Emery cloth may rid solid-surface sink of stubborn stain
Q. I have a Dupont Corian sink that has a large, light-green stain that I can’t seem to get rid of. I called the manufacturer and they suggested all types of cleaners, which haven’t worked. I called back and they said someone may have to resand my sink, but the cost, $500, is quite expensive. At one time, I used well water but for the last nine years I’ve been using town water. I have to bleach the sink every night because anything stains the sink. The top stains disappear with bleach but the green stains remain. Do you have any idea what I can do to rid myself of these green stains?
A. Dupont recommends abra- sion to clean Corian sinks. I have two Corian vanity tops with integral basins and have easily kept them clean using emery cloths.
Your green stains stump me. If that green stain can be removed only by $500 professional sanding, Dupont should give you a new sink.
This is what you can try: Sand the sink with emery cloth; if that doesn’t work, buy a coarser emery cloth. Or, try Mr. Clean’s Magic Eraser, just for the heck of it.
Incidentally, I don’t think either well water or town water is at fault.
Q. When I had my septic tank pumped and cleaned, the cleaner broke the concrete cover and offered to put in a new one for $50. He put in a tarp cover, then 6 inches of earth. Will that work?
A. Fifty dollars for a new cover is reasonable, but since he broke it, it should be free.
A tarp cover will not work very long because it will sag under the dirt and grass above it and will leak water into the tank.
Desperate? Pay the $50 for a new concrete cover and consider a lesson well learned.
Q. When I lifted my carpet and the rug pad under it, the foam pad had rotted and some of it stuck to the wood floor. I can feel it, but it’s not sticky. How can I remove it?
A. In the future, use a cotton or acrylic pad under the carpet. To remove the existing gunk, wet it with paint thinner and scrape off the residue using a wood spatula. Then wash the floor with detergent and water. Foam pads have given me — and many callers — the hardest times. REMOVING HUMONGOUS
MIRROR When a reader recently asked how to remove a huge mirror safely, the Handyman suggested that two people do it by heating the mirror with a hair dryer and prying it off.
Here is what Debbie Lerra and her husband did safely:
“We removed our huge (66-by-30-inch) mirror without breaking it. It’s definitely a two-person job, and wearing heavy gloves is also important. Buy a carpet protector that will protect everyone in case the mirror shatters. My husband used a pry bar at the corners to loosen the mirror. It turned out there were only five large blobs of glue holding it, one in the middle and in the four corners. We didn’t need the hair dryer. Be prepared to do some plaster repairs if your new mirror is smaller than your old mirror.
And from Chris DeMers:
“I have removed a mirror using picture frame wire. I fished the wire behind the mirror and pulled the wire down with a sideto-side sawing motion. The wire is rough enough to cut through the adhesive.”
Q. When I had my two-family house insulated, we insulated the first story, where I live, but did not insulate the second story because the tenant did not provide the needed information. The tenant has since left. But the house is still cold. Why?
A. Of course it’s still cold and hard to heat, because all the heated air from your unit is rising through the ceilings and roof. Insulate your ceiling, the second-story ceiling (the attic floor) and all walls.