March 25, 2019

     Dear Ken: The rubber triangle pieces on our garbage disposer look awful and disgusting. How do you clean them? Joanne

     Take an old toothbrush or a round toilet bowl brush, saturate it in liquid, full strength ammonia and scrub the splash guard--top and bottom. This is an area of the disposal most often neglected--and the one that produces that bad breath" smell in the summertime. 

     To clean the innards of your disposal, throw in about three handfuls of ice cubes and a whole lime or half a lemon, and then run it for a while. The acid in the fruit will sweeten as well as disinfect, and the ice will do some scouring. I also add some pine oil cleaner from time to time and let it sit in the bottom of the disposal overnight.

     By the way, that rubber splash guard you asked about eventually wears out. It needs to be replaced rather than ignored, because, in addition to repelling spatters, it has a safety function: pieces of bone or glass can jump out at you and, as your mom would say, put your eye out. I augment my splash guard with a plastic disk aide for that purpose. It has small holes in it to let the water through, but offers an additional layer of protection; they are available at the grocery store.

     Dear Ken: I live in an 80 year old house. The hardwood floors are suddenly squeaking. What can I do? Robert

     Sometimes it helps to lubricate them from above. Sprinkle some ordinary talcum powder in the cracks. After it works itself in, many times the squeaks will be gone.  Another product that works pretty well is the ground up graphite we squirt into recalcitrant door locks. Both of these materials work on the same principle: when you grind something up into tiny enough pieces, it takes on the characteristics of a liquid. In fact, when you rub the graphite between your fingers, you'll notice that it feels a little "greasy". Let me know if this helps you with your problem.

And speaking of hardwood....

     Dear Ken: My daughter is renewing her wood floors. The previous owner let dogs pee on the carpet and it soaked through to the hardwood in several areas. What does she need to do? Brenda                               

     In this case, dogs are better than cats. Your typical feline (usually male) will pick a spot and repeat the offense over and over. On the other hand, dog stains many times are a one-time "accident", and the spot may be salvageable (there may not have been enough liquid to open the grain and soak in). So if the stains are shallow, a hardwood floor company can lightly sand the surface, and--worst case--apply a slightly darker stain and then polyurethane. On the other hand, stains that are deep into the wood and resist refinishing usually require individual board replacement.

     Dear Ken: I have 4 inch tile on my older countertops. I need to re-grout. Do I need to remove all the old grout? Charles 

     You need to remove about 1/8" to 3/16" of the topmost material. If that leaves some in the cracks, no big deal. Use a grout scoring tool (a small carbide roller in a handle), a linoleum knife, screwdriver, awl, or any other sharp, extra hard device (this is one job where you MUST wear good eye protection). Once it's all been scored and removed, wipe with a wet sponge and apply some pre-mixed grout in your favorite color. Wait a few days and then apply a liquid grout sealer. This stuff really soaks in, so you may need up to three applications. Also, it wears away, so plan on renewing it once or twice a year, especially in a high-use area like your kitchen top. If you ignore this step, your grout will be food-stained in no time.

     Dear Ken: Our 1976 home has popcorn ceilings. How can we find out if it has asbestos in it before we remove it? Bud

     You’re right on the cusp. Asbestos was being phased out when your home was built. Contact your county health department to get a referral for a testing lab. They will use a small sample and render you a verdict in just a day or two.

     But I’d like to talk you into not removing that acoustic layer. It’s an extremely messy project which—in spite of your most heroic efforts—will release particles into the living space. It’s much better if you spray on a good acrylic latex, semi-gloss paint. In case the ceiling layer does contain asbestos, you will have then sealed it away from the indoor air environment.