Degreaser and a bristle brush make counter look like new
Q: I recently purchased a stainless steel Thermos with blue foil wrapped around the exterior. Although the instructions indicate it’s dishwasher safe, the foil peeled after four washes. Currently, the foil is half gone and looks unappealing (pardon the pun). Should I toss the Thermos, or is there a remedy to fix it? A: The foil on the Thermos peeled due to the heat of the dishwasher water. You have two options: either contact the manufacturer and ask about a refund, or continue similar steps to peel the remaining foil.
Put the Thermos into a stainless steel pot, and fill the pot with enough water to cover the Thermos. Bring the water to a boil for at least five minutes. Use tongs to take the Thermos out of the pot, and wearing oven mitts, gently scrub the remaining foil off with a nonscratch abrasive pad. Your Thermos will be stainless steel in colour and ready to use. Q: I have a 10-year-old Arborite counter that is darkly coloured and scratched. Recently, I hired a cleaning company, and they cleaned my Arborite counter so that it looks almost new. Two weeks and many cleanings later, it still looks great.
I asked what they used, and they said a degreaser called Tough Tiger, and a Bristol brush. I cannot find either of these products. Have you heard of a Bristol brush? A: Sounds like you are looking for a “bristle” brush, which is simply a brush with short, stiff bristles — for example, a hairbrush or a shoe brush. Additionally, Tough Tiger is a specialized janitorial degreaser and cleaner. I have never purchased this product, but you might be able to order it online or through the cleaning company you hired. In the meantime, perhaps another storebought degreaser will bring similar results. Q: We just took our cloth lawn chairs out of our shed. Over the winter some mice got into our shed and used these lawn chairs as their litter boxes. They smell so bad of urine, it’s disgusting. I have washed the chairs with Mr. Clean and OxiClean, neither of which worked. The chairs are ready for the garbage, but I thought I would ask if you had some miracle solution. A: Hold on! Before you toss them in the trash, try the following solution. You’ve already thoroughly washed the chairs, now it’s time to deodorize them.
Into a bucket combine one teaspoon dish soap, one cup three-per-cent hydrogen peroxide, one-quarter cup household ammonia and two cups warm water. In a ventilated area such as outside, soak a light-coloured cloth with the solution and then saturate the chair fabric with it. Ensure the solution completely penetrates the chair fabric.
Cover the chairs as well as you can with plastic, leave for 12 hours and then remove plastic. Rinse with warm water and air dry. Be sure to always test solutions on an inconspicuous area first.
FEEDBACK FROM READERS
I read in your recent column about the lady who had problems with hairspray residue on her phone. I had the same problem with our home phones and my iPhone. Nothing I tried worked.
I finally took our phones to the store where we had purchased them. They suggested W-Sol Residue Remover (brand name is Wurth). I contacted the company and ended up ordering the product through a car dealership. It is amazing.