TSTNZ's House & Garden Section

Annie’s Stain Removal Corner

• Scale on the inside of an electric jug
• Breast milk stains
• Removing Biro or Artist’s Ink from inside your utility handbag and/or briefcase every teacher’s occupational stain hazard.
• Safely cleaning your bug-ridden handbag or manbag
• Removing engine oil from concrete floors, paths, driveways, terracotta tiles and normal bricks.
• Removing chewing and bubble gum from concrete, school-desks, clothing and carpets
• Mould Stains removal and prevention
• Cat, Rat, Dog and little tyke’s Poos and Wees
• Food Colouring, Vegetable and Fruit Stains on Clothing, Fabrics, Carpets and Vinyl
• Not all marker pen marks
  are created equal.
• Removing Wax Crayon

>> Read also more Stories about:

• Organic Gardening - What You Should Know
• How To Maintain A Compost Heap
• Looking for a Unique Gift Idea? Consider Decorating a Room
• House Carbon Calculator launched

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Scale on the inside of an electric jug

Pour equal parts of bicarbonate of soda and white vinegar into the jug so that it fills up about a third of the vessel then add half to two thirds of a cup of uncooked white rice.

Put the lid on and shake the jug up and down.

The rice acts as a natural scrubbing agent whilst the other two ingredients react together creating a fizzing solution that dissolves the scale.

Wash out well a couple of times then fill up again, bring the jug to the boil and throw away this lot of water before using as normal again.

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Breast milk stains

A reader recently wrote in and asked me about this annoying problem which can completely run every perfectly good cardy you own and quite a few of your baby’s garments.

1. If fading is not a problem wash the piece of clothing and dry in the sun. Sunlight often is all it takes to fade breast milk stains but if this doesn’t work try the following:

2. Mix together a tablespoon of baking soda and 1/4 cup of lemon juice. Fresh lemon juice is best but you can use concentrate. Generously spread the mixture over the stained area.

3. Lay the garment in direct sunlight and leave for a few hours until the mixture dries.
    

4. Wash your garment with warm water and again dry in direct sunlight. If ingrained the stain may have not completely disappeared so repeat the whole process once or twice more which should do the trick.

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Removing Biro or Artist’s Ink from inside your utility handbag and/or briefcase every teacher’s occupational stain hazard.

Also on request from an Early Learning Teacher

How to remove food colouring, vegetable and fruit stains on clothing, fabrics and vinyl

As a teacher you suffer more than most from these particular types of marks that quite often will appear mysteriously on the inside of your favourite utility handbag or briefcase.  Warning the following solution is not good for leather or vinyl interiors of bags or briefcases.

Lay piece of newspaper down on a table or workbench.

Turn your bag inside out if you can so the material is hanging outside the bag if possible. If the line is sewn in just turn the whole bag inside out so the material is now on the outside.

Give the material area a stiff brushing to loosen off dust and grime that has sunk into the sewn in corners. Shake bag or briefcase upside down and brush again so as much debris as possible shakes loose onto the newspaper.

For Biro and Artist’s ink try rubbing the inside of your bag with white or methylated spirits. If this doesn’t work it might be worth spending a bit of time creating a small container of rotten milk solids to remove biro and ink from the fabric.

Creating your rotten solution.

1) Create rotten milk solids the good old fashioned way by leaving out in the sun in a wide mouthed container. If you have the idea of souring milk with vinegar or lemon juice don’t bother, as it is much less effective.

Make sure you leave the container of milk solids alone until it is lumpy and smells really off!  

Stain removal

1) When ready to use strain the mixture through your fingers catching the lumps and then rub the lumps over the stain(s)2) Now leave until the ink starts to bleed then shake the lumps off the fabric 
3) Next dip a bar of common bathroom soap in cold water and rub the stain until it disappears.
4) Rub the soap residue away with a cloth rung out in cold water.

If the ink mark remains it means that you did not leave the rotten milk solids on long enough so repeat the whole process. This method can also be used on carpets and curtains. 

How to remove, food colouring, vegetable and fruit stains from clothing, fabrics and vinyl.

The following method removes all berries, beetroot, tomato sauce, fizzy and still drink colouring stains;

And is great for Playdoh marks which is the bane of early-learning teachers who are always getting little creative gifts popped into their bags from their adoring students.

For these types of stains you just need white vinegar and the sun’s rays.

1) Wipe the stained area with white vinegar and then leave out in the sun until dry but do cover the outside of your bag with a towel or cloth to keep the vinyl or leather from drying out and cracking.

2) Wash and dry as normal.

Clears berry, beetroot, coloured fizzy and still drink stains. 

Warning
This solution is not good for polished wood or water sensitive surfaces. 

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Safely cleaning your bug-ridden handbag or manbag.

1. First and foremost especially for the ladies hang your bag up in any toilet you visit and for everyone the advice is find a clean cupboard, drawer or hanging spot to put your bag when you arrive in your classroom or office.

2. Once a week clean the outside of your vinyl bag with soap and water paying special attention to the bottom of the bag and the especially the handles.

3. For leather bags once a month wipe on white spirits with a paper towel and then sprinkle with talcum powder and leave until COMPLETELY DRY. This is important otherwise the powder will get into the cracks in the leather and leave a white film.

4. Once dry use a soft clean shoe brush and brush off the talcum. If you have never cleaned your leather handbag like this before you may have to repeat this process until all the marks have disappeared.

5. Once the bag is free of talcum use your favourite neutral crème leather polish sparingly making sure that you polish away all traces of the crème before using your bag again.

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Removing engine oil from concrete floors, paths, driveways, terracotta tiles and normal bricks.

For very recent oil stains scrub immediately with a normal solution of a good quality washing up liquid (not natural organic versions) and warm water.
For the more likely soaked in stain you will need to purchase a bag of plaster of Paris powder so that you can use a mixture of this and dish-wash liquid to lift and absorb the stain(s).

1. For outside areas make sure you pick a dry day and perform the following during the warmest part of the day.

2. With an old table knife mix up a stiff mixture of plaster of Paris so that the knife stands up in it and to each cupful of this add a teaspoon of good dishwashing liquid.

3. Spread this paste 1cm thick over the stain(s) and leave to dry.

4. To test for dryness tap the plaster with the brush head that you are going to brush it all away with and if it won’t crack or start to brush away easily leave to dry for a longer time.

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Removing chewing and bubble gum from concrete, school-desks, clothing and carpets

Getting Chewing Gum off Hard Surfaces

Fill a number of small plastic bags with ice and place one bag on each lump of chewing gum. Once the gum has been chilled enough to have gone rock hard use an ice lolly stick or a blunt knife and scrape close to the surface to lift the lump. The gum should come off cleanly but if there are persistent bits left behind rub with an old pantyhose that has a good dose of Tea Tree Oil on it. Once the area is clear of gum rub with a dry paper towel to remove any oil residue. If the gum is stuck to school desks be careful when scraping so you do not damage the desk surface.

You can also use this method for soft surfaces such as vinyl, leather and clothing but to remove any Tea Tree oil residue use a damp cloth.

Gummed hair is often the cause of classroom trauma so you can dispel the panic and aggravation by using this method to remove any sort of gum out of a student’s hair.

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Mould Stains removal and prevention - Part 1

Removing the damp smell and mould stains from

• Books and walls behind bookshelves

• Cushions, Upholstery, Curtains, Blinds and Carpets

• Upholstery in Cars and Car-boots

• Inside Bathroom Showers

Mould cannot grow in dry well ventilated sunny areas. Unfortunately during winter months this environment simply does not exist in and around many NZ homes and school-buildings.
All moulds spread by spores and preventing re-growth is as important as its removal but luckily both can be done at the same time for every kind of mould.

Ingredient to buy and prepare:
Oil of cloves and dissolve a ¼ teaspoon of this powerful oil into at least 1 litre of water in a spray bottle.

Spray all of the above and leave to dry for 24 hours by which time the mould should have dropped off and disappeared but if not spray a little more of the clove water onto an old pair of pantyhose and wipe onto the area. In all cases do not wipe off the spray because once dry the cloves will keep damp away for 1 to 3 months at which point you will need to spray again.
Special Note: For upholstery in cars and anything that is movable like shoes or cushions spray and leave in a sunny spot.

Mould Stains removal and prevention - Part 2

Remedy to prevent Mouldy Shoes, Smelly Feet and Tinea.

The following Shoe Frou recipe will fix both foot odour, old shoe smell and the formation of moulds.

In a small bowl combine:

• 2 tablespoons Bicarbonate of Soda

• 2 Tablespoons of Talcum Powder any fragrance will do.

• 2 drops of oil of cloves

• 2 drops of tea tree oil

• 2 drops of lavender oil

Put mixture into the centre of two small pieces of muslin cloth and bringing the four corners of each of the pieces of muslin together, tie them with string to form 2 small bags.

Each time you take your shoes off put a bag into each shoe.

The talcum and bicarbonate of soda will absorb the sweat, the tea tree oil will kill the tinea, the lavender kills any bugs in the shoes and the oil of cloves stops the mould and mildew forming. It will also kill the current mould so when you wipe your shoes and shake them upside down the dried out dead mould will fall out.

Removing mould on bathroom grouting:
Sprinkle the area with bicarbonate of soda then spray with white vinegar. This will create a fizzing solution that when scrubbed with an old toothbrush will remove the mould.

Complete the procedure by spraying the entire area with a mixture of ¼ teaspoon of oil of cloves to 1 litre of water. Leave to dry do not wipe off.

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Cat, Rat, Dog and little tyke’s Poos and Wees

Winter brings in the cat and the rats so if you have problems with them using your house as a toilet here are some solutions:

Cat & Dog Poo or Vomit
Hopefully this is just a temporary problem caused by the youth or old age of your pet.

Most pets eat commercial dry or tinned foods and the stains from this can be treated as follows:
First treat with cold water and bath soap and if after doing this there is still a pinkish stain,
Then brush 2 to 3 drops of glycerine only for every 30 cm of stain over carpet, vinyl or timber floors,
Leave for 20 minutes then repeat the cold water and bath soap treatment using an old rolled up pantyhose to erase the stain.

Urine:
Hard to spot how far it’s spread so invest in a ultra-violet light which are not expensive and can be purchased from most lighting shops or large hardware stores.

On a dark night shine the light around the smelly area and using a piece of chalk mark the area before switching off the light. Clean area with white vinegar and the smell will disappear.

Treat stains from human baby urine the same way.

Mouse and Rat Poo
Usually easy to clean up as consists mainly of pellets just clean area afterwards with bath soap and water. Treat urine as for cats and dogs

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Food Colouring, Vegetable and Fruit Stains on Clothing, Fabrics, Carpets and Vinyl

The following method removes all berries, beetroot, tomato sauce, fizzy and still drink colouring, stains
And is great for Playdoh marks.

For these types of stains you just need white vinegar and the sun’s rays.

1) Wipe the stained area with white vinegar and then leave out in the sun until dry.

2) Wash and dry as normal.

Clears berry, beetroot, coloured fizzy and still drink stains.

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Not all marker pen marks are created equal.

Each different type of marker pen's errant marks may need treating differently.

As most makrer pens contain their own solvent you will need the original pen or the same brand and type of pen. You may also need to use the same remedy as for biro and artist's ink which is rotten milk solids that you will need to make before proceeding but do not apply until you have read the method of removal just below. For easiest way to create rotten milk solids click here Ute link to last week's remedy
NOTE: Read the following and have everything ready first before starting.

Marker pen removal method:

Ingredients to have at the ready:
The original or same brand and type of marker pen that made the original stain
Rotten Milk solids click here to see how to make. Ute link to last week's remedy
Methylated Spirits
White Spirits
Common Soap and Water
Acetone

Test out your at the ready remedies in the order they are listed above using cotton buds dipped well in each solution and spun onto a small part of the stain until you find the one that starts to effectively dissolve the stain.

Once you have found the right solvent from the list do the following and work fast:

In one stroke draw the original pen back over the mark which will start to dissolve the stain.
Next immediately start stroking the cotton bud repeatedly dipped in the correct solvent until you have removed all the colour.
To neutralise the mark rinse with water or white vinegar. White vinegar is usually the best of the two to use but for some surfaces such as marble tops it is safer to use water.
Remove any residue of water or vinegar with a dry cloth and if you have just removed the mark from an item of clothing hang to dry.

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Removing Wax Crayon

Clothing or fabrics

This is a waxed based stain so a few drops of Tea Tree Oil rubbed on the stain will safely remove it.

Hard surfaces

If it’s on a wall or hard surface use slices of not stale plain brown bread (not multi-grain or wholegrain as too likely to damage the wall) Pull the 4 corners of the bread together like a handle and add a few drops of tea-tree oil per stain to to the centre point of the bread. Rub the stain off the wall then turn the bread over and use to wipeaway any excess oil.

Organic Gardening
- What You Should Know

Organic gardening is the exact same as regular gardening except that no synthetic fertilizers or pesticides are used. This can make certain aspects difficult, such as controlling disease, insects, and weeds. Organic gardening also requires more attention to the soil and the many needs of plants.

Organic gardening starts with the soil. Gardeners must add organic matter to the soil regularly in order to keep the soil productive. In fact, compost is essential to the healthiness and well being of plants grown organically. Compost can be made from leaves, dead flowers, vegetable scraps, fruit rinds, grass clippings, manure, and many other things. The ideal soil has a dark color, sweet smell, and is full of earthworms. Some soil may need more natural additives than regular compost can give, such as bonemeal, rock phosphates, or greensand. A simple soil test will tell you the pH balance and which nutrients you will need to use.

One thing that makes even gardeners that are very serious about organic gardening reach for pesticides is insects on their plants. The best way to defend plants against insects is to take preventative measures. One thing that can be done is to make sure plants are healthy and not too wet or dry because insects usually attack unhealthy plants and if healthy, they can often outgrow minor insect damage. A variety of plant types is a good idea to keep pests of a particular plant type from taking out the entire garden.

Perhaps the best way to defend against insects is to make your garden enticing to insect predators, such as ladybugs, birds, frogs, and lizards. You can do this by keeping a water source nearby or by growing plants that attract insects who feed on nectar. Other ideas are sticky traps, barriers, and plant collars. There are some household items that prevent against insects too, like insecticidal soaps, garlic, and hot pepper.

To avoid plant disease in organic gardening, choose disease resistant plants and plant them in their prime conditions. Many diseases will spread because of constant moisture and bad air circulation, so the site of your garden and the way it is watered can help ensure against diseases.

Weeds can be an annoying and frustrating part of organic gardening. Organic mulch can act as a weed barrier, but for even better protection put a layer of newspaper, construction paper, or cardboard under the mulch. Corn meal gluten will slow the growth of weeds if spread early in the season before planting, as does solarization. There's also the old-fashioned art of hoeing and hand pulling that always works. Your best bet in weed prevention is persistence. Mulch well and pull and hoe what you can; after a few seasons you can beat the weeds for good.

Organic gardening is an excellent way to assure that your plants will be free and clear of all pesticides and, if taken care of properly, will be as healthy as possible. Organic gardening may take a little more time and care than regular gardening, but after gardeners get the hang of it and figure out all the quirks of their garden, it is definitely worth the extra time.

Article Directory: http://www.gardenepic.com/

Want a PROVEN method to build an amazing organic garden? Click Here to find out more!

How To Maintain A Compost Heap

Many people who maintain gardens have a large amount of organic waste, from grass clippings to leaves and dead plants. Unfortunately, many waste money and time having these wastes transported to a landfill. It isn't just a waste of good compost; its a waste of everything that goes into the process of transporting it (the garbage mans time, the money you pay for the removal, etc). It is truly a travesty.

All this garbage that people are trying to get rid of can be a better supplement for your garden than any fertilizer or chemical. If you properly facilitate the decomposition of all of the garbage, it will alter chemically until it is in such a state that it can be nothing but beneficial nutrition for other plants. Therefore you can turn all the stuff you would have thrown away into top grade fertilizer for your garden.

Usually compost is maintained in a pile somewhere in your backyard. Usually the thought of a compost heap brings disturbing images to ones mind; heaps of rotten garbage emitting a horrid odor. However, if you maintain it correctly you'll be able to produce great compost without producing an offensive odor.

When I first began my compost pile in an effort to improve environmental health, I made several major errors. These included preventing the pile from the oxygen it truly needed, and keeping it to dry. It ended up decomposing in a very non-beneficial way, and producing an odor so foul that I had government agents knocking at my door.

When you are choosing your spot where you will be putting all of these materials, you should aim for a higher square footage. Having a really deep pile of compost is not a good idea, because generally the deeper sections won't be exposed to anything that is required for the process to work. It is better to spread it all out over a large area. If you have a shed or a tool shack of some sort, it is a possibility to spread it over the roof (with boards to keep it from falling off, of course). I have seen this done several times, and it helps keep the pile out of the way while still maintaining a large square footage.

A compost heap can consist of any organic garbage from your yard, garden or kitchen. This includes leaves, grass, any leftover food that won't be eaten, or newspaper (no more than a fifth of your pile should consist of newspaper, due to it having a harder time composting with the rest of the materials). Usually if you have a barrel devoted to storing all of these things, it will fill up within several weeks. It is quite easy to obtain compost, but the hard part truly comes in getting it to compost.

After you have begun to get a large assortment of materials in your compost heap, you should moisten the whole pile. This encourages the process of composting. Also chop every element of the pile into the smallest pieces possible. As the materials start to compress and meld together as they decompose, frequently head outside and aerate the pile. You can use a shovel to mix it all up, or an aeration tool to poke dozens of tiny holes into it. Doing this will increase the oxygen flow to each part of the pile, and oxygen is required for any decomposition to take place.

If maintaining a compost pile sounds like something that would interest you, start considering the different placement options. The hardest part about maintaining a pile is choosing a spot that provides enough square footage without intruding on the rest of your yard or garden. While usually you can prevent the horrible odors that most people associate with compost heaps, its still not a pleasant thing to have to look at whenever you go for a walk in your garden.

Article Directory: http://www.gardenepic.com/

Want a PROVEN method to build an amazing organic garden? Click Here to find out more!

Looking for a Unique Gift Idea? Consider Decorating a Room
By: Casey Markee

Are you looking for a unique way to give to a close friend or family member? Consider decorating a room for them. Over the course of a few gift giving occasions, you can give them enough decor items to tie a room together. Each time they go into the room, they'll be reminded of your special relationship and appreciative of the time you took to buy each gift.

In order to decorate a room with gifts, you need to have a plan in mind. How long to you intend to give gifts for that particular room? That will help you figure out what pieces you need to focus on. Also, you need to consider your budget and the needs of the recipient. You don't want to give them things that they already have.

If you're giving for Christmas, the person's birthday and their wedding anniversary, you need to choose three gifts that come from the same design family that will help tie a room together. For example, a wall clock, a hanging memo pad and a recipe file are three terrific gifts for a kitchen. A wall clock, bookends and a wall hanging are a great triad of gifts for the living room. A set of cloth napkins, a table centerpiece and a wall clock can tie together a dining room.

You'll notice that a wall clock is an appropriate gift for all room types. Wall clocks are a great idea because they are decorative, but they don't require that you know a whole lot about the recipient's taste in art. As long as you keep in mind the basic design elements that a person has in their home, you can choose a wall clock that they will like. Make sure that you choose a clock from a quality manufacturer. Seth Thomas wall clocks are a great example.

For the other pieces in your themed gifts, choose things that make sense with the room in question. The next time you visit, pay close attention to the type of items that the recipient already has in their home. If they have shelves cluttered with knickknacks, consider getting them a curio case to display their collection. Or if you decide to focus your attention on the guest bathroom, choose some countertop pieces like a soap dispenser or tissue box.

The great thing about giving gifts this way is that your gift recipient will start to look forward to the gifts that are completing their room. They'll anticipate the gifts on each gift giving occasion and proudly display them in their home.

When you plan on giving this way, you might want to buy the presents in advance and save them. This way you can get all of the presents at the same time, from the same store and not have to worry about finding something that will match at a later date. You can save time and money this way.

Giving someone a series of gifts to decorate a specific room in their home is a terrific way to show that you care. No matter how many gifts you give over the year, or across several years, your recipient will be sure to appreciate them all.

Article Directory: http://www.gardenepic.com/

Looking for a great gift idea this holiday season, consider a Seth Thomas wall clock from Elite Clocks. Or browse their selection of world famous Howard Miller grandfather clock offerings. All clocks are backed up by the best warranty in the industry. Buy a Howard Miller clock gift online today!

House Carbon Calculator launched

A careful choice of materials when building a house can make the difference of nearly 50 tonnes in CO2 emissions, according to a new carbon calculator for houses. Fifty tonnes of CO2 is almost the same as that emitted by an average car over its entire lifetime. It’s the same as the CO2 emitted from flying nearly half a million miles – that’s around the world 12 times.

The NZ Wood website has just launched its carbon calculator for working out the CO2 emissions or savings that can be attributed to the building materials used for a new home. Programme manager for NZ Wood, Geoff Henley, says the calculator is a simple but dramatic demonstration of the amount of difference construction materials can make to the environment.

“The calculator shows that an average house can make a significant contribution to reducing CO2 simply on the basis of the materials it’s built from alone. At one end of the spectrum, you can actually be removing CO2 from the atmosphere and locking it up for hundreds of years, if not permanently. At the other, your choice of materials could have pumped out tens of tonnes of new CO2 in their manufacture,” Geoff Henley says.

The calculations are based on what is known as ‘embodied CO2’. This represents the amount of CO2 either emitted or absorbed by the building materials in their production.

In the case of wood, for example, Pinus radiata has absorbed a net 1.7 tonnes of CO2 for every tonne of wood used in the house. That’s over and above all the energy used (and subsequent CO2 released) in its growing, harvesting and processing – right up until it leaves the sawmill door.

This compares with a material such as aluminium, which has released over nine tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere for every tonne of final product. Steel releases 1.2 tonnes of CO2 for every tonne of final product. Concrete releases around 160 kilos of CO2 per tonne of final product.

Geoff Henley says the calculator was modelled on a standard, single-storey house design.

“While the number of design options are fairly limited, it still serves as an approximation for the contribution of CO2 the construction materials make to the environment, whether it be a small sleep-out built in the back yard or a 40-room mansion,” he says.

In terms of building materials alone, the choices go way beyond carbon-neutrality, he says.

“If you simply use a wooden frame and a wooden floor, you’re already well on the side of the angels. If you choose a weatherboard cladding, over say a brick cladding, and then use wooden window frames instead of aluminium, you’re making a huge difference, and end up with a carbon footprint of minus 20-25 tonnes. That’s 20-25 tonnes of CO2 removed from the atmosphere. Of all the construction materials, wood is the only one that removes CO2 from the air rather than adds to it,” Geoff says.

All New Zealand-grown wood is grown sustainably – usually from a forest plantation. This means new trees will be grown to replace those harvested - removing still further CO2 while the original timber is providing generations of inhabitants with a warm and natural home environment.

The carbon calculator on the NZ Wood site (www.nzwood.co.nz) complements one developed for non-residential buildings – including multi-storey buildings that can be built using wood instead of the traditional concrete and steel. The calculator was developed with the help of researchers and engineers at Victoria and Canterbury universities and quantity surveyors Davis Langdon.

It will be joined soon by a more complex carbon calculator designed as a sophisticated tool for building industry professionals such as architects and specifiers, Geoff Henley says.