Substitute and Solve - Faded bathing suits? Rampaging squirrels? No problem!

Hi Reena,

I am just finishing an expensive bottle of chlorine remover. I’m sure there must be a better means of removing the chlorine from bathing suits. One friend suggested that perhaps we don’t even need to remove it. Is the damage done while we are in the pool, and is rinsing in soapy water good enough? With the cost of bathing suits, I feel I should try to preserve them as well as possible. Thank you so much, Bev

Dear Bev,

An easy and effective way to clean your bathing suit after use is to soak the bathing suit in an ice cream bucket filled with warm water and one quarter cup white vinegar. Leave for 15 minutes then lay flat on a towel to dry. Do not hang your bathing suit in the sun, as the sun will gradually fade the colours. Heavy duty detergents and other products are not necessary to use. P.S. Never put your bathing suit in the dryer as this is the fastest way to fade colour.

Hi Reena,

I am looking for help for two different problems:

(1.) The hardware for the railing on our basement stairs and the door hinges on the basement doors have paint on them that has been there a long time (i.e. previous owners). Is there an easier way to remove this paint from the hardware than scrapping it with a razor blade?

(2.) Do you have a homemade solution that can be used to repel squirrels? They are constantly digging up our flower beds and vegetable garden and they also chew on the wires of the electric lights that we have in our trees. The lights are only on at night and they chew them in the day time, so no, they have not been electrocuted and we wouldn’t want them to be. Just want a repellent that is not harmful to them, but would save our lights, flowers and vegetables. Thank you, Gail

Dear Gail,

(1.) Cover the bottom of a pot with baking soda. Remove the hinges/hardware from the wall. Place the hardware inside the pot and add enough water just to cover the metal. Simmer on the stove for 30 minutes. With tongs, remove the hinges from the pot and place them onto a rag. Using a gentle scrubby pad, rub the softened paint off. No elbow grease or scraping required!

(2.) To repel squirrels with love: You can either make a solution of one cup castor oil with four gallons water and spray around your flowers or vegetable garden. Or sprinkle liberal amounts of cinnamon wherever you don’t want squirrels to visit (i.e. around the base of the tree where the lights are hanging). Put wide metal strips or plastic pipe around the base of trees. Also, to prevent squirrels from sliding down the chimney, install a flue cap.

Dear Reena,

I noticed a stain on my tub after washing something red in it. My tub is ivory, so I do not want to use anything that will scratch it or bleach it. Grace

Hi Grace,

Here are a few suggestions to use on your bathtub; you will need a green scrubby pad. Scrub the area with a paste of borax and dish soap. Or fill the bathtub with hot water and several denture tablets, let sit overnight and scrub in the morning. Or scrub with hydrogen peroxide and baking soda. Or purchase the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser and scrub the bathtub stain. The good news is that the stain will disappear over time. Warning: Do not leave the bathtub full of water if small children are in the home.

Dear Reena,

What can I do with all the empty Body and Bath soap dispenser bottles that I have collected over the years? I own about 25 bottles, I now buy only refills. I also have lots of facial cream jars, about 30 of those too. Then there are the pill vials, I have tons of them. Is there a place where I can bring them and they can be used for arts and crafts or something? Thanks! R.

Dear R.

Good for you that you didn't toss them into the trash. Why not bring them to the self help store in your area? People often make their own cosmetics for gifts and need containers to put them into. As well, people often want small containers for travelling so that they do not need to carry large bottles of shampoo/conditioner etc. Small pill bottles are perfect for carrying jewelry such as earrings, just be sure to remove all medical labels before donating the bottles.

Feedback from reader who cares:

Regarding the question about Juanita’s dishwasher not working properly: I have just had the same problem, but it was the water inlet solenoid. With time they wear out, and let less water in and you get bad washing results. They are very easy to replace, and cost about $25. Better than replacing the unit. Regards, Thomas

Fabulous Tips of the Week:

• I just had to share with you that my daughter has been struggling to get rid of warts on her feet for years. We have now discovered a cure that works for her. Whenever she gets a wart, we surround it with petroleum jelly (Vaseline). Next we soak a cotton ball with apple cider vinegar and apply it to the wart(s). We then cover the area with duct tape and by the next day we can already notice a difference. We reapply this treatment until the wart is gone! Please share, Glenda.

• When corks are too large to go into a bottle, throw them into hot water for a few seconds, and they will soften. Martin

• To keep soap bars lasting longer, start by removing them from their wrappers and letting them dry out for a few weeks. When you begin using them, you will notice that they last much longer and don’t leave as much goopy soap in the soap dish. Martin

• I enjoy reading your column and I am adding a hint to your cashmere sweater washing hints. I learned it many years ago from a friend in Edinburgh. After you are through washing and rinsing the sweater, gather it up and put it in your washing machine on spin. This is done twice to take out all the unnecessary water. I am still wearing and washing 35 year old cashmere with this method. There is no need to dry clean, after all the goats are not dry cleaned. The sweater is as soft as it was on day one. Try it, you'll like it. Jo

• When making chicken stock. Cook chicken, water, onion, carrots and celery for 2-3 hours. Only add spices during the last half hour of cooking time so that the flavour of the spices does not cook out.

Reena Nerbas is a rural Manitoba home economist is a lab coat - and she’s not afraid to use it. Keep your questions coming:

» householdsolutions@mts.net

Republished from the Brandon Sun print edition May 31, 2012