| November 29, 2008 |
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Fingerprint powder headache
I‘VE experienced a number of break-ins and am having a problem removing fingerprinting powder from my light- coloured carpet and aluminium window frames. I‘ve tried various cleaners and managed to get most of the powder out of the carpet but am still left with a stain. The powder just refuses to budge off the window frames. – DLR, Port Elizabeth. Warm water and Sunlight soap will clean it, said the detective at my local police station. And then came the bottom line: it has to be done right away. The longer the powder stays, the more entrenched it becomes. This was confirmed by my hairdresser, who still has stains on items three years after they were dusted, in spite of regular cleaning. Meths is one of my favourite cleaners, and perhaps this would work for the window frames. Metsan carpet powder could help with the remaining stain in the carpet. There must be readers who have encountered this problem, and if anyone has found a solution, please let me know. I bought my son a pair of leather Moccasin- style shoes – closed in the front but open at the back. He has worn them quite a lot, and complains that they have acquired an awful smell. He does not wear socks with them. I thought of washing them in a strong solution of bicarb and water, but am sure you will come up with the correct solution! – DR, Port Elizabeth. Bicarb is an excellent deodoriser, but bleach would probably be more effective. Wrap a cloth saturated in bleach around the handle of a wooden spoon and clean the shoes with this, getting right down to the toe area. Once they are dry, dust inside with antiseptic powder. It would be helpful if your son powdered his feet. I noticed in a recent column that there was yet another plea for advice on getting rid of oily marks on clothing. I have a never-fail method which I discovered when my teenage son got a job in a workshop cleaning engine blocks and came home with black grease on his jeans. I was horrified and thought the clothing was ruined. I then thought, “What gets rid of grease? – Handy Andy!” So I laid the jeans flat in the bath, poured neat Handy Andy all over them and scrubbed them with a fairly stiff brush. The grease just poured out. I then put the jeans in the washing machine with the water quite hot. The jeans came out looking almost new! I have since used Handy Andy for oily frying splatters, spills down the front of shirts and any other greasy marks on all types of material including cotton and synthetics. I even used it on a silk blouse, without any harm coming to the fabric. Just before putting the item into the washing machine, I put a generous blob of Handy Andy (or the store generic) neat onto the greasy marks, work it well into the fabric, making sure not to damage the weave of the material. Then I put the clothing into the wash in the normal way. I always use the 40°C programme. – GT, Port Elizabeth. You‘re right – oily stains are a regular problem for readers. I have published several ‘‘sure fire‘‘ solutions, but your method appears infallible! Thanks for writing in.
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