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Archived Questions!

October 10, 2008

Tom-

I need help with a granite counter top. I live in a condo, and the one in my kitchen is covered in stains- I am told it wasn't "sealed" properly, but before I can "seal" it, I need to get the stains out of it and I haven't a CLUE. How do I get the stains out of rock? I didn't even know rock could stain! And after that- how do I "seal" it?

Robert Here -

Some rocks will stain, some won't. Quartz, for example, will not. Now will basalt. Marble will, and granite will, because they are made of a gazillion crystals, instead of having a uniformity, like glass. Some colored liquids can penetrate between the crystals, and there is your stain. Some stains can be removed without damage to the stone, although exactly which chemical you should use would depend on what the stain is. For granite stained with, say, coffee or tea, hydrogen peroxide or vinegar should do it, but be sure to rinse well afterwards. The rules are very different for marble, but specified granite, and its constituent minerals (quartz, feldspar, and mica) are not especially sensitive.

Sealers are liquids that penetrate into the places in the stone structure where stains could otherwise penetrate. The sealer then excludes the next stain. Do a Google search for "granite sealer" and you'll be amazed how many people would like to sell you some.

October 10, 2008

Hey Tom,

I have a question that I am hoping your shoe experience will be a big help with. I went to the Athlete's Foot on the advice of my podiatrist and asked for a shoe with a rigid shank. I have a hard to fit foot anyway as it is very wide, but I am not sure I was given a correct fitting and I hate to spend over a hundred dollars on a pair of shoes that do not seem to fit right. The salesperson measured me at a women's 12 EE, but as they do not carry that in the store I tried on some men's shoes that the sales person said were the equivalent size. I could not find a pair that my heel did not slip up and down in. I said something about ordering the women's shoe as the heel would be narrower but the sales person did not seem to think this would be the case. I am also not sure about the size 12 part either. I do have big feet, but my son wears a size 8 and I can wear his shoes although they are a little tight across the wide part of my foot. I do not think a men's 8, or even a 9, are equivalent to a women's 12. Could the shoe just have been to long?

I will really appreciate any shoe fitting advice you can give me as I want my feet to feel better.

In Length a womens 12 would be around a 10 1/2 in a mens shoe. I do believe a women's heel would be narrower but I think you will have a very hard time finding a 12 EE in a womens shoe.

I am guessing you were trying on New Balance shoes. If you are not confident in the fit I would go to a different store for a second opinion. There are also ways to lace shoes to hold the heel tight. It is hard to explain, hopefully your salesperson will be adequately trained.

Tom

October 10, 2008

what is the right time of year to trim dead limbs from really big trees? I would like to have it done soon before winter sets in and makes them possibly fall and blow or cause damage

thanks

The best time to prune trees is late fall.

Tom

October 10, 2008

Greetings:

I am just about to room rescue a corner of the basement that has 50 cans of paint in it of all different sorts and types. Is there some rule of thumb as to what to keep, and what to throw away; length of time it was purchased, consistancy of the paint in the can, etc., or should, because I don't have an immediate use for them, should they all be thrown out? What determines what to keep, and what to save?

Robert Here -

Latex paint that has been frozen should be discarded. But paint of any sort that has not been exposed to freezing temperatures will last for many years in the can, if the can has been tightly sealed. If the can has been opened and (tightly) resealed, the paint may have formed a thin skin that will have to be removed, but the remaining paint will be all right, if thoroughly mixed. The pigments in paint do tend to settle out over time, to form a layer of mud at the bottom of the can. If the paint has sat long enough, that layer will require a power tool to re-mix into the thinner component of the paint. You can get a stirrer that is operated by a power drill, that will do the job.

October 9, 2008

This is actually for Webdude Lee:

I have been meaning to ask you for a long time: Why is the font on Hey Tom much smaller than the one n the FlyLady site? And would it be possible to either make it bigger on Hey Tom or tell me how I can make it look bigger. I am squinting and leaning forwardÑnot good!

I went under View and scrolled down to Text Size, and it's already set on "Largest". Is there something else I can do?

Thank you in advance for any help you can give me!

--Barra in the 'Burgh

FlyLady's WebDude Lee Here -

The sites are set for the same standard font. You should be able to scale font sizes in your browser. Use the cmd and +/- keys to scale the page size to something that is more readable for you.

October 9, 2008

Hi Tom,

I am so thankful for your website! I really appreciate all the handy advice.

I am stumped on one thing though. I have a stinky shower drain. We bought this 40 year old house a little over a year ago. Since then, I have tried everything. I've tried Drano even (in case there was a clog or something). I've tried bleach, I've tried deodorizers, you name it. It doesn't stink until you get in and start running water down it. Do you have any suggestions?

I really appreciate your time with this.

You probably have a slime build up in the pipes. Here is a good site to check to help you solve your problem. http://www.askthebuilder.com/587_Shower_Drain_Odor.shtml

Tom

October 9, 2008

Hey Tom,

The cabinet door to the kitchen cupboard that houses our trash can is broke, and keeps on breaking despite my pitiful attempts to fix it (it gets opened and closed many, many times a day). Can you give me some ideas on what to do?

Here is how it is broken: The door is made of vertical strips of wood (not quite tongue-in groove), held together on the back/inside by two horizontal bands of wood, one a few inches from the top and one a few inches from the bottom. The screws that hold the vertical strip of wood to the horizontal strips of wood (top and bottom) have pulled out of the wood, on the side that has the handle. I've tried screwing it together again, and screwing it and using wood glue, but it keeps pulling out again whenever you grasp the handle to open the door. I can't seem to drill a new hole in the horizontal strip -- I don't know if the wood is too hard or my drill too low-powered.

Any suggestions?

Thanks so much, this repair-inept Fly Baby really needs some help!

This should be a pretty easy fix. All you need is a wooden tooth pick and some wood glue. Dip the tooth pick into the glue on one end and insert it into the hole and break it off at the approximate level of the top of the wood. Do this one more time and then put the piece back together. The wooden tooth picks will hold the screw in the original hole.

Tom

October 9, 2008

Hey Tom,

Every other weekend, I have to work 12 shifts at the hospital. It never fails that my husband will say, "Do you need me to do anything?" and no matter what it is I ask him to do he will say okay. Then when I get home he has not done it. This is driving me crazy! Usually all I want him to do is get his own stuff ready for work. Why does he ask me if he is not going to do anything?

Thanks, any insight would be helpful.

Robert Here -

A wise man has said, "A goal without a plan is just a wish," and this is a good example of what he meant. Your husband means well by asking, and probably intends to do what you ask, only not right then. That's the problem with intending to do something eventually; eventually never comes, because something else comes up first. Make him a list.

October 9, 2008

Hey Tom,

We have a basemant that is made with the concrete filled styrofoam blocks. Our home is 13 years old. Recently under three of our basement windows, right near the floor, the drywall is getting wet when it rains. Any idea why it would be getting wet?

I would appreciate any insight you have!

Thanks

Robert Here -

Let's start with what we know: water is coming in from the outside, under those windows. There are two possible ways that that can happen: the way the window is constructed is somehow getting rain onto the outside wall below the window, or else the rain water that has reached the ground is running toward the house at those places, and is finding its way through the masonry, probably by soaking in above the top of the waterproofing material. I don't know why the windows would cause that second possibility, unless some plant below the window has finally gotten big enough to shunt water toward the house. The next time it rains, go outside and see if (and where) the wall is wet. That is where the source of the problem is

October 8, 2008

Hi, Tom, I was trying to replace the flush valve in my toilet but ran into some problems with the fluidmaster replacement valve. The old valve was a white plastic tube with a disc on top with an arm that connected to a ball float. The new valve came with a Òleak lockÓ thingie that promised to prevent continuous drain and refill action in case of a leaky tank which is a good thing since we are on private septic, but the instructions said you have to make sure to align it directly facing the flush lever. The current flush lever has just one hole in the end and the leak lock needs another hole for its separate chain. Also the lever is all bent (kind of a shallow Z-shape) because itÕs an American Standard tank and the handle is on the diagonal at a corner, not on the front or the side. The leak lock and the flush lever want to occupy the same space simultaneously, an obvious physical impossibility but the plumbing parts wonÕt listen to reason. The flush handle is white porcelain to match the old-fashioned look of my home and the claw foot tub, and IÕd like to take it off so I can try to get the old metal lever off and replace it with a new one with bends in different places to accommodate the leak lock. I can get the reverse-threaded plastic lock nut on the inside loose but the first bend is at the base of the lever and wonÕt let the nut slide any further than the ends of the threads.

1) Is the metal lever supposed to be bent that way, and if so, how do I get the handle off the tank?
2) Can I replace just the metal lever with one that says itÕs bendable, so I can get the extra hole and some flexibility while keeping my cute handle?
3) Should I just get an ordinary replacement valve without the leak lock?

What happens when I actually need to replace the handle? I donÕt think the plastic replacement handle-lever assemblies will bend like the current one, or even if they need to!

Thanks for any help you can give me. The other toilet is upstairs and not nearly so convenient!

I would suggest that you do what I did recently. I just ignored the leak lock. Just take off anything that is attached to it. While I think it is a good idea to have a leak lock, we did without them for long long time. In my opinion, it wasn't worth the aggravation.

If you want to replace the handle just remember where it is on the toilet. Then pay attention to the packaging to make sure you get the correct one.

Tom

October 8, 2008

We have a crack in a thermopane window. We would like to fix it temporarily with something to fill the crack until we can take that section out. The pane is old and not as thick as panes are now so don't even know if we can get a replacement. This is at a house in another location and don't go there often.

You can use silicone caulk to temporarily fill the crack.

Tom

October 8, 2008

Hello Tom,

I have banging in my waterpipes when the toilet is refilling and when the shower is first turned on. This doesn't happen all the time and mostly happens at night. What can I do to fix it and do I need to get a plumber to do it?

Robert Here -

At first I thought you had water hammer, but that only happens when the valve is turned off suddenly, not when it is turned on. What I suspect you have is a pipe that has an unsupported span somewhere, so that it is able to vibrate like a large guitar string. The cure is to find the offending section and eliminate its ability to vibrate. How you do that is up to you. A nail on either side of the pipe, bent in toward the center, will do it. A short piece of heavy wire, attached however is handy, will do it. It doesn't matter how, just so you stop the movement, which over time can cause breakages in the system, and you don't want that.