Q-The toilet in my master bath no longer flushes as efficiently as it used to. Many times a second flush is required to completely empty the bowl.
I’ve used a plunger, or plumber’s helper, to make sure the drain is clear and have checked the water level in the flush tank. Everything is OK.
I then tried dumping an extra quantity of water into the bowl just before flushing it and found that this helped, although the sides of the bowl still did not get as clean as they used to after each flush. What can you suggest?
A-It sounds as though the small flush holes under the rim of the toilet bowl are clogged, or at least partially blocked, with sediment or mineral buildup.
Each time the toilet is flushed, water is supposed to come streaming down from these holes to wash the sides of the bowl and insure a complete flush.
Use a stiff piece of bent wire-such as a wire coat hanger-to probe each of these holes.
If you can’t force the wire end into one of these holes, then use something like an ice pick to clean out that hole.
Stained table top
Q-A pail containing an ammoniated cleaner was left on top of my oak dining room table. Apparently, the pail was wet on the bottom because it left a stain on the table top, and the polyurethane finish was completely removed from a section several inches square.
The wood is also discolored and has a grayish cast in that area. I want to repair the finish by applying more polyurethane and “feathering” it in carefully, but I am sure the gray discoloration will still be noticeable. Using steel wool didn’t remove this. What can you suggest?
A-If the discoloration won’t come out with fine sandpaper, then the stain is too deep for an abrasive to remove it.
You may be able to cover it, or at least make it much less noticeable, by using a light-colored wood stain over the area so that it blends in better with the rest of the wood. Chances are that only a wood bleach-sold in most paint stores-will really remove the discoloration.
However, using a wood bleach successfully requires that the entire top be bleached, and this means that all of the finish must be stripped off first.
After bleaching, the entire top will have to be refinished.
Bathroom mildew
Q-We live in a 51-year-old house and about three years ago we started having a severe mildew problem in our bathroom.
There’s mildew all over the walls and ceiling. There’s no vent or fan in that bathroom.
We’re also starting to find mold and mildew on the furniture in two upstairs rooms over the bathroom. We don’t use those rooms, so there’s no heat up there.
A-Since there is no ventilation in that bathroom, the first thing I would recommend is having an exhaust fan installed. Make sure this vents directly to the outside, and be sure the fan is turned on every time the bathroom is in use.
I definitely advise adding some heat in the upstairs rooms, as well as periodically ventilating those rooms on a dry day.
Then, make certain all mildew and mold is removed by washing the walls and ceilings with a solution of one part laundry bleach to four parts water, then rinse off with clear water.
Repaint the walls with a mildew-resistant paint to which you have added extra mildewcide. All furniture that shows signs of mold should be professionally cleaned and aired out.
Window condensation
Q-I recently paid $8,000 to have all my old windows replaced with modern vinyl units. When cold weather arrived, I noticed a problem with condensation forming on a large dining room window and near the bottom of one bedroom window.
When I complained to the installer he said that condensation had formed on the large window because I closed a heavy drape over it each night, which prevented air from circulating past it on the inside.
He claims that on the bedroom window the problem was caused by a wide sill that creates a deep space between the drape and the window. What is your opinion?
A-He may be right. If heat from inside the house can’t reach the inner surface of the windows, then the window glass could get chilled enough on cold nights to allow condensation to form on the inside.
A simple way to check this is to leave the drapes open, at least a few inches, during the next cold night. If his answer is correct, then there will be no more condensation problems.
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Write to Bernard Gladstone in care of Your Place, Chicago Tribune, 435 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, Ill. 60611. Questions of general interest will be answered in future columns. Sorry, letters cannot be answered personally.
