Maintenance : Composite Granite Sink

My black composite granite sink developed a white haze after about 8 months. Mr. Clean's Magic Eraser removed the haze with ease.

What mineral makes granite pink :
Orthoclase feldspar


Vinegar, with a pH of 2.8, is very acidic and as a result will etch any sealed finish on your granite. Typical etchings will appear as hazy areas, dull spots or rings.

How to clean composite granite sink :
According to a website by FRANKE fine sinks and baths, http://www.frankeksd.com/cleaninginstructions.php?node=30&cleanid=3, clean a granite sink by using a soapy nylon brush in circular motions. Rinsing and drying is very important in avoiding film build-up. Never use abrasive cleaning products. Please refer to the site for additional suggestions about cleaning stains.

Can use alcohol & water to clean granite?
no it is poisonous!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

PRO :
fade proof solid color throughout , resists scratching chipping and staining heat resistant up to 535 degrees fahrenheit (279 deg Celsius)

Granite Composite - The most durable sinks on the market today. Thanks to an extremely high density of rock particles at the sink's surface, these sinks offer supeiour scratch, chip and heat resistance. These sinks will weather hot pans, dropped utinsils, tomato sauce stains and other harsh conditions beautifully. And they offer heat resistance to 535 degrees Fahrenheit, which means a pan can go from stove to sink without burning or marring the surface.

Bedcare

http://www.allergo.com/bedCareFAQ.html

Can I vacuum my bed with a water-based vacuum cleaner?

Vacuuming with a water-based vacuum cleaner is the worst that you can do for the bed. Third-party medical studies (University of Virginia) have shown that of various vacuum cleaners tested, the water-based vacuum leaked the most allergen.

This is because water is not a good filter - what goes in comes back out. In industrial applications, water filters are mainly used to remove the largest particles (example, sand from sandstorms in desert locations). Water is never used in any commercial applications where the dust is in the submicron level (1 micron = 1/1000th of 1 millimeter). Dust mite allergen is in that category.

While the water-based vacuum may be very expensive, and it may also be unique in various applications (like clearing a clogged sink, or cleaning a wet floor), it should not be used for removing house dust mite allergens. Any dust mites removed by the vacuum will be blown back into the air, where it causes more damage to the allergic individual.

View abstract of Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology study.

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Can I vacuum my bed with other vacuums?

The best vacuum that is recommended by medical professionals is one fitted with a True HEPA filter, and with a suction power that is strong enough to reach down through the mattress. Even a True HEPA vacuum without very strong suction will not do the trick. You can find more info on this in the Floorcare section.

If your vacuum is not a True HEPA vacuum, it will leak any dust mite allergens that it picks up from the surface of your bed. This is despite whatever manufacturer claims of filtration efficiency etc. The industry standard is True HEPA, which is the only type of vacuum used where leakage control is very important - namely industrial cleanrooms.

While vacuuming with a good True HEPA vacuum will do the job, any remaining dust mites (e.g. 5% left after vacuuming), can continue to multiply and cause problems. So, regular vacuuming is required, and vacuuming alone does not achieve 100% avoidance.

However, anti-allergen encasings can achieve 100% avoidance as the allergens from within the mattress cannot escape and harm the sleeping individual.

In this case, only the top surface of the anti-allergen encasings need to be vacuumed from time to time.

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How about bedding that are treated for dust mites?

Recently, consumer anti-dust mite bedding like bedsheets and pillows have been made available. These are usually treated with chemicals (called acaricides) that kill dust mites, so that dust mites do not thrive in it. While this is a good thing, it is not a permanent measure.

Acaricides have been available for a long time. A consumer version is Acarosan, which has benzyl benzoate as the active agent, and is available as a spray or as a washing additive.

While patients have a choice of using this spray on their existing bed (which is similar to buying chemically pre-treated bedding), this is not recommended for two reasons.

Firstly, although manufacturers claim that their acaricides is harmless, the long term impact of constant skin contact with an acaricide is still unknown. Many people would not like to treat their mattresses and pillows with chemicals. Which is why acaricides are normally recommended for carpets, upholstery and other relatively low-contact environments.

Secondly, even if you use the acaricide, their effectiveness only lasts for a given period. In temperate climates, it may last up to six months. In hot and humid tropical climates like Singapore, it is usually one to three months. If the bedding is not treated again, then mites will continue to grow and multiply.

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Are anti-mite mattresses useful?

As in the case of bedding (see previous question), anti-mite mattresses are usually chemically treated. Many people do not like the idea of sleeping on a mattress soaked with an acaricide

One can buy a bottle of Acarosan and spray one's own mattress to achieve the same effect, for a fraction of the cost.

Only that such chemical treatments are short-term, and require a re-treatment within 1 to 3 months to remain effective.

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Will any US-made anti-allergen encasing do?

While there are other types of membranes available from the US, Allergy Control™ covers stand out on a few counts:

• it is the only one that has a US FDA Class II Medical Device certification.
• it has been tested by NUH, and the positive results have been published.
• it has the highest breathability in the market, more than ten times that of common polyurethane membranes going by different brand names. And yet the pricing differential is minimal.
• being the pioneer of allergy control covers in 1983, Allergy Control has the longest history.

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Will mattress protectors help?

Mattress protectors are cushioned sheets that are placed in between the mattress and bed sheets. They help absorb any night soiling and adds cushion comfort.

However, they are useless against dust mites. This is because they are made of fabric, with filling inside. Dust mites will penetrate the fabric and filling, making the mattress protector itself an ideal breeding ground for dust mites.

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Can't I just sun my mattresses and pillows?

Clinical tests published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology has shown that sunning bedding had little effect on controlling mite population. The best patient action is still to encase the bedding items with anti-allergen encasings.

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How to get rid of smell

my place stinks... from the floor varnish, the leather sofa and the cabinets...

I am moving in really soon, any idea how to remove the odor?

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just put the charcoal(for bbq) in an open container and leave it there

putting tea leaves in cabinets helps as well.

A big bowl of normal salt..good for remove paint smell.

Pandan leave help too & they can get rid of cockroaches

Just open the windows to air the space. Sunlight will help also. Keep them open a few days.

for smells,esp. paint and such..place a pail of water with choppped onions and leave it overnite..

Mould on Furniture : Maintenance

This is a cure that I've found to be quite effective so far. Wipe away all the mould spores with WHITE VINEGAR. Leave the cupboard to dry for 3 days before putting back all your clothes. Leave a dehumidifier inside.

I've had problems with mouldy cupboards ever since I started living alone back in 2002. So trust me on this one. You better wear a mask during cleaning though, because the vinegar smell can realli sting your nose.

Try to air the cupboards like once a week or something. Ventilate the room properly. Buy better-quality wood furniture (this one I'm guilty of infringing, that's why I'm so experienced).

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put charcoal.
it can remove smell + moisture.

ntuc got sell those charcoal alike packed in nice packaging.. can use those, usually it is placed together with those purifiers..

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my entire bedroom set (dressing table & chair, side tables, bedframe, wardrobe) bought from LEE FURNISHINGS in Tanjong Katong Complex all get mouldy everywhere...only bought for less than 4 mths..so disgusting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i got asked some ppl regarding this, they comment is becos of insufficient chemical treatment of the wood, hence will become mouldy...which is very not ethical in doing business like this...

Just use a dry cloth or magic clean paper to clean it off and it'll disappear for a few months.

Also try using the dehumidifiers like Thirsty Hippo inside.

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Dear all, I tried vinegar, and the result is not as good.
Therefore, my most effective mehthod would be:

(A) get a pail of water, (half filled),
(B) add in a few drops of of chlorine (those white bleach for clothes).
(C)Please remember to wear gloves to protect your hands.
(D) After that, dip a piece of cloth into that pail of water, and then remove the excess water from the cloth and start wiping the cupboard and mouldy furniture.
(E)then change to a pail of clean water, and wipe again to remove and "trail" of chlorine on the furniture again.

Ever since I did that, the mould have stop growing.
But please remove all clothings etc before wiping the cupboard. and allow the cupboard to dry up completely before putting your clothings into the cupboard.

Hope my method works for you too.

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hihi...seagal, me nowadays always went to S&C Furniture at AMK (thru recommendations frm forum) to buy furnitures...they gt big variety of furnitures...probably u can chk wif the boss there (Melvin)...

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If you have time,use lacquer or treat the surface with oil or something which you can purchase from hardware shop, try 'Home Fix, probably it's not thick enough.
i suspect it's the IKEA compressed wood furniture.

Mould on Silicon Sealant : Maintenence

Guys, i am only into my 2nd year flat at Sengkang and there are mould invading my bathrooms and kitchen. They are everywhere on silicon .. at the bathroom etc.. HOW to KILL and remove them fOREVER??? PLEASE HELP

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any brand will do as long as it contents bleach.... you can easily find it at NTUC or other major supermarket....

agree with yoongf that this solution only effective to remove mould on the surface. If it is alreday deep inside the sealant then you need to replace the sealant....

for those who is going to do shower screen, remind your id/contractor to use anti-fungus sealant...

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i also face the same problems some time back. I sprayed the duck mould on the shower screen and let it seep into the gaps between the screen and the seal. To me, the logic is that if the mould can grow on the inside, water must have seeped in. It had worked for me. Nowadays, i check on the seal. the minute i see brownish/ blackish spots, i apply the duck mould. so far, no more headaches with the moulds. But, i notice that the greyish tiles in contact with the duck mould had been "whitened"

Homogenuous Tiles : Maintenance

Some possible reasons to share. The tiles might not be the grade A or manufacturing problems. Or the contractor used acid to wash the tiles n damaged. But most of the times, its the wax layer at the tiles caused the cloudy look. You may try using abit of Cif and scrub with soft cloth.

My house the homogeneous tiles have the wheel marks on it... happen when we are moving boxes into the house..

Use a damp cloth (no need detergent) & ur fingernails to get the marks off. Use energy, keep rubbing the same spot again and again & it will come off.
hi, try using those magic sponge. no need detergent. it helps to remove, if not, lighten the marks.

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Lately while mopping floor, I found that some of the gaps in between the old tiles are FILTHY BLACK. I tried sitting on floor and slowly scratched in-between with a damp cloth, the filth came out.

You can just buy those NTUC bleach, dilute it in a pail of water. Depending on the extent of the dirt, you may have to use more or less bleach.

Try it on a small area of tiles first to make sure that it doesn't damage the tiles. Once you find that it's ok and it works, then use it on a larger surface area.

Be careful not to use those bristle scrubbers or you might damage the tiles (if they are the sort that can be scratched). Better to just let the bleach slowly dissolve the dirt and then use a mop to clean it.

I wouldn't use Jif on the living room tiles in case it scratches the tiles. I would only use Jif for ceramic sinks and bathtubs.

You may also want to try the vignear (mix one part with one part water) or lemon with baking soda.

Apply on affected area and clean with wet cloth then dry with a soft cloth.

hey kyra...is the black stuff MOULD??

if so...there is this brand which is quite effective called DUCK mould remover...can get at ntuc...you spray and leave it there a while before mopping the yucky stuff off...

For tiles dirt and grouting dirt, use mosaic & toilet stains remover. This is very effective. But bear in mind!! Only to be use on ceramic and homogenous tiles. Marble and Granite NO!

Tips to get rid of Coachroaches

Dap a piece of cotton using the medicated oil

lemon grass keep away lizard

pandan leave keep roaches away

Stone Care

SCL Etch Protector
It is designed to protect any polished surfaces such as marble or granite countertops and bathroom wall surfaces from soap scum and perfume spills. It will also prevent glass rings from forming on bar countertops. Etch protector will enhance thr brilliant colours to a well condition darker colour stone but it will not give shine to a worn and dull marble surfaces.
Retail Price SGD 18.90 / Unit

Link: http://www.home-fix.com/storefront/Product...?ProductId=1406

Kitchen : Tips

I have been using postform top for kitchen top in my old flat for almost 8 yrs and it still look good when I sold my old flat.

How to avoid the water to seep into the egdes of postform top for kitchen:

1) Top mount the sink and put a thick layer of silicon "under" the sink (Before the edge).
2) To coat a layer of clear color paint at all the 4 edges.