For questions relating to the removal of dirt, debris and other unwanted foreign material from various surfaces and porous materials, including methods, tools and supplies, and expected results.
1
vote
1answer
217 views
Is clorox outdoor + jomax safe on vinyl decking?
I used the recipe suggested in this question to successfully clean my vinyl siding. Its a combination of Jomax, Clorox outdoor, and water. I'm wondering if this solution will work fine on my vinyl ...
7
votes
3answers
3k views
What is the best way to remove dried egg from a house?
Some troglodytes egg my house anywhere from every 1-6 months, and have been doing so for the last four years. They just did it again tonight, so I have a fresh supply of drying egg to now remove.
My ...
5
votes
1answer
706 views
How do I clean a kitchen sink spray hose?
My kitchen sink has one of those sprayer-on-a-hose things off to the side of the main faucet. It has a clear plastic hose that pulls out to spray stuff around the sink. That hose has green stuff ...
2
votes
1answer
826 views
What would cause my filtered water to have a thin transparent film suspended in it?
I have a filtered water dispenser in my Whirlpool refrigerator door. Lately I've noticed when dispensing water into a clean glass, that there are patches of a thin transparent film suspended in the ...
5
votes
2answers
1k views
How can I clean a very dirty concrete basement floor?
My basement floor has been made amazingly gross (thank you, cats) and I'd like to get it really clean. Is there an option other than scrubbing on hands and knees? Are there cleaning solutions that ...
6
votes
5answers
3k views
How do I remove an oil stain from my concrete driveway?
Anyone have tips for removing oil stains from a concrete unpaved driveway? The spill was from a leaking car, now fixed, and they are a few months old. There are so many products and spurious reviews ...
2
votes
1answer
1k views
How can I treat brick efflorescence?
I have a new brick wall but large areas are becoming covered in white salty deposits; I want these removed - how can I do it?
Update
Thanks Niall. Just out of interest, can acid do damage to bricks? ...
3
votes
3answers
321 views
Small amounts of moss on asphalt shingles?
What's the best way to remove moss from asphalt shingles?
3
votes
2answers
2k views
How to clean kitchen cabinets?
I just bought a house with some dirty (greasy, grimy, dusty, &c.) wooden kitchen cabinets. What is the best way to clean them? I've read that paint thinner works well, however, I am afraid that ...
3
votes
4answers
709 views
How does central vacuum suction compare to regular vacuum?
We recently moved into a new home with central vac. The vacuum unit is in the garage, as is typically the case, and seems to be in good working condition. I cleaned the "bucket" underneath and made ...
3
votes
2answers
565 views
Remove the smell of cigarette smoke from upholstery
I purchased a upholstered chair from a garage sale for cheap, and cleaned all the dog fur and other debris from it, however there is now a lingering smell of smoke from the chair. It has been ...
4
votes
1answer
825 views
What is the white, crusty, crumbly stuff I find in my kitcken sink drain pipes?
From time to time my kitchen sink needs to be unplugged, and each time I invariably find accumulations of a crusty, crumbly white material in the pipes. It looks a lot like old cheese, has no ...
6
votes
3answers
595 views
Easy way to get crayon out of grout?
My daughter decided to get a little artistic in the bathroom and colored the grout with yellow crayon. Does anyone have a simple way to clean this out?
1
vote
0answers
157 views
How do you clean a petrol smell off rubber?
Not sure if this is the right forum for this question, but I suspect the readers here will probably know.
I have a short length of rubber coated pipe used to provide some ventilation for a small ...
6
votes
5answers
346 views
How do I address a bedbug infestation?
This bug problem is really stressing me out. I doubt they are bedbugs though because there aren't a lot. I remove 3-8 from my bed a day, and I've read that bedbugs are present in much greater numbers.
...
1
vote
3answers
117 views
What are good cleaners to use on pruning shears?
I'm new to the realm of shrubbery trimming, though have gotten some good results already.
Now, however, I need to clean my pruning shears so they don't rust / get sticky.
What are good cleansers to ...
7
votes
3answers
3k views
How do I remove (food) oil stain from a wood table?
Spilled some oily salad dressing on a wood table that was not varnished or sealed in any way. Not sure the type of wood - it almost looks like teak, but I don't believe it is.
We used water on the ...
2
votes
2answers
177 views
Removing stains from concrete
How can I remove stains from concrete (garage/driveway)? The stains are most likely either oil, gasoline, or transmission fluid.
5
votes
5answers
680 views
Why is there white crust on my dishes after they are washed in the dish washer? [closed]
Recently my dishes have been coming out of the dish-washer with a lot of white powdery-crust all over them. It's extremely hard to scrub off and often the only way to remove it is to soak them in ...
3
votes
2answers
548 views
Washing vinyl siding — hard to reach high up places?
There's some spots on my vinyl siding that have gotten dirty. Unfortunately these spots are pretty high up-- about 15-20ft up. What are the best way to clean these spots? Would a power washer aimed up ...
3
votes
4answers
3k views
How often should I run a bleach and water solution through heat pump lines?
How often do you need to run a bleach and water solution through the heat pump lines to keep the bacteria away?
What are the recommended parts (e.g. 1 part bleach, 10 part water) ?
0
votes
1answer
1k views
How do I fix up an unfinished, oil-stained pine table?
I have an unfinished, salvaged natural hardwood, pine table, similar to the Restoration Hardware salvaged wood trestle table. I spilled some olive oil on it and then did something worse -- tried to ...
2
votes
2answers
699 views
How do I remove water marks / stains from a marble countertop?
Our marble bathroom countertop has a few problem areas - most are water stains, but a few are marks on the surface, and it's hard to determine the source.
Looking for best tips/tricks to treat & ...
3
votes
1answer
119 views
How, and how often should I clean a freezer?
My fridge/freezer has been turned on and running since I last moved house several years ago. I clean the shelves/bins in the fridge every couple of months, or when something is spilled, but the ...
6
votes
3answers
292 views
How do I clean a 96-gallon automated trash can?
The town provides us one of those automated trash collection 96-gallon trash cans. Ours really stinks... you do not want to be down wind from it in the summer. I have been avoiding cleaning it for ...
7
votes
2answers
273 views
Can old concrete fragments be cleaned and used as crushed stone?
Suppose I need to replace old concrete on a driveway or in any similar scenario.
The usual way is to just gather all the old concrete and dispose it to a landfill, then buy cement, sand and crushed ...
2
votes
2answers
722 views
How do I clean an AC condensate pan?
I have a Ducane HVAC system that started leaking out of the evaporator coil housing. Mine looks like the EU1P. I read that i need to clean out the drip pan.
II tried cleaning it by sucking out the ...
2
votes
1answer
222 views
How can I remove oil/ATF from a newly paved driveway?
I had my asphalt driveway repaved this spring, and of course my car has started leaking - ATF in this case.
How can I remove it?
4
votes
3answers
800 views
Is there a quick way to clean up walnuts from a yard?
I'm renting a house and it has a walnut tree in the yard which has started dropping hundreds of walnuts all over the place. Picking them up by hand seems like it'd be messy and very slow. Is there a ...
1
vote
4answers
770 views
How can I remove superficial pet urine stains from subfloor?
After removing the carpet from our bathroom closet, I found urine stains on the plywood sub-floor (serenity now).
It sounds bad but the floors are quite sturdy so I'm reasonably certain that it's a ...
2
votes
2answers
611 views
Is cleaning the tub with bleach bad for the plumbing?
My wife had a brainstorm and we tried cleaning the tub with a dilute bleach solution, letting it soak overnight, and it worked very well. The tub still needs a cleaning, but the bleach loosened the ...
8
votes
1answer
3k views
How do I clean vinyl siding without a pressure washer?
My vinyl siding is turning green from mildew and I have to clean it up this weekend.
I let a friend borrow my pressure washer at the beginning of the summer, and he's out of the country for awhile. ...
4
votes
2answers
641 views
How do I replace an old Roomba's battery?
I've got an old iRobot Roomba "3100 Pro Elite" whose battery has died. A new Roomba is EUR 300 and upward, so I would prefer to revive the one I have.
It's difficult (impossible?) to find replacement ...
4
votes
4answers
1k views
What is the best way to remove spray paint from a blacktop driveway?
I have an area on my blacktop driveway that some kids thought needed some spray paint, what is the best way to remove it without damaging the blacktop?
7
votes
4answers
1k views
Is there a home made solution that will clean drains?
Not sure if this counts as "Home Improvement", but it's worth a shot:
I'm currently in an apartment where I'm not supposed to use chemicals to clear drains, like in the sink/tub.
I've cleared out ...
12
votes
6answers
500 views
Is it worthwhile to have ductwork cleaned?
Was rearranging some ductwork in my basement, and noticed that the stuff I took down was pretty filthy inside (especially the return air ducts).
Is it worthwhile to have ductwork cleaned out? What ...
4
votes
5answers
2k views
How do I clean the oven really well?
I need to clean my kitchen's oven really well. It is electric, has a "grill" element on top, and a fan behind a grating which, apparently, cannot be removed. I tried with the spray products for ovens ...
4
votes
2answers
1k views
How can I clean out my gutters while still on the ground?
My roof is taller than I'm comfortable getting on a ladder. I've got a couple weeds/trees starting to grow in them. Is there a tool that would somehow let me scrape or use water-pressure to clean the ...
