King Richard and the Sharpie Marker, Part 2

If you recall from part one of my story, this is what I started with:

The dryer door, stained with marker.

The dryer drum, a Sharpie victim.

Now, it is time for part two of the saga.

On Monday (7/9/2012), I had planned to go shopping for some type of solvent that would remove the dreaded black marks from the Gooseberry Lane dryer.  Fortunately, I was saved from that task by the suggestion of King Richard's co-worker.  A while back, the guys had "field day," an old Navy term for cleaning day, where one of the tasks was to remove Sharpie marker from linoleum tile.  They used a product called SoyGel and it got the job done.  After King Richard shared his marker story, one of the men suggested I try the same thing on the dryer.  Since we had some SoyGel in the garage, I gave it a go.  This was the result:

The dryer door, clean once again.

A closer look at the dryer drum.

As you can see, the paint remover worked well, at least on this small job.  The bigger problem was just inside the dryer door, to the left of the lint catcher.  This is a picture of the "lighter" stain to the right of the lint catcher.

Thinking that some type of graffiti remover would still be faster, I stopped by the local hardware store on my way back from dropping Katherine the Great at organ practice.  Finding no Krud Kutter brand products, I settled on Zinsser Graffiti Remover instead.  It helped to cut through the worst of the mess at the start of each removal session.  But to really banish the staining, I had to use the SoyGel just as if I was tackling painted woodwork or window trim, leaving the paint remover in place just long enough to wipe out the stains but not so long as to eat through the paint.  Then, to really make sure I was neutralizing the stripper and protecting the surface, I wiped the area I was working on with soapy water every few minutes.  It was a very tedious job.

But...after six long days with no dryer, here is the reclaimed appliance:

The dryer drum, cleaned and polished.

A bit cleaner near the lint filter.

It isn't perfect, but it will do.  It is certainly an improvement over what I faced last Sunday (7/8/2012).  The washer needed some treatment, too (about ten minutes worth!).  A few dabs of SoyGel and a thorough cleaning with Washer Magic, it went from this:

The washer drum with only a tiny stain.

to this:

Stain-less and looking great!

Now for the next task:  catching up on all the laundry!

Note:  No compensation, financial or otherwise, was received for this blog post.

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King Richard & the Sharpie Marker, Part 1

King Richard and the Sharpie Marker, Part I

This afternoon, while discussing a change of location for our clothes dryer with my husband, I noticed a black smudge on the inside wall of the washing machine drum.  King Richard speculated that the stain might have come from a pen that he left in the pocket of a shirt that he had included in the last load of laundry.  Slightly panicked, I checked the dryer, where that last load of wash had just finished its cycle.  When I opened the dryer door and removed the clothes, this is what greeted me (see photo at right).

Sharpie marker vs. dryer

After a few seconds of dismay, I just laughed.  What else could I do?  I called my family from the house (our dryer is currently in the garage), so they could enjoy the sight, too.  We all laughed, even my husband.  After cancer, what is so threatening about an appliance full of scribbles?  Frankly, I'm a little surprised it didn't happen when my daughter was younger.  Following the adage, "There is no problem so big that it cannot be solved," Katherine the Great and I headed to the Internet for advice, landing on the suggestion of Krud Kutter Graffiti Remover.  Unable to find any today, I tried removing the marks with rubbing alcohol and acetone to no avail.  Consequently, I now have solvent shopping on my list for tomorrow.  I will let you know how I fare.

Oh, and it wasn't a pen that did the damage to our dryer, as you might have suspected from the photo.  No, it was a Sharpie marker:  the large, wide-tipped, industrial-strength variety that King Richard uses at work to write on big cardboard boxes, shipping containers, and the like.  You gotta love a man who does his own laundry.  :)

Note:  No compensation, financial or otherwise, was received for this blog post.

Washing My Washer

Washing machine agitator full of greasy film
Photo by Plush Duck

It sounds ridiculous, but this evening I had to wash my washer.  You would think that putting detergent and bleach through it almost daily would keep a washer in tip-top shape, but when certain individuals decided to wash garage towels in the washing machine, consequences ensued (observe photo).

Now I know why the instructions on the lid of my washer say this:

Never place items in the washer that are dampened with gasoline or other flammable fluids.  No washer can completely remove oil.

Granted, those words were placed there as part of a fire hazard warning, but they could just as easily have said, "Don't wash any item containing petroleum product residue because it will stain your washer and lay down a layer of oily scum that may be impossible to remove."  Given the color and consistency of the goo in my washer, I suspected the culprit was anti-seize, but I would never know for sure.  What I did know for sure was that I needed to correct this problem as soon as possible because I had other loads of laundry to wash.

So what did I do?  I kept experimenting until something worked.

Solution #1:  ran the washer with Tide Free and the hottest possible water.

Nope.  Didn't work.  Washer looked exactly the same.

Solution #2:  wiped down the washer with Windex, scrubbing to remove the black residue.

Managed to remove most of the gray color and some of the small particulate matter.  However, the oily residue remained.

Solution #3:  wiped down the washer with Washer Magic®, then ran the washer with the same substance on the hottest possible water setting.

Eureka!  My washer was clean!.  Many thanks to Koalagirl for the Washer Magic®.  I owe her one.

Another New Tool

One of my goals for 2010, like so many other adults, is to lose weight. Working toward that goal is always a challenge but, once in a great while, a gadget comes along that (when used and used properly) can make the weight loss journey much more effective. I think I may have discovered that gadget: the Tanita BC-533 InnerScan Body Composition Monitor. It slices; it dices; it melts away the pounds. Well, not really. I still need to do the work, but now I have a ton of data at my disposal to tailor a fitness and diet routine: weight, body fat %, body water %, muscle mass, physique rating, daily caloric intake, metabolic age, bone mass, and visceral fat rating. So far, after one reading, I know that my old scale was registering five pounds too light (bummer!); I know that my visceral fat is not a problem (thank goodness); and I know that my metabolic age is very close to my chronological age (hurrah). As for the rest of the numbers...well, I am not sharing that information. Maybe in the future when I look like a Victoria's Secret model and I weigh as little as I did when I got married (ha!). If you need a new gadget to help your weight loss effort, check out this and other fitness products at Tanita.com.

* This is my personal recommendation/endorsement. I am not receiving any benefits, financial or otherwise, from the Tanita company.

My New Health Tool

As part of my 2010 "Get Light, Get Fit, Get Healthy!" goals, I plan to work on stabilizing and/or improving my chronic sinusitis. I have battled this condition in some way or another for years, sometimes developing sinus infections that required an MRI for diagnosis and high-powered antibiotics for treatment. At least a decade ago, I began irrigating my sinuses with saline and a dosing syringe but, lately, that just wasn't doing the job. When the possibility of asthma as a result of the chronic sinusitis presented itself, I looked for something more effective. My solution: the SinuPulse Elite. This lovely little apparatus uses patented technology to deliver a pulsating stream of water (or mist) into your sinuses to clean and/or moisturize them. To learn more about the machine, visit Achoo Allergy, or watch the video posted below.



* This is my personal recommendation/endorsement. I am not receiving any benefits, financial or otherwise, from the manufacturers of the SinuPulse Elite.

The Floor, Revealed

On Sunday, my husband replaced the heating element in my oven. It burned out about a week ago due to twenty-five years of use and abuse, mostly (I must confess) at the hands of the previous owner since I don’t cook at home that much these days. Anyway, once the stove was pulled away from the wall, King Richard snapped this photo:

List of accumulated stuff:
- two pieces of candy
- two stuffed cat toys
- two plastic cat toys
- one “bendy” straw
- fourteen pens & pencils
- several pieces of cat food
- one sock
- a dust bunny the size of the Wererabbit

So, what’s under your stove? Have you looked lately? If you haven’t, maybe you should. You never know what you might find. Just for the record, the cache of goodies under my Frigidaire® Magic Kleen was the work of one cat: Chopin.

An Economic Downturn?

If the market were experiencing a downturn, you would never know it by the number of mail-order catalogs arriving in my mailbox. Today, I received at least eight, one of which was Hammacher Schlemmer. I love this display of merchandise. It is so fun. Just look at the variety of clocks and marshmallow/snowball battle toys:

The Peaceful Progression Wake Up Clock
The Sunrise/Sunset Simulating Clock
The Color Pattern Clock
The Flying Alarm Clock

The 40 Foot Marshallow Blaster
The 40’ Marshmallow Bazooka
The Marshmallow Shooter
The Marshmallow Shooting Shortbow
The 50’ Snowball Launcher

Of course, I would be hard-pressed to buy any of these items. Then again, that Flying Alarm Clock might get my family moving in the morning.

Anniversary Gift

As I mentioned in my previous post (How Did I Get Here?), I went shopping for a new clothes dryer yesterday. I had to engage in this exciting activity, on my anniversary of all days, because the dryer that I purchased when my daughter was born (over eighteen years ago) finally “expired.” The post that holds the drum broke in two; definitely not a repairable problem. Hence, my husband and I spent the afternoon shopping for a new appliance.

What did we find? A great deal! The first dryer we saw was on clearance for $399.93. The washer we eventually settled on was also on sale for $284.93. After taxes and a 10% discount on the washer, the total came to $695.76. Not bad considering that I was ready to put close to $2000-$3000 on my credit card for a brand new, steam treatment, silver ion, front-loading washer and a high-speed extraction dryer. Apparently, the Lord knew I needed a price break this year.

Not exactly the activity I would have planned to commemorate 23 years of marriage, and not exactly the gift I would have liked to celebrate such a well-established commitment, but it was appreciated nonetheless. Maybe next year I will go to Colonial Williamsburg and have dinner at Christiana Campbell’s Tavern. Now that’s my idea of a great anniversary gift.

Now My Air Conditioner is Dead

Have you ever experienced one of those months where everything (or almost everything) you own seems to break? A while back it was my laptop computer. Then it was the two Firewire external hard drive enclosures that my husband purchased in an attempt to rescue the hard drive from the deceased laptop. Today, it was the air conditioner...on one of the most humid and uncomfortable days of summer thus far. Ugh!

Since my sinuses abhor humidity and his euthyroid state dislikes heat, it didn’t take long to study the available Internet dirt on the latest air conditioners. A little reading and we were off to Bernie's for a look-see. Nope; that air conditioner was too expensive, even with the Connecticut “Turn in Your Air Conditioner” rebate. Next up: Lowe’s; that air conditioner was the wrong model. Finally, Home Depot; that air conditioner was just right, so Papa Bear and I bought it before Goldilocks could say, “Maybe you should shop around a bit.” One gross, sticky afternoon later and the house is back at 70°F. Praise the Lord!

If civilization ever implodes, I am in big trouble because I am way too dependent on air conditioning. Stay cool.

The Perfect Coffee Press

Two years ago, for Christmas, I gave my husband a Starbucks coffee press, which he has used in fits and starts ever since. He likes it well enough, but the wire mesh filter at the bottom of the press, even though he purchases the correct grind of coffee, still allows a few grounds through now and again. Actually, a little more often than now and again, but he solves this problem by cutting and using a size 4 filter (the kind used in drip coffeemakers) in conjunction with the wire mesh filter to catch the stray grounds. He seemed content with this solution, but it is somewhat more time consuming than a drip coffeemaker. Because his mornings are pretty tight on time, King Richard has, of late, entertained the notion of replacing his coffee press with a new coffeemaker. The primary requirement for this new appliance: it cannot burn the coffee.

Now, I gave up my daily dose of coffee (try twenty-two cups per day) almost seventeen years ago when I was pregnant with my daughter. Occasionally, I will take a sip of my husband’s brew but, these days (generally speaking), I am a confirmed tea drinker. So, when he said he wanted a coffeemaker that wouldn’t burn his coffee, I thought he meant he didn’t want a coffeemaker that would make more coffee than he could drink in one sitting, a coffeemaker that would leave the additional coffee sit in a carafe on a hot plate and bake all day. Even that kind of confused me because I figured he could just turn off the coffeemaker as soon as the coffee was finished brewing and put the extra coffee in a thermos or something. No, and this demonstrates how far removed I am from my coffee-drinking days, he wanted a coffeemaker that didn’t have a hot plate under the carafe because the extra heat transferred while the coffee dripped into the container was too much additional heating. That, apparently, is when the coffee begins to burn and lose its flavor. (???)

My initial reaction to this statement, I must confess, was somewhere along the lines of:

“You have got to be kidding.”

Followed closely by:

“Are you nuts?”

Ok, call me insensitive, but I thought he was carrying this “burnt coffee” idea a little too far. I just shook my head and wandered around the Gray Goose Cookery store looking at fondue pots and food samples while he examined all the coffeemakers, coffee pots, and coffee presses the owner had in stock. Eventually (and not a moment too soon for my daughter), King Richard came away with this: the Aerobie® Aeropress™ Coffee Press for ~$30.00.

And how does he like his newfound gadget? I believe his exact words were “This is awesome! I can finally duplicate that cup of coffee I had in Hong Kong twenty-five years ago.”

Now all he needs to do is find the perfect tool bag and all our problems will be solved. :-) Anybody need a Starbucks coffee press? I have an extra one hanging around my kitchen.

Who Needs McDonalds?!

While cleaning off my desk the past few days, I found this from RealAge.com:

Eating selenium-rich foods --- like eggs --- could help keep your memory sharp and your brain speed on high as you age.

In rural China, researchers found that elderly people who got at least the U.S. recommended daily value of selenium (about 55 micrograms per day) had cognitive test scores that put them in a league with people 10 years younger.

Oh, that’s all very interesting, but this is what I thought was cool: the TEM500 Egg & Muffin Combo Toaster/Egg Cooker. Here is a description from the Digital Kitchen Store:

And you thought the drive-thru was fast! Make your favorite breakfast sandwiches --- at home --- in minutes. The Egg & Muffin Toaster brings innovation to the toaster category by combining the functions of a toaster and an egg poacher into one easy-to-use appliance. It even heats your breakfast sausage or bacon! The Egg & Muffin can be used solely as a full functioning toaster or poacher or can be used simultaneously to make the ultimate breakfast sandwich in just 4 minutes! Simply add the necessary ingredients and start the machine.

Features:
- delivers in about 4 minutes
- boils up to 4 eggs
- simultaneously toast the bread and cook an egg (poached or steam-scrambled)
- warm a pre-cooked slice of ham or sausage
- wide toasting slots for everything from bread to croissants
- auto shut-off
- easy to use and clean control touchpad
- light to dark toaster settings
- removable crumb tray
- cord storage
- egg lid keeps heat inside
- warming tray to place meat
- steamer tray for hard boiling eggs

And at an average price of $29.88 – $59.95, the little treasure will pay for itself in no time depending, of course, on where you normally buy your egg sandwiches in the morning. With a gadget like this in the kitchen, who needs McDonalds? Bon appetit!

An Awesome Cookie Press

Yesterday, as part of my January 2008 Rudolph Club activities, I made Snowflake cookies with my daughter. Now, these were no ordinary snowflake cookies. They weren’t the kind that you roll out and then use a cookie cutter to achieve the desired shape (a task made incredibly easy by my beautiful, functional, multi-sized snowflake cutter). No, these were the kind of cookies that required the use of a cookie press. For those of you who may be unfamiliar with this tool, it looks like this and functions thus, quoting from Wikipedia:

A cookie press is a device for making pressed cookies such as spritzgebäck. It consists of a cylinder with a plunger on one end, which is used to extrude cookie dough through a small hole at the other end. Typically, the cookie press has interchangeable plates with holes in different shapes, such as a star shape or a narrow slit to extrude the dough in ribbons.

For years, I had the same type of cookie press that my mother used when I was a child. Yes, it was an older model, but had always produced perfect cookies for my mother (the pastry chef) so how hard could it be? It required the operator, after filling the press with dough, to set the bottom of the device against the cookie sheet and turn a knob on the top of the unit while watching to make sure just the right amount of dough was extruded. Too much dough and the cookie would look “fat,” as if it had “melted” in the oven; too little dough and the cookie would look like the runt of the litter, if you will; like Goldilocks with her porridge, just the right amount of dough would create a firm, well-formed delight. Needless to say, this took a little training and it seemed that no matter how hard I tried, I always ended up with “fat” cookies (and it usually took a while for me to get them in that condition). Such positive reinforcement, of course, made me avoid pressed cookies like the plague.

Then, about two years ago, during a fit of frustration, I searched online for a replacement cookie press and found this, the Marcato Biscuits Cookie Gun. Yesterday was the first time I had used it and what a joy! Easy to load, easy to use, and FAST! I was able to press out two dozen cookies in less than thirty seconds. Whoever designed this thing was (is) a genius! If they handed out a Nobel Prize for kitchen equipment, this guy (girl) would definitely get my vote. Pressed cookies are no longer a nightmare at my house. I could make them every day. Hurrah!