Substitute and Solve — Tips for cleaning bird baths, shower stalls

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 25/05/2017 (3189 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Hi Reena,

I am a faithful reader of your column. I was cooking chicken in my seven-year-old oven, and put some tin foil in the bottom of the oven.I thought it would catch the grease droppings.However, the tin foil began to stick to the bottom plate.I removed most of the tin foil, but some is still stuck.Do you have a solution for getting the rest of the tin foil off? Also, is it still safe to use the oven?Your help would be most helpful and deeply appreciated.Many, many thanks,Connie

Dear Connie,

While the following isn’t an instant solution, it is effective at removing foil without damaging the porcelain finish of your oven. In a cool oven, lay a hot, wet rag on the oven floor, leave for 20-30 minutes. Use a little liquid dish soap to lubricate the area and scrape the foil with a plastic scrub pad, plastic scraper or a credit card. The foil will eventually burn off over time. Refer to the owner’s manual to determine whether it is safe to use the oven. I have not heard of any problems from people who have used their oven when foil was stuck to the bottom.

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Dear Reena,

I read your recent article advising others to use a few drops of canola oil in bird baths to discourage mosquitoes; thanks for that tip.

After much research, I have determined birdbaths are prone to the microorganism Haematococcus Pluvialis, and pigment Astaxanthin is presentto protect the organism from the sun’s rays. My structure is in a sun exposure; I suppose which stimulates the situation. It is necessary for me to clean my bird bath every few days as the red alga builds up. When changing the water, I scrub with either washing soda or bleach, which only lasts for a few days.Are you awareof an effective solution, other than frequent cleaning and replacement of water, to deterthe growth of red alga? Mary

Dear Mary,

You are correct, the most agreed upon technique for cleaning bird baths is to scrub them with bleach and water every few days. Some people recommend dumping the old water and spraying the bath with plain old water. Also, a few drops of apple cider vinegar in bird bath water is an effective way to slow down algae growth and may be worth the time and effort it takes to add it to the bird bath water.

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Dear Reena,

Our shower stall walls are getting stained from the water. I used to spray the walls with Lime Away, but can’t find it anywhere. The walls are white heavy vinyl. Can you please advise me how to clean them? I tried Lime Out, but it’s a thicker substance and does not work as well as the Lime Away. Please advise. Thanks, Hilaria

Dear Hilaria,

If you have tried products such as: Iron Out, baking soda/vinegar, Mr. Clean Magic Eraser or Lime Out without success. Consider silver jewelry polish and a green scrubby pad, this has surprisingly good results and with a little elbow grease you will be amazed at the outcome!

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Dear Reena,

My husband was staining something on our deck and managed to splatter stain on the vinyl siding, cement walkway and the composite deck. I really need your help to get rid of these stains. Karen

Dear Karen,

One option is to purchase the organic compound Oxalic Acid; test before using and take care to read the instructions printed on the label. Oxalic Acid is a bleaching agent and will lighten the stain. The Stripper by Behr or other products such as these are another option. If the stains remain, the areas will need re-staining or repainting.

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Dear Reena,

Suggestions on how to remove mould from grout. Our shower tile is only two years old and we thought we were cleaning properly but we just noticed the start of mould. Charlene

Dear Charlene,

Purchase a handy little piece of pumice stone.Pour some dish soap onto the pumice stone to wet it, and then scrub the grout. Next spray isopropyl alcohol onto grout to prevent mildew from growing and discolouring the grout (keep away from small children). Another option is to make a paste of borax and water, scrub grout with an old toothbrush. To avoid future mould buildup, wipe the wall with a towel after each use.

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Hello Reena,

I have bought a number of jackets with down feathers in the linings that are leaving me feeling like a plucked chicken. Everywhere I go when I wear them the air around me is floating with feathers. One even landed in my friend’s cup of coffee! Is there any way I can try and ‘seal’ these jackets so the feathers don’t keep working their way out? It doesn’t seem to make a difference on the price of the jacket I buy —they all have the same effect. I wonder if there’s any solution to the problem that you’ve heard of. Thanks, Heather

Dear Heather,

Both expensive as well as inexpensive down-filled jackets have a tendency to lose feathers. Here are a few suggestions to solve this issue. If the problem is excessive, you can attempt to return the jacket even without a receipt. Depending on the label, the store might honour a refund or exchange. If the jacket cannot be returned, pull escaping feathers toward the inside of the jacket when they decide to stick out. If you pull feathers out, the holes become larger and more feathers will escape. You can attempt to put your jacket into the dryer and run the no-heat fluff cycle for about 15 minutes. The reason that this works is because as the jacket is worn the feathers compress and flatten, making them easier to fit through the weave. But if you fluff your feathers, they will fatten up and have a more difficult time fitting through the fabric. If all else fails, wear a thin nylon jacket underneath your down-filled jacket to prevent the feathers from clinging to your clothing. Scotchgard products have proven unsuccessful when it comes to keeping feathers inside jackets. I had the same challenge, so I wrapped the jacket up in a bag and returned it without a receipt. I too felt like a badly plucked chicken.

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.

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

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