How to repair wooden floors

Dear Home 911,

My brother and I live in our parents’ house which has parquet flooring. Recently we rearranged the furniture and when he moved a console with steel legs, the floor got scratched deeply. My brother says it’s not very noticeable. Hello! It’s almost a meter long and in the middle of the living room! Also, our tangile dining table has cigarette burns all over. Is there any way to repair these? – Mylene

Ah, men. The things they don’t notice and the things that they do. If somebody gave me a peso for every time my husband said "What ash?" when I point to his cigarette droppings all over the floor, I’d be a rich woman by now.

My question is: Can’t you just eject your brother from your parents’ house? Tell him about job openings in Kazakhstan or somewhere far?

If not, well, don’t despair. For your problem, we asked furniture designer and maker Claude Tayag, our resident consultant when it comes to wood questions.

Here’s the answer Claude e-mailed me:

"To remove scratches from parquet floor and the affected area, use a hand-held sander starting with 180 grit sandpaper, progressing to 250, then finally 400 grit (the first 180 grit will mainly remove all the accumulated dirt and wax). If machine sander is unavailable, wrap the sandpaper around a piece of wood (approx. 2x3x5 inches) and use this to sand the floor in a repetitive manner, in the same direction, until scratches are eliminated. Do this progressively with the different sand papers. Apply two to three coatings of floor wax. Allow to seep in and dry overnight. Polish vigorously.

"The same process applies to removing cigarette burns and scratches on a dining table. As with a tangile table, I imagine this has been stained to a darker color. After having sanded it, color with wood stain (available in hardware stores) closest to the original color, using a cotton cloth (the round ones they sell on the road)."

* * * Expiry Date

Dear Tanya,

I loved and laughed at your advice to the woman who couldn’t change a light bulb. You also wrote to use petroleum jelly for ants on wires. I have a half-jar of petroleum jelly but I don’t know if it’s still okay because there is no expiry date. – Jean

Apply to a non-life-threatening part of your body. If it itches or swells, stop using it. I checked my two brands of petroleum jelly at home: Apollo and Lander. You know what? They both don’t have expiry dates. I guess it’s because it’s oil, which can be used as a preservative, hence the long shelf life. If it’s still moist, you can probably still use it. If it’s hard, honey just buy a small jar (P14.75 at Mercury Drug) And anyway you’re going to use it for ants, so who cares if it’s old?

Here’s a rule of thumb for cosmetics and other products: If it’s a year old and you haven’t touched it in the past three months, throw it away. By the way, this rule doesn’t apply to frigid spouses.

* * * How Do You Clean Wicker Furniture?

Dear Home 911,

We have wicker furniture in our lanai and they are now covered with dust and dirt. Is it okay to use wet sponge to clean them? – Amalia

Yes, as long you don’t soak the furniture. According to Haley’s Cleaning Hints by Graham and Rosemary Haley, you can "clean wicker by rubbing it with a stiff brush dipped in warm salt water. The salt will prevent the wicker from yellowing. For really stubborn dirt, you may have to take a chance and wet it a bit more. Try cleaning with a solution of one part water softener to eight parts water. Wipe it off with a clean wet cloth and let it dry. Do not use heat to dry the piece or you run the risk of wicker cracking. Most of the time a good vacuuming is all that wicker needs."

* * * Readers’ Corner

Robin Tong e-mailed this letter regarding the last column’s problem "How many women does it take to change a light bulb?": "I recall seeing in hardware shops in the US devices specifically for changing bulbs in hard-to-reach places. They are a telescopic pole, to which a socket-like structure is attached at the end (where the bulb goes in). This is like our native sulo where you have little short bamboo lashed together, but instead of being cylindrical in shape, this one is contoured so that when the top (bigger) goes in, it doesn’t come out easily. It’s actually like a little tapered basket. Then you just twist the device to remove/install a bulb." 

Robin’s right. The pole is called "Telescopic Bulb Changer" which extends up to four feet or longer. It’s available at True Value for P669.75.

Julie texted additional ant solutions: "Use cucumber peelings for ants, pandan leaves for cockroaches. Cover all drains, too. I’m scared of these insects but got rid of them without using insect spray."

Rex B has a different solution: "Spray them with Joy dish washing soap."

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Home 911 answers your questions about the home — cleaning problems, DIY projects, decorating ideas, home store resources, and things you’ve always wanted to know about but never had the friends to ask. Home 911 runs twice a month and will ask the experts on your behalf. For questions and suggestions, e-mail philstar_home911@yahoo.com or text 0918-3704738. All questions will be answered through this column — Tanya is too lazy and too chatty to text her answers.