Substitute and Solve: Stains, grout, hairballs and handy life hacks

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 20/10/2016 (3450 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Dear Reena,

I would be forever indebted to you if you could advise on getting stains out of a green Roughrider jersey! I always wash jerseys in cold water and hang to dry. The stains are worse on the first one I bought (it has made the trip to three Grey Cups). I’ve tried dish detergent rubbed in, which works great on grease stains but doesn’t even touch the other stains which I think must be either a beverage or drippings of food. Lynette

P.S. Thanks for your tip on rhubarb tea — the ants in my yard have been sent packing; it worked! Haven’t seen an ant since!

Dear Lynette,

It’s a little hard to advise you on cleaning your jersey because I am of course a Bombers fan. However I do feel for you and therefore I have a few suggestions. First of all, always wash your jersey right away to remove stains like mustard, ketchup, or beer. The longer these stains sit on your jersey the more difficult they will be to remove. Pre-treat them and then wash the jersey according to the label directions. Some store-bought pre-treatment products may be too harsh for your official team jerseys, so homemade solutions like baking soda, vinegar, or plain seltzer are much better options. If I were you I would begin by making a paste of borax and water and applying it to the stained areas. Let sit for a few hours and wash. Or soak the jersey in enough water to cover the fabric, add 1 tsp. dish soap and half cup of borax. Soak for a few hours and wash. Mustard is a very tricky product to remove because it contains turmeric which is sometimes used as a permanent fabric dye. One solution that has had positive results is glycerin. Pour it onto the stains. Let sit and wash. Or scrub with a bar of Sunlight laundry soap.

When you put your jersey into the washer, make sure that you always turn it inside out. This will help to preserve the life of the numbers and logos on the front and back of the jersey. Whether they are sewn or ironed on, turning the shirts inside out will keep them looking newer longer. A famous costume designer says in her opinion ‘Zout’ is the best product on the market for removing mustard, ketchup and barbecue sauce.

Dear Reena,

I have light buff limestone in my family room. The installer did not seal the limestone before installing and the grout has gotten into the pores of the soft stone.I do not know how to get it out and the floor looks very blotchy. It is driving me crazy and the floor installer will not do anything about it. Can you help?I will have to do it myself, but with what and which method? I don’t believe the grout has gone in too deep. Thanks so much for your time; I will try anything. Leone

Dear Leone,

You may want to once again try and call in the professionals. If you were just tackling a haze from the grout you could clean the area with plain old vinegar and water. However this situation requires a stronger solution. One of the products that readers have shared is the best for this mess is Sulfamic Acid Cleaner from TileLab at Home Depot.If you are going to tackle this job on your own, take caution; use at your own risk and read the label. Also test the chemical on an inconspicuous area and ventilate the room. It will take some elbow grease, a nylon scrub brush, Scotchbrite pads and a plastic scraping tool. The clean-up of this mess will take a few hours and when you are finished, clean the area with plain old water.

Dear Reena,

While we were away from home a hairball from our elderly cats spilled onto our brown jute rug. Our cat sitter rubbed the rug clean leaving two noticeable light spots on the rug. Can we treat these spots by brushing on some brown fabric dye? Can you recommend a way to darken these spots? Look forward to hearing from you, Diane

Dear Diane,

All carpet is dyed in the first place therefore it is definitely a technique that will work if done correctly, however it is risky business. Colour matching is a great challenge and for best results consider hiring professional carpet dying services that will help you refurbish your carpet for less than half the cost of replacing the carpet.

If you are determined to fix the carpet yourself, the first step is to find out what kind of textile your carpet is (you said jute), and whether or not your carpet is stain resistant.

When purchasing carpet dye consider how much dye mixture is required to cover the carpet you are refurbishing. Coverage must also be sufficient to allow the dye to bond evenly with carpet fibers. Make sure you are buying a carpet dye with a colourfast guarantee. Dyed carpets should not fade when cleaned. Also find out the drying time and setting time. Clean the carpet before beginning and follow all directions listed on the colour dye kit. Test carpet dye on a swatch of carpet (if you have one available) or on an inconspicuous area.

Extra Tip: If the stains are really small you can try colouring the bleached areas with a brown permanent marker.

Handy Life Hacks

My facial skin seems much softer now that I use a banana mask once a week. Mash up a banana and spread it on your face. Leave for 10 minutes and rinse. Submitted by Mandy

I found a way to encourage my five-year-old to eat her peas. Start by softening a container of frozen yogurt or ice cream by placing it on the counter at room temperature for 15 minutes. Stir in a few chocolate chips and a few handfuls of frozen peas. Re-freeze the yogurt and eat. Submitted by Lawrence

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.

I enjoy your questions and tips, keep them coming. Check out: Reena.ca

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

» householdsolutions@mts.net

(204) 320-2757