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Reena Nerbas: Homemade cleansers

Dear Reena: My stainless steel countertop has developed a film that I cannot take off, nor can I put the polish back onto it for any length of time. Any suggestions? Sharon Dear Sharon: This is a common problem.
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It takes some effort to keep that gleaming stainless steel looking pristine. Reena has some hints to help you.

Dear Reena: My stainless steel countertop has developed a film that I cannot take off, nor can I put the polish back onto it for any length of time. Any suggestions?

Sharon

Dear Sharon: This is a common problem. Those gleaming stainless steel counters dull over time. You can make your own wonderful stainless steel cleaner: Into a spray bottle combine equal amounts of white vinegar and water. Add a drop of dish soap and four drops of lavender essential oil. Spray onto the stainless steel and wipe with a soft cloth. (You should test this or any product on an inconspicuous area first.)

You can also clean stainless steel with washing soda and water followed with a rinse of vinegar. Finally, polish stainless steel with a little olive oil on a soft cloth.

 

Dear Reena: My husband is furious with me because he says I am responsible for white stains all over the leather front passenger seat of our new Nissan Rogue. We have concluded that it is caused by sunscreen, which I apply to my face and arms every day. Even though it is rubbed in thoroughly, there must be some residue that remains, but I had no idea that this would happen when I climbed into our new car.

Our last car had leather upholstery as well, and this staining never occurred.

My purse is leather, as are many other items that I handle on a daily basis, and none of them have ever stained.

I would love to know why this has happened only in this car and if there is any way to remove the stains. We have tried soap and water and leather cleaner. I am afraid to make it worse.

Joanne

Dear Joanne: Don’t despair. We’ve all been there in one way or another. Sunscreen products are greasy and sometimes coloured with dye. This situation is not much different than if a stick of butter were placed onto the seat day after day, and so you need to treat the area as a grease stain.

Some leather and other upholstery fabrics are pretreated to prevent products containing oil from penetrating, but it sounds as though the Nissan fabric may not be protected.

To prevent future occurrences, protect fabric by spraying the upholstery with fabric guard and by using seat covers, wearing long pants or placing a towel under your legs and against the back of the chair.

To remove the stain, you could take the car to a detailer. Or you could clean or scrub the area with cornstarch and dish soap and rinse with water, or scrub with Sunlight laundry soap bar.

Unless the white stains are caused by bleach in the product, they should be removable.

One other possibility: On hot days, the sun warms the seats, but if there is sunblock on some areas the sun might have bleached those areas on the upholstery, which is permanent. (This is less likely if the windows are tinted, but still possible.)

 

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