Household hints

Often when you want to rearrange the furniture, you find crushed-down spots in the carpet where the legs were sitting. Sometimes these dents won’t go away. Here’s a way to fluff the carpet back up, eliminating the dents or at least making them lots less noticeable.

You’ll need:

• Steam iron
• Distilled water
• Spray bottle
• Clean white cotton fabric, such as a “flour sack” type kitchen towel
• Strong fingernails or small plastic bag clip of the sort that comes on bags of bread and produce.

Fill the spray bottle and the steam iron with water. Fold the fabric to make it three or four layers thick. If you’re using terrycloth bath toweling, one layer will do.

Remove small children and curious pets from the room.

Plug in the iron and turn it to a temperature that will activate the steam feature. Before proceeding, test this method in a hidden corner:

Spray a patch of carpet lightly with water. Place the folded fabric over it. Run the iron over the towel, liberally steaming. If your iron has a blast-of-steam feature, use it. Be careful to use the iron ONLY on the fabric; do not let it touch the carpet. Now check to be sure the carpet is OK. If you see any sign of melting, you will need to use the second strategy, described below.

1. The Easiest Strategy

Generally, as long as you keep the iron on the fabric, you will have no problem even with synthetics that would melt if touched with a hot iron. Once you have tested in an inconspicuous spot and confirmed that this method will not harm the rug, take the iron, fabric, and plastic bag clip over to the carpet dents.

• 1. Lightly spray the dented area with water. Do not saturate the rug.
• 2. Place the folded-up cotton fabric over the dent.
• 3. Run the hot iron over the fabric for about a minute, steaming generously.
• 4. Lift the iron and quickly set aside in a safe place. Be sure no small children or pets can come in contact with the hot iron.
• 5. Set the hot fabric aside and, using a fingernail or the bag clip as a pick, gently lift the nap.

If the furniture has been in place for quite a while, you may need to repeat this process several times to bring the nap up to its normal height. Be patient and don’t scrub at the carpet or otherwise get rough with it.

2. For Synthetics That Threaten to Melt

If your carpet is made of a synthetic that doesn’t take well to heat, try this approach.

• 1. Fill the steam iron with distilled water and turn to “Linen”
• 2. Hold the hot iron about two inches above the carpet dent. BE CAREFUL not to let the iron contact the carpet!
• 3. Press the blast-of-steam button to irradiate the dent with plenty of steam.
• 4. Quickly set the iron aside in a safe place. Be sure no children or pets will come in contact with it.
• 5. Using your fingernail or the plastic bag clip as a pick, gently work the crushed nap to lift it up to its normal height.

This process may need to be repeated several times to restore the dented spot.

categories: Household hints

1 Comment from iWeb site

BeThisWay

Good tip!

I’ve also had some success just putting some ice cubes in the dent and fluffing it up when the ice has melted…

Monday, April 7, 2008 – 08:02 AM

Magic Eraser works nicely to clean grout on a tiled countertop. First clean dirt and any residual grease off the tile (to degrease, spray the tile with vinegar; wipe clean and dry). Then scrub the grout lines with a dampened Magic Eraser. Finally, wipe away residue rubbed off the eraser.

To clean black mold off tile in a tub or shower surround, put some chlorine bleach in a clean spray bottle (be sure no residue of any detergent remains in the bottle!). Clean soap residue off the tiles as best as possible (vinegar will help with this, but if it’s very thick you probably will have to scrub it off with scouring powder), and then be sure all cleaning product is thoroughly rinsed away. If the bathroom has a window, open it; turn on the exhaust fan. Then spray the grout with bleach. Let it stand for some time. You may have to spray badly mildewed areas more than once to fade the black out. Use chlorine bleach only on white, as it may fade colored grout. Rinse thoroughly and dry after use.

It’s also possible to use oxygen bleach (the stuff that’s pitched as “color-safe” in the grocery store’s laundry section). ? It must be mixed with hot water to work. Combine oxygen bleach with very warm or hot tap water in a spray bottle (not so hot as to burn yourself) and apply liberally to mildewed areas. Oxygen bleach is said to be safer for colored grout, and it emits fewer noxious fumes.

To discourage regrowth of mold on tile and grout, leave the shower door or curtain open after showering. If possible, open the window after showering. Train users to wipe the tilework dry after showering. A squeegee or a microfiber cloth (hung over the top of the shower frame or curtain rod to keep it dry) works well to remove water and soap, and if used regularly minimizes bathroom cleaning labor.

It is important to avoid deposits of soap scum, hard water, and mildew by cleaning and drying the surface after EVERY shower. Once hard-water soap scum has built up, it’s difficult even for professionals to remove.