Dear Reena: One of my daughter’s winter gloves has melted wax on it. It is made with nylon fabric and has faux fur trim on the edge. I don’t want to wash it in the machine. How can I remove the wax?
Celeste
Dear Celeste: Soak the glove in a pot of boiling water. Make sure that the faux trim does not get wet. A good way to ensure that no heat touches the fur is to position a plastic bag over the fur and secure with a rubber band.
Boil the glove for at least five minutes. The wax will soften and release from the fabric.
Air dry.
Dear Reena: My mother-in-law recently passed away in a nursing home. Her clothing, mostly stretchy things, has iron-on name tags in the back. I would like to know if there is any way to remove these tags without damaging the fabric.
Sandi
Dear Sandi: Sorry for your loss, Sandi.
To remove the tags, begin by lifting a corner of the label and heating it with a hair dryer. This works well to loosen glue, making it easier to peel labels off.
If that doesn’t work, other useful products to remove gluey labels include citrus oil, rubbing alcohol, Goo Gone or, if you are desperate, WD-40.
Spray the product onto the label and leave for 15 minutes then peel off the label. Afterward, soak the fabrics in dish soap and water to wash away the odour.
Test all solutions on an inconspicuous area first.
Dear Reena: I like to use butter when I make grilled cheese sandwiches but I store my butter in the fridge. When it comes time to make the sandwiches, the butter is too hard. Any substitutes other than margarine would be greatly appreciated.
Wayne
Dear Wayne: Spread bread with mayonnaise instead of butter. It’s so much easier and the flavour is delicious. You will notice that each sandwich comes out nice and crisp.
Dear Reena: I have drugstore beetles in my kitchen cupboards where I keep cereal, pasta and rice. These items are all stored in 500 ml freezable food containers.
I throw out contaminated food and wash the containers and shelves but the beetles are back in no time. Any suggestions?
Shirley
Dear Shirley: The drugstore beetle (Stegobium paniceum) got its name from its fondness for old time remedies such as dried herbs. It also infests, as you note, cereal, rice and bread containers.
The simplest way to get rid of drugstore beetles is to locate the source of the infestation and dispose of it.
Use a flashlight or other light to examine all food storage areas and food products. Get rid of heavily infested foods by collecting them in heavy plastic bags or in sealed containers for garbage disposal.
When you purchase foods, check packaging dates to establish freshness. Stay away from broken and damaged items. Purchase rarely used foods in small quantities to prevent storage periods of one month or more, (especially during summer).
Store foods in insect-proof containers, made of glass, heavy plastic or metal, that have screw-on lids. Or store food in a refrigerator or freezer.
Properly ventilate the storage area to discourage these moisture-loving pests.
Foods with questionable infestations can be heated in a shallow pan in the oven at 120 F for an hour, placed in a deep freeze (minus 20 C) for four hours or heat in a microwave oven for a few minutes.
After removing all food, food packages and dishes from the cupboard, shelves or storage area, use a strong suction vacuum cleaner with proper attachments to clean all spilled foods from crevices behind and under appliances and furniture.
Pull out heavy appliances from the wall and scrub with soap and hot water.
After shelves are clean and dry, cover with fresh paper or foil.
It is not recommended to use insecticides around food but if the infestation persists, clear out the kitchen and put all food that may be affected into the freezer.
Spray Raid or call a professional pest control service to tackle the problem.
You can also sprinkle diatomaceous earth (fullers earth) along the backs of the shelves. This stuff is not harmful if it gets on food but avoid inhaling it as it can cause lung damage.
If you have to use a strong chemical, be sure to wash all shelves and walls before returning the food to the shelves.
Sweet Leftovers
• Crush candy canes and add pieces to ice cream, cookies or sprinkle onto cupcake icing.
• Candy canes make great stir sticks for hot chocolate, tea, hot milk or coffee, punch or ginger ale.
• Peppermint Bark. You can use any kind of brown or white chocolate, or candy melts. Spread the melted chocolate onto waxed paper in a thin layer and sprinkle crushed candy canes on top. When hard, break into pieces. Yum!
• Attach thank-you notes to candy canes and hand them out to people who gave you a Christmas gift or invited you to a dinner or party.
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