Show is I 1 R S TA T A AID I 1 to the AILING HOUSE by ROGER B WHITMAN N roger B whitman rea features tures you may not b be 0 able to replace worn orn or broken h household on behold equipment this Is war government governa e n t prior priorities it tes come 11 first so take care of 0 what you have as well as possibly can this column by the home owners teus tells you how CLEANING AND PAINTING BRICKWORK question I 1 should like to give my fireplace a tou chup the bricks are rust and natural color and need cleaning how should I 1 do this also the upper part is is of cement blocks natural color what paint could I 1 use to retain this natural color answer you can clean the bricks by scrubbing them with a paste made of scouring powder moistened with water and a little household ammonia ammonia rinse thoroughly after removing the dirt you can enrich and darken the color of these bricks by a brush coat of linseed oil try this first on some obscure brick to see how you like the effect the ce ment blocks also can be scrubbed in the same way as the bricks and given a coat of cement paint which can be had at a mason material yard infested firewood question the last lot of firewood that I 1 bought for our fireplace is is infested with insects of some kind they are crawling out of the wood and onto the cellar floor Is there some chemical in which I 1 could dip the logs that would kill the bugs answer you should not accept delivery of insect infested fl firewood wood of this sort should not be kept in the house but it if it is brought in it should be placed directly on the fire chemical solutions in which to dip the wood may prove far too expensive dipping the logs in boiling hot water for a few seconds should kill the worms and insects but the best thing to do would be to have the dealer exchange the logs for clean wood burned frying pan question we have a large frying pan that at one time was left on the fire until it was red hot since then everything we try to fry in the pan sticks to the bottom Is there anything we can do to make the pan serviceable answer try the following scrub the pan well with soap water and steel wool rinse with clear water and dry thoroughly warm up the pan then rub some suet on the bottom of it and place it in the oven leaving the pan there for 15 to 30 minutes at a temperature of about degrees F wash the pan again rinse and then wipe dry rusty skillet cover question rust collects with the steam on the cover of my iron skillet and spoils the food I 1 have boiled with soda and scoured it what shall I 1 try next answer after scouring off the rust with steel wool clean well and heat the metal then rub with suet or sweet oil place in a hot oven for 10 to 15 minutes and wipe off ob excess grease do not use harsh caustics for washing iron utensils dry them as soon as possible leaky tile floor question my white tile bathroom floor leaks after a heavy splashing what can I 1 use to fill up the cracks or will it be necessary to the floor answer if you find cracks around the edges of the floor at the tub or walls fill the spaces with a calking compound if necessary rake out all cracked cement between the tiles and fill with a white portland cement mixed with water to the consistency sis tency of thick cream mahogany bookcase question the finish on my mahogany bookcase is dull how can I 1 give it a glossy finish answer wash ott off all wax or polish on the surface with the thick suds of a mild soap then remove the suds with a cloth damp with clear water and wipe dry allow several hours for complete drying and then apply a coat of good quality quick drying varnish soundproof door question I 1 should like to deaden the sound between two rooms in my apartment could I 1 have a heavier door made to replace the present connecting dour answer if you get what is known as a soundproof door you may be able to reduce a great deal of sound transmission between the rooms your lumber and millwork dealer should be able to supply you with such a door storm windows for casements question we should like to install storm windas wind cs s on the inside of our casement windows our contractor says that we need no more than an inch and a half of air space Is that enough to keep out the cold answer ns yes it is is |