QUESTIONS & ANSWERS from "Ask-the-Wizard":

ANSWER FROM HOME-WIZARD.COM:

Dear jefrimmer:

Have you tried using Tilex brand cleaner (http://www.tilex.com/questions.html#mildew)? I've had very good success with it for controlling mildew in showers.

A couple of points that you might want to consider:

1) Read the instructions very carefully. The fumes are not good to breathe. 

2) You will want to be very careful not to stir up the mold and mildew spores such that they disperse up into the air where they can cause respiratory problems.

3) If the mildew has gotten established deep under the vinyl strip, unfortunately, you may need to bring in a professional.

4) You should consider eliminating the root cause of your mildew problem. Why is your shower staying damp and becoming a breeding ground for mildew? Do you need to squeegee the water off the walls and floors into the drain after using the shower? Or do you need to place a fan in front of it, or install an exhaust fan? In other words, what can you do to keep your shower from being a damp spot waiting to grow mildew?

We hope this is helpful.

Regards,
Home-Wizard.com
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QUESTION from "mike.cooley": 

Trying to replace a bathroom tube restrainer. The existing one is giving me h#@% as I try to unscrew. Any recommendations?

ANSWER FROM HOME-WIZARD.COM:

Dear mike.cooley:

I'm not exactly sure which pieces you are working on. But if its metal pieces in the bathroom that you are trying to unscrew, you might want to try spraying them with "Liquid Wrench" (or another such penetrating / dissolving oil), then letting it soak in overnight.

And now here's where you need to be careful. When you are trying to break free parts that are stuck together like what you've described, its better to give a sharp pull on the wrench, rather than a long strong tug. But be careful, if you give it too sharp of a tug, you could break or strip the threads.

Hope this is helpful.

Home-Wizard.com
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QUESTION from Susannah Graedel on 2/24/2008:

We have a bathtub with a shower head. We have a shower curtain and liner along the open side of the tub. When we take a shower, water splashes onto the tiled wall. It runs down the wall and then onto the tub rim and finally down the side of the tub and puddles on the floor by the wall.
I have read about a water guiding strip on a patent website. Is anything like this or some other product that will solve our problem available on the market? Thank you very much.

ANSWER FROM HOME-WIZARD.COM ON 2/24/2008:

Dear Susannah Graedel:

Here's a link to a website that shows a product called a "Splash Protector" that helps keep shower water that splashes against your tile from dripping down onto the tub rim, and then down on your floor:

http://www.bookofjoe.com/2006/07/splash_protecto.html

Hope this is helpful.
Home-Wizard.com
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QUESTION from Corrine B Hinkle - randchinkle 2/12/2008:

We have had tile floors installed. The grout has been sealed twice at installation. Still, the (lght-colored)grout gets dirty and I cannot get it clean. Any suggestions?
Thanks in advance for your consideration

ANSWER FROM HOME-WIZARD.COM ON 2/12/2008:

Dear randchinkle:

Here is a webpage that gives a good description of how to clean tile grout:

http://www.mrscleannw.com/tips/grout-cleaning.html 

Which describes the best way to clean grout (i.e., using a mixture they describe of baking soda, vinegar, ammonia and water, and then using a wet/dry vacuum to pull the dirt out of the porous grout after applying a cleaning solution).

If this still doesn’t work for you, then it may be possible that your grout has become stained (especially since you say it is light colored). If it has indeed gotten stained, then you have a couple of options: 1) you can use a tool called a "grout saw" to gently remove the top layer of grout, then re-grout your tile with clean grout; or 2) tile stores sell special grout stains that permanently color the grout and hide the stains. 

Hope this is helpful
Home-Wizard.com
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QUESTION from robertridener on 1/15/2008:

i turn my shower off and i hear something crack.

ANSWER FROM HOME-WIZARD.COM ON 1/15/2008::

Dear robertridener:

Without hearing it myself, its hard to tell exactly what is causing the "crack" sound that you are hearing when you turn off your shower.

But if I had to guess, I would say that the sound is caused by a "water hammer" in your plumbing system. A water hammer is caused by the pressure shock that is created when there is a sudden change in velocity of a liquid flowing through a pipe (like when you close the valve on your shower). A water hammer is very bad for your piping system, and you should get it eliminated.

Eliminating a water hammer in your plumbing system will depend on the configuration of your system. For example, do you already have an air chamber in your plumbing (which is there to help eliminate water hammers), that has filled up with water and is therefore not working properly? So I'm afraid that you will likely need to bring in a trained plumbing professional to help you.

One test that you can try on your own is to turn off the water in your shower very slowly, and see if you still hear the "crack" sound.

Hope this is helpful.
Home-Wizard.com
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QUESTION from Lima Chan on 5/10/2008:

How can I get rid of the hard water film on my glass shower door?

ANSWER FROM HOME-WIZARD.COM ON 5/10/2008:

Dear Lima:

The best thing that I would recommend for removing hard water film from a glass shower door is to use a cleaner made for glass cooktops (such as Weiman's brand cleaner) and to use a blue 3M brand scrubber cleaner.

Hope this is helpful.
Home-Wizard.com
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FOLLOW-UP COMMENTS from Lima on 5/13/2008:

I did tried the glass cooktop cleaner and razor but it doen't clean it as good. Then, I tried the bleach soft cleanser with lemon, it cleaned quite well but a lot of scrub and result in scratch. Other methods I tried would be vinegar, dishwasher detergent or dishwasher no streak treatment. I even tried exfoliater, the one use to remove the dead skin for human.

anyway, thank you.
Lima

ANSWER FROM HOME-WIZARD.COM ON 5/13/2008:

Lima:

When you tried using the glass cooktop cleaner, did you use a blue 3M brand scrubber cleaner with it? Or did you just try using a razor blade?

Is your glass door clean now?

Sincerely
Home-Wizard.com
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FOLLOW-UP COMMENTS from Lima on 5/13/2008:

I don't think it was 3M scrubber but I believe it was scotch brite.... and I didn't notice much clearer with Cook Top cleaner.. The razor blade does do the job but it was like square inch by square inch job and took forever, very exauhsting. 

After using soft scrub the glass door is clearer with few scratches. Yet I still can see the fine spots over the glass door. I am still trying. 

The scrubber you are talking about is not those "stone" ones alright? Let me buy it and try first. It it goes well I will let you know.

Thanks,
Lima

ANSWER FROM HOME-WIZARD.COM ON 5/13/2008:

Lima:

It sounds like the problem with your shower door glass is a particularly difficult one.

I've been doing some research for you to see what others have been successful with, and I found the following webpage that has a list of possible solutions: http://uclue.com/?xq=962

It seems that every situation is a bit different, and some products work well for a particular situation but not for others. So unfortunately, it requires some trial and error.

And yes, I did not mean the "stone" scrubbers.

I hope this is helpful.
Home-Wizard.com
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