Dear Reena: I recently leaned into听a tree band around the elm in听our yard and got the goopy stuff all over my left shoulder. I听tried: soap, putting it in the freezer and water to try and get that goop off, but it just won鈥檛 budge.
Do you have any solutions for removing that sticky stuff from clothing?
Carmelle
Smear the area with one of the following: mayonnaise, WD-40, Goo Gone or peanut butter to remove the goop. Next, apply dish soap to the area to avoid a grease stain. If the stain remains, apply a mixture of 2 Tbsp. washing soda and one quarter cup water onto the stain. Let it sit for one hour and wash as usual.
It is important that you avoid putting the clothing into the dryer until the stain is gone. Reapply the听treatment until the stain disappears. Another option is to听scrub the area with a bar of Sunlight laundry soap and water. The stain will eventually disappear.
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Dear Reena:I used shoe polish to听fix the colour on my sun-faded leather couch. The leather took听the polish very well, the fading was gone and the couch developed beautiful shine upon buffing. Unfortunately, to my horror, the polish now stains the听garments of people sitting on听it.
Can this be rectified or have I ruined my couch permanently?
Chris
It is true that leather on shoes is tanned differently than leather to make furniture. Shoe polish cannot be absorbed into furniture; the shoe polish remains on top of the textile and makes a sticky mess.
You can remedy this challenge听with patience and time. Your best bet to remove shoe polish from leather furniture is听to听buff it with a soft cloth, a听little water and dish soap or fabric detergent. Buff gently until the cloth no longer picks up colour. Wipe the entire couch with a damp cloth.
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Reader feedback
Re: Water spots on wood floor
Dear Reena: Marianne had a听problem with water spots on her听hardwood floors. Not sure if听this will work for her, but I听have听laminate flooring in my dining room and could not clean it听without getting water spots. A听friend told me she always cleans her floors with a spray bottle of Windex and a microfibre听cloth. I have been using Windex ever since and no听longer have trouble with water听spots.
Ellen
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Re: Painting a fridge
This is in reply to Lynette who wanted to know about painting refrigerators. Instead of painting the fridge, I found a great solution听for renewing an old fridge. I used wood grain MACtac听to cover my fridge panel.听It was cheap, easy to care听for and looks great. You can听also purchase MACtac in plain white or colours.
Anonymous
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Re: Coating of aphid excrement on vehicle
Recently, Clare wrote in about having to park her vehicle under trees resulting in a coating of aphid excrement and dust that was difficult to remove. A few years ago a friend introduced me听to a commercial product called 鈥淕oo Gone鈥� and it pretty much cleans anything and everything off your car including听tar, without damaging the finish.
The good news is that it is available at most hardware/automotive stores.
Shirley and Linda
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Note: Every user assumes all听risks of injury or damage resulting from the implementation of any suggestions in this column.听Test all products on an听inconspicuous area first.
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Check Reena鈥檚 website 鈥攔eena.ca 鈥� to send tips and questions or to find missed columns or mislaid solutions.
