baking soda trick but it does not work. Do you have any other solutions? Heidi
Dear Heidi: Believe me, you are not alone. I receive hundreds of letters from people with ‘The Stinky Drain Challenge!’ The overnight baking soda, hot water and vinegar solution is a powerful way to freshen drains and using this method once a month has no disadvantages. However, if your sink continues to smell, you may have a clog in your pipes which will need to be cleaned out. Other causes of smelly drains are old grease sitting in pipes for a long period and becoming rancid, or poor ventilation. Instead of vinegar, pour one cup household non-sudsing ammonia down the drain and chase with one cup baking soda. Plug drain and leave overnight. Do not drain until morning.
If smell remains, call in a licensed plumber to check out the system and vent lines. The plumber should also check valves and controls needed to bring the job up to code.
Dear Reena: My daughter has an adorable little hamster that our entire family enjoys. Like many things in life, there is a downside to our furry critter: The smell is nauseating. We clean the cage and the next day, the smell fills the air once again. Any ideas of how we can prolong the fresh smell? Roxanna
Dear Roxanna: Your first step is to ensure that the cage is cleaned properly. The bottom of the cage needs a good scrubbing along with anything inside the cage and the wire on the cage. A well cleaned cage should not smell the next day. Clean the cage with cola or baking soda, water and dish soap.
In order to prolong the fresh smell, some people suggest the hamster cage be lined with a disposable cat liner. This is not recommended as the hamster will likely eat the liner. Another popular recommendation is to add cat litter to the cage. Doing this is very dangerous because it is not an intended product for animal dwellings. While wood shavings are the most popular choice for hamsters, there are products available at pet stores such as Carefresh. These shavings are made of reclaimed cellulose instead of wood and absorbs additional foul odours. Carefresh is biodegradable and flushable in small quantities. Some pet stores also carry a spray that can be sprayed inside the cage to tackle foul stinkyness.
Dear Reena: We’ve had an acrylic tub and surround for the last seven years and this is what we do: We use an incredible product called Gel-Gloss available at Home Depot and Rona. It is a polish and very mild abrasive used for fibreglass. About every six to eight weeks, we apply it to the tub, walls and shower doors. The soap and water skims right off after a shower. We also use Dawn dish soap on the tub after every bath or shower, plus a sprinkle of baking soda about once a week. The tub is not slippery like after using soap or a greasy body wash, and the tub shines and gleams like new. Barb
Clever substitutions
• Run out of shaving cream? Use canned whip cream to shave.
• Run out of itching ointment? Blend Cheerios and apply a small amount of water to make a terrific paste for relieving itch from poison ivy or bug bites.
• Run out of foot cream? Massage feet with butter, wrap in a damp, hot towel, and sit for 10 minutes. Your feet will feel revitalized.
• Run out of patience? Coat a knife with butter before slicing through sticky items such as dried fruit in gooey pies.
