By Reena Nerbas
Cleaning Showers, Jetted Tubs and Restoring Colour to Towels
Dear Reena,
Today I have both, a tip and two questions. My tip: When cleaning your tub or shower, spray it with your cleaner and wipe it down while wearing a pair of dollar store exfoliating gloves. These gloves are inexpensive, reusable, have just enough roughness to clean the scum but not scratch your tub or shower.
My first question is: My Jacuzzi tub is seldom used and I’m concerned that there could be scum in the jets which would then flow out into the bath water the next time the tub is used with jets on. How do I clean the jets in my tub? My next question is: My pale blue towels seem to have taken on a yellowish tone in the center area. How can I get them back to one uniform pale blue color? Thanks again for the great advice you continue to give. Lorrie
Dear Lorrie,
Clean the water jets in your jet tub by pouring between 8-16 cups of white vinegar into the bathtub. Add enough water to cover the jets. Begin spraying action and run for one or two minutes. Your tub should be ready for some good old fashioned rubber duckies and you. The towel situation does not sound good. Without seeing the fabric, my guess is that either due to bleach products or a manufacturer’s defect, the dye is permanently gone. Your best bet is to re-dye the towels using Rit dye, however Rit dye does not always pick-up bleached areas.
Washing Down Jacket
Dear Reena,
I have a white jacket that is washable and I tried to wash it, and all that happened was that it floated on the top of the washer. The label says it is 100% polyester and 50% down feathers. I’ve tried pushing it down and it still wants to float on the top, so of course it is not coming clean to my satisfaction. I had no idea this would be such a nightmare when I purchased it. Reena I do hope you can come to the rescue. Thank-you so much Sylvia
Dear Sylvia,
Celebrate, if your care label says “washable” because you will save yourself a lot of money with this home cleaning method. Just follow the three R’s (remove, room, rest and rest). Okay wait; make that the four R’s. Remove: Take off all fur or leather trim. Room: Give your jacket lots of space to move in the water. Wash your jacket in the machine, by itself on ‘GENTLE’. No bleach, just detergent and if your machine has an agitator then its better to wash it by hand in the bathtub. I usually put weights (i.e. one white brick) on feather textiles when I am hand washing to keep them submerged in the water. Rest: Not you, the jacket! Take the jacket out of the washing machine and either dry it by hanging it or, in the dryer (no heat) to fluff it up and bring back the puffiness. Rest: Put your feet up and eat chocolate.
Fabulous Tips of the Week
- I love my bananas but not overripe ones. Well, I came across a tip and it really works. When you buy ‘somewhat’ green ones from the store, separate them and a few days later they will be yellow and kind of ripe, but inside fairly firm. Thanks for listening to me. Gramma “Bev”
- I recently read your solution for a badly burnt pan. Something that works really well is lemon juice. Just pour lemon juice into the pan and put it on the stove to heat up. As it is heating, use a heat proof spatula or lifter and start scraping. As you scrape the black stuff just starts to lift. A couple of years ago my mom had a very black, burnt copper bottom pan that she was using. I tried the lemon juice trick and soon the pan was good as new! Dianne
- Yesterday I got a brilliant idea… well, I thought it was brilliant. Both my husband and I are in our 70’s and it’s a bit difficult for us to get down on the floor. Yesterday we had to kneel down to read the serial number on our stove (to have it repaired). To get that number one has to pull out the drawer at the bottom of the stove. The sticker is right there, on the right. But to be able to read it, especially with bifocals, required some major efforts on our part. We did it, and after we were done, my brain clicked in – I have a cell phone with a camera, and it just requires one of us to bend over and click a photo. If it doesn’t work, erase and do another one or use a digital camera. Plus if numbers had been difficult to read, we could have transferred the photo to our computer. I’m going to use this trick next time something rolls under the bed! Thanks again for what you do. Lilianne
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.
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