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Q: Carpet Stains. How do you remove stains from cats (hairballs). Because they put so much dye in their cat food it leaves a red stain. Any suggestions?? Most appreciative -- James P. Mitchell Reply 

A: I have had considerable success with Borax to take stains out of carpet. First dampen the area with warm vinegar in water (just a dash in a ice-cream dish half full of water). Then sprinkle the powdered borax over the area quite liberally. (I make a point of buying Borax that looks like talc in texture as there is also one which looks like dry fibreglass type slivers and I don't like that one). Leave the mix to dry and the stain just comes to the surface of the borax powder. Quite magic. Vacuum when dry. -- JM  

Answer #2: Hairball Stains........You said that your cats leave stains on your carpeting from the dyes in their food? Have you thought about switching your brand/color of catfood? Maybe to one that's NOT red? -- Krissy 17/09/2005

Answer #3: Cat Food Stains. You probably already have solved your cat food stain problem, but I have the same problem on beige carpet. Woolite Oxy Deep stain remover is a miracle and very easy to use; you just spray it on, let it sit for 5 minutes, then wipe with a damp cloth. Very often, I cannot even find the stain to wipe it up 5 minutes later; I search for the wet spot! -- RR Amel   26/09/2005

Answer #4: CAN OF SPOT OUT WORKS WELL TO GET OUT KITTY STAINS -- MARY KATTZ (hairball stains).

Q: Stinky sink! I am single and do not know how to get rid of that terrible stink in the sink. I get to where I close out both sides because the smell gets so strong. I do not leave anything in the disposal. I have tried baking soda, it does not even touch the odor. Running hot water and ammonias does not do anything. What can I do to get rid of this terrible odor??? -- Help! "Linda Van Gelder" Reply 

Answer: Bi-carbonate sprinkled in the sink and add vinegar. It will fizz and should reduce the smell -- Anon

A: Chlorine Bleach diluted 1:1 is usually effective. Sometimes the smell is due to insufficient water in the "traps" or "U bends".  These are designed to hold water which stops the gas from the drains and sewer coming back up -- DE

A: I replied to a question that the woman asked about stinky sinks. I went to www. google.com  to ask about getting a grease stain out of carpets and I found your site. Great site! I told the lady that if she puts chicken bones in her disposal and runs it real good that will keep her blades sharp and take a lot of the odors out and then run cut up lemons in the disposal and that the acidity in the lemons will take a lot of the odor out and keep it out. A butcher told me this years ago and it works. Thanks again for this terrific site you have. -- Nonie Conklin  21 Oct 2002

A: Query ref:0061 foul odor in sink Try orange peels. Leave for about an hour then turn the disposal on -- Twins Brats   11 Oct 2002

A:    15 Stinking Sink Solutions:    A friend of mine Tom also has the same problem:
 
The 15 solutions we came up with to resolve his stinking sink problem were as follows:
 
1.  STOP USING THE SINK AS A URINAL.
 
2. HAVE THE PLUMBER DISCONNECT THE TOILET BOWL FROM THE SINK SEWER LINE, LET THE WASTE RUN ON THE FLOOR, THIS WAY THE REST OF THE HOUSE  WILL SMELL LIKE THE STINKY SINK AND YOU WONT NOTICE IT AS MUCH!
 
3.  TAKE THE DRAIN STOP OUT AND PLACE A FRAGRANCE CANDLE IN THE DRAIN!
 
4.  TRY BRUSHING YOUR TEETH MORE THEN ONCE A WEEK.
 
5.  STOP CLEANING YOUR GOLF BALLS AND SOAKING YOUR SOCKS IN THE SINK.
 
6.  STOP POURING YOUR HOMEMADE SOUP INTO THE SINK.
 
7.  TRY SHAVING USING THE KITCHEN SINK TO SEE IF YOU GET THE SAME SMELL!
 
8.  TRY NOT LET THE WASTE WATER FROM BEHIND YOUR EARS GO DOWN THE SINK, USE PAPER TOWELS.
 
9.  THOSE MICE YOU CAPTURE IN YOUR BEDROOM, (From Bob and Bobs Condo) SHOULD GO OUT WITH THE REGULAR GARBAGE NOT THE WASHED DOWN THE SINK!
 
10.  TRY BUYING THE 90% LEAN BEEF FOR NOW ON!
 
11.  STOP USING THE CHEAPEST COLOGNE, OR ON SALE COLOGNES.
 
12. THE JUICE OOZING FROM THE OUTSIDE GARBAGE CANS, SHOULD NOT BE COLLECTED AND USED FOR CLEANING THE BATHROOM SINK, TRY SPENDING SOME  MONEY ON BLEACH!
 
13. CUT OUT THE PRUNE JUICE AND DRIED PRUNES FOR A WHILE!
 
14. START FOLLOWING THE DIRECTIONS ON THE XLAX AND METAMUCIL!
 
15. A PROVEN SOLUTION TO GET RID OF THE SMELL, MUST MAKE A 2 LITER BATCH:
     2   Liter Bottle of 100% PROOF Vodka.
     20 Fresh Squeezed LIME JUICE.
     1/2 Liter of Triple Sec.
     Blend with Crushed Ice
     Pour 1/2 of the mixture down the bathroom sink.  Let Sit for 1/2 hour before using the water.
     Consume the other 1/2 of the mixture in less then 10 minutes.
     If the sink still stinks you "wont" care!
     Repeat Process! 
-- Kevin J. Devine  5th Jul 2006  

Q: Removing Polyurethane. This summer while applying a coat of polyurethane to my kitchen cabinets, I accidentally dripped a spot of it on the stove surface, the stainless steel sink, and the laminate countertop. By the time I found the three spots, they had already hardened. How do I get this off? Can I get this off? -- krieger Reply  

A: Have you tried dipping those sections in very hot water and gently trying to loose the plastic? Just wondering if it would work. -- JM  

Q: Bubblegum. How do I get bubble gum out of black cotton pants? --eital31 Reply

A:  To remove chewing gum from clothes freeze, or cover the gum with ice, then crack and scrape off. - - Marjory Simpson. 

Q: Grease stain on clothing. I have a grease stain that has already been washed and air-dried and did not come out, is there any way I can get it out, the garment is red in color. Thank you, -- Alana G. Baker Reply

Q: Aluminium Poisoning in Fruit Juices. I am a high school student in south Africa. I am doing an investigation as to whether fruit juices packaged in drinking size boxes with aluminium lining are being contaminated with aluminium. Do you know anything about this subject? Could the juice be contaminated? Your help would be greatly appreciated. Sincerely, -- Angie Jacobs Reply

Check out the aluminium FAQ page at aluminum

Q: Removing lint. How do I remove lint from a black corduroy shirt? -- Reply

A: Try adhesive tape -- DE

Q: Mildew on carpet. Any ideas for getting the mildew out of my burgundy carpet? -- RUTH rutheirhartqzeffingReply  

A: I have had considerable success with Borax to take stains out of carpet. First dampen the area with warm vinegar in water (just a dash in a ice-cream dish half full of water). Then sprinkle the powdered borax over the area quite liberally. (I make a point of buying Borax that looks like talc in texture as there is also one which looks like dry fibreglass type slivers and I don't like that one). Leave the mix to dry and the stain just comes to the surface of the borax powder. Quite magic. Vacuum when dry. -- JM  

Q: Removing nail varnish remover. How can I remove the stain of nail remover which contains acetone. It has caused the wood to loose its shine and left markings. Thanks, -- Janett Reply  

A: Try teak oil -- DE

Q: On line probs. It seems that whenever I go online that a lot of the time my system crashes and the mouse won't move and the ctrl alt delete option to end task doesn't work. This means that I have to turn of my system and I am afraid that my computer will be damaged if this continues to happen so please help -- Patrick Treanor Reply

A: Try defragmentizing your hard drive regularly,(start\programs\accessories\system tools) also if you are using Windows95 or 98 you can download service packs from the Microsoft Website, my home machine using Win95 crashes after 30 hours average so I regularly switch off and start it up again. If my kids run games software then it crashes even more regularly. Win98 and Windows2000 are much better and you can expect it to get better still as MS addresses the problems. -- Dave Levitator

Q: Bad Dishwasher Build Up. I have a very bad hard build-up in my dishwasher. I don't know how to get rid of it. It's had a hard time washing dishes and as of last night, it wasn't even worth running it. Please help me. Thank you and thank you for your site. Respectfully -- Helen Kruse Reply  

A: Try adding a cupful of vinegar each time you use the machine -- DE 

Q: White heat stains on antique coffee table. Dear Sir/Madam, I would appreciate someone giving me a helpful hint on how to get out white heat stains an antique coffee table. Wood is either cherry or mahogany. Would appreciate any hints possible. Thanks -- Pam Pmedical Reply  

Try teak oil -- DE

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