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.
