Household tips

Our filling operations usually also happen in the sink. Makes so much sense!

For solid items (herbs, sugar, salt etc) I just loosely roll up a piece of paper sort of diagonally to make a cone of suitable size.

 

Toothpaste also rubs out small scratches on cars.

 

Particularly with the bags of sugar that, as @pete says, there's a fellow must be paid to ensure sugar gets caught in the folds at the top of the bag!

 

Has anyone ideas for removing the bloom from a waxed wooden table please?

 

Presumably it's just waxed with no other kind of finish underneath?
You could remove the wax with white spirit on a rag.

 

It's an oak coffee table and had a slightly polished finish to it from new @pete. It was suggested by the furniture shop that it was waxed, but now it just looks horrible. I didn't wax my dining table from the same range and that looks so much better.

 

Difficult to say without looking at it but is it marked from having something hot put on it or from spillages, even just water?

I doubt any furniture these days would not have a varnish/lacquer finish unless it's really old.

If the problem is in the Lacquer coating then it really needs stripping and refinishing.

 

@Sheal I know a dog walker who does furniture restoration as a job. I'll ask him next time I see him walking his dog.

Our dining room table, which came with a shiny finish, sometimes has a patch. We've tried vinegar and lemon juice and a lot of rubbing. If you put Mr Sheen on it sometimes gets worse. I would like to know the answer myself.

Our oak coffee table is different as you have to use wax and it comes up lovely. It doesn't have that sprayed on finish.

So I'll keep an eye open for the dog walker.

 

@Sheal I just happened to bump into "dog walker" this morning.

He suggested putting some meths on a rag, then wiping it on the affected area. Then light it with a match and instantly blow the flame out! I presume one needs to buff it up then.

Probably best to test on a small area first!

 

I'm assuming meths will only work on a shellac finish, ie. french polish.

 

I found rubbing a walnut into a white ring worked. It might be worth a try before you do anything drastic. You can eat the rest of the walnuts if it doesn't work.

 

Many thanks, I'll get back to your replies tomorrow folks as I'll be logging out shortly. I've just written a large post in reply and accidently deleted it.

 

I have a few empty pepper grinders - not the fancy ones but the ones you get in the supermarket.
It seems a shame to dump them, so I thought coriander seeds, cumin seeds or a mixture..
Any other ideas?

 

Sorry folks, I've only just remembered to reply.

I couldn't get pictures as there was too much light reflecting on the table surface.

Thanks all for your suggestions. I think I'll start with an idea from elsewhere to try washing up liquid in warm water. If that doesn't work then I'll progress to either meths or white spirit.

 

I might have had a good idea. Pop pots of cuttings or seeds into an old Ziploc bag and zip up.
It might work. I'm giving it a go anyway. I rarely fancy reusing them for food.