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19 Iyar 5759, May 5 1999 | Mordecai Plaut, director Published Weekly
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Home and Family
Yosef's Helpful Home Advice
by Yosef Krinsky

One area that is often neglected outside of our homes is the wooden fence, wooden succah frame, wooden trim on the house, and/or outdoor wooden table and chairs. With minimal effort, this wood can last a lifetime instead of lasting only a few years.

Years ago we used linseed brushed on the wood to rehydrate and preserve the wood. Today there are many items on the market such as Ace's Wood Royal (marketed throughout the world). It not only has linseed oil in it, but other preservatives to repel termites, mold, and dry rot. On the other hand, there are homes in Mea Shearim that have used linseed oil (called shemen pishtan mevushal) to preserve their Succahs for years.

The wood should first be cleaned of dirt and then allowed to dry. Two applications of linseed or proper preservative oil with a brush or clean rag are all that is needed. Wait 8 hours between coats. Your exterior wood can then look good for a very long time.

Mrs. Anonymous asks, "I bought a microwave about eighteen months ago. I burned a bag of microwave popcorn in the oven and the inside enamel coating cracked and peeled off. Now the metal is rusting and hard to clean. is there anything I can do to refinish it and is this dangerous?"

This also happened to me once. I asked Tambour, the Israeli paint company, for advice. They said that to their knowledge there is no Israeli paint product that can be used inside a microwave. There are special "microwave" paints available under many brand names in the USA and England for this purpose. It is in small jars and rather inexpensive. I have been told that some people have used acrylic enamel paint and it has worked for them.

On my microwave, I waited for the USA product, scraped all the loose paint off and then painted. There are microwave leakage detectors available in most do-it-yourself shops that will test if the radiation is leaking from your unit. It is a good idea to get one.

Mr. Anonymous asks: "On Pesach, one of my children rubbed their hands with red horseradish on the wall. Is there anyway to clean this?"

If your walls were painted with a quality latex or acrylic paint, just wash the walls with kitchen soap and water. If that doesn't work, a nonabrasive, dry cleanser can be used to scrub the stain out. If your walls were either improperly painted or painted with whitewash or low quality emulsion paint, the best advise would be to apply a stain block primer paint over the stain and then repaint.

Wendy W. asks the following: "How can I remove old stickers on cars? I just bought a used car. The company put a sticker on the gas cap and another on the opposite side of the car. These are the type that are printed on clear thin plastic. The printed part of one sticker is already half off. What remains is black. How can I get rid of the sticker and the black gunk without removing the paint from the car?"

After trying to tear of the sticker from the car, the glue remains. If the glue is left there, it will collect dirt and become black. I have successfully used both turpentine and denatured alcohol (not together!) to remove the glue, dirt, and black gunk. Beware that if there is a nearby painted area of the car, the turpentine may remove the car's paint.

Today's Do It Yourself Helpful Hint: When cleaning vinyl, Formica, or any plastic, use vinegar. It is 100% natural, inexpensive, doesn't harm the environment, and best of all, it works. Please send in your helpful hints and share your secrets with the rest of our readers.

Yosef Krinsky, a third generation craftsman, is the Director of Walls R Us -- House Painting, Inc., Jerusalem Division. He can be reached in Israel at (02) 585-9559; POB 27355, Jerusalem, Israel; email at wallsrus@hotmail.com. Homeowners (renters too) are invited to submit questions on do-it-yourself and general home maintenance for a somewhat quick replay. He will publish names of individuals who ask for advice unless they explicitly request to remain anonymous.

 

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