Suzy Homemaker Stuff

[Sheryl]

I know it is hardly scintillating, ladies, but I have an accumulation of houseworky type questions and frustrations and who knows, maybe one of you has an answer, so here goes....

1) My water is from a well and VERY hard, leaves stains on everything despite filtration before it enters the house. To some extent know I just have to live with it, and also be better about cleaning out the filters. But what is driving me crazy is brown water stains in the bathtub which nothing seems to remove...I have tried bleach, peroxide, ammonia, and every cleanser I could fund, all with no effect. Any ideas???

2) Where oh where in this country can find top flat sheets a) at all and that don't have stupid patterned designs or cartoons on them and c) don't cost $100 !!!!????????????? Fitted bottom sheets I can find, altho very expensive (the pretty ones sans cartoons)

I had others but am momentarily drawing a blank, so will start with these two....

[MiG16]

sheryl...

sorry no help with the first

but on 2.

do you mean the ones that dont come with fitted elastics in the corner of the sheets? if yes...then can u live with flowers pattern rather than cartoons? if not flowers then they do have some in the ermmm...geomatrical patterns? I dont mind these ones. cant think of too many that come in plain colour...unless they arent cotton.

brands like tulip, satin and toto maybe the options for you. these are not what they sell at big department stores...but particularly Toto brand use pretty ok cotton

hope u can find them.....

[Makyai]

Hi Sheryl,

This may help

1. try lemons on the stain. Cut the lemons in half and rub on the stained area. It depends on how "hard" the stain is, good luck.

2. I was able to find white flat sheets at Makro. Reasonably priced as well I bought a pack of 6 queen/king size for less then 2000baht, but can't remember the exact price. I couldn't find any other colour, but thought plain white is so much better then cartoons or floral prints.

Makyai

[Boo]

we have a product here in UK called Cillit Bang. They claim it can remove ANY stain, don't know if it has reached thailand yet? Baking soda & vinegar is also supposed to remove stains too. Bu the lemon suggestion is good too.

Flat sheets, never found good ones i.e. not polyester mix or nasty patterns & as like the clothes thread, brought from the UK.

[fruittbatt]

Sheryl,

about the sheets: these ARE reasonably expensive, but very good quality thick cotton, and come in plain, strong, colors, with no frills. The brand name is Exotica, available at Central. Sheets and pillowcases are two-tone reversible (dark green/brown is the one I have). You can buy individual (flat and fitted) sheets, pillow-cases, or sets with reversible duvet covers. I bought mine some time ago in a sale, and don't remember the exact cost. The dye is fast, and the set is still in great condition almost a year later. Worth every baht IMHO.

[bina]

cillit if u can get in thailand/ our water in jerusalem is super hard so everything gets a 'film' and cillit is great! electric kettles, walls in the shower etc/vinegar etc is good foor thongs like if u left water in a glass too long but not for big jobs.

cant u just buy yards of material and turn under edges? (hem or baste) voila, custom sheets maade to your tastes.

Edited February 11, 2007 by bina

[Jet Gorgon]

I don't know about the stains, but can you open the top of the well? If so, you can get rock salt (san som) at most general stores. If you swish a piece around in the water, it might help clear it. A kilo is about Bt15. I've also used it for my deodorant for about 20 years!

Stains? Dunno...buy a navy blue bathtub?

[Sheryl]

Thanks for all the tips..on the stain, I have tried vinegar baking soda already but not full strength lemon, will give that a shot and am also looking to see if I can get cillit by mail order.

Re rock salt, will it affect taste? If not I suppose I could throw it into the water tank (the well itself is not on my property). I had thought of alum but it leaves a bitter taste. Although I use rainwater for drinking I do use the main water supply for cooking and making tea so I don't want a bityter or salty taste.

Thanks FB for the tip on "Exotica" brand, I had tried Central once but knowing brand name may help. Sometimes it is hard to tell from the package if contents are fitted or not, I have bought what I thought were flat sheets before only to find they were fitted (elastic). Fitted sheets of appropriate color I have been able to find easily.

No, flowers and geometric patterns won't do, I need solid colors, specifically shades of purple and burgundy. I suppose I could get white and then dye them..anyone know a source of clothes dye?

BTW just recently at Lotus, not in the store itself but outside it I found a small kiosk selling all cotton sheets made in Thailand in very nice solid colors. Alas, no flat sheets, but a great source of bottom sheets and pillow/bolster covers reasonably priced. I plan to go back and stock up as in my experience these sort of vendors tend to disappear after a while....

[Sheryl]

Well its been many lemons and no luck. Any other suggestions?.............

[teacup]

Well I can say that I'm now an expert in this. "Pumice stick" is the only answer! Quick and painless stain remover and Nothing else will do the job.

Pumice stick is actually a 100% natural soft type of lava rock with light gray color, and so inexpensive. It comes in a rectangular shape stick about 3-4 inches long. This is a god gifted and environmental friendly product to remove those - unsightly toilet bowl rings, stubborn stains in tubs, sinks and showers, rock-hard mineral deposits around faucets and drains, and even a rust stains.

To remove these stains, use a pumice stick and rub it back and forth on the stain. It should remove the stain completely, in about 30 seconds! If not, repeat using the pumice stick, then clean again with a liquid cleaner and a soft scrub brush.

Well I won't say good luck because I know it will work, the only problem is…can you find this in Thailand?

Edited May 6, 2009 by Mario2008

[sbk]

The rock salt she is referring to is called San Som and isn't actually, I believe, salt. It clarifies the water, binding the silt particles and causing them to fall to the bottom. I 've never had any luck with it in wells, however. It causes no taste changes at all. But, too much of it can cause your water to feel a bit sticky (only word I can think of).

[english_farang_lady]

Hi Sheryl

Sorry lemon mix did not work, pumice sounds rather OTT to me, wont it remove the enamel from the tub? I've seen small triangular pummice stones sold in chemists (Boots I think) on the manicure section as marketed for removing dry skin from heels.

Sounds drastic, but hope it works for you.

Kind regards

ELF

[sbk]

the pumice teacup is talking about is designed for ceramic tiles, I believe. But I've never seen it here anyway

I bought a ceramic stain removing powder from the US last time I was home. It does work but with the application of some serious elbow grease . Still can't talk my husband into doing it

We've got the same problems and I don't have any solutions other than the stuff I bought at home. Sorry.

[Sheryl]

Bless you, Teacup, hope at last!

I've sent away for the Pumie Stick :D

Meanwhile on the "san som" front, can anyone tell me how to spell it in Thai? I'm not getting anywhere saying it, may be my pronounciation plus it's not something they expect a farang woman to ask for...thanks

[sbk]

สารส้ม Sahn Som

[Jet Gorgon]

Sheryl and all, this may sound insane but I just read it:

#3. To clean a toilet: Pour a can of Coca-Cola into the

toilet bowl and let the "real thing" sit for one hour,

then flush clean. The citric acid in Coke removes

stains from vitreous china.

Hey, it's worth a try!

[Sheryl]

As it so happens I just bought some Coca Cola for my nuiece who is coming oiver this weekend, so I'll try it...stay tuned....

[Sheryl]

Update: no effect from Coca-Cola, but pumie sticks are in the mail so I still have hope!!!..............

[Jet Gorgon]

Bummer...but the ad promised it would work...

[Sheryl]

Hallelujah, the pumie sticks arrived and --- they WORK!!!!!!!

Removed ring stains from my toilets with a single quick application. The tub stains are taking more time and elbow grease but definitely improving, the first time that has happened and believe me, I tried everything...

Bless you Teacup for the tip

I'm now a committed user of Pumie Sticks

P.S. I think they're basically made of sulfur...

[teacup]

Told you so!....this product is dee-mak-mak jing jing.......and just curious, where did you get it from?

Keep them stock up so I can borrow some when we move there

Teacup

[Sheryl]

I was able to order it online through amazon.com but it was one of those things they don't ship overseas, so I had it sent to my aunt and she in turn fowarded the package to me. Now that I know how great they are (and also that they dissolve as you use them) I wish I had gotten a whole lot more....dee jing-jing!

[mamanoodle]

Cillit available here have seen in bigC, tesco etc but called easy off bang, same purple type of packing though. I use duck ra killer, in dark blue bottle, bit stronger bleach than some Thai brands!

[srifah]

I was able to order it online through amazon.com but it was one of those things they don't ship overseas, so I had it sent to my aunt and she in turn fowarded the package to me. Now that I know how great they are (and also that they dissolve as you use them) I wish I had gotten a whole lot more....dee jing-jing!

You can get them at Walmart around laudry section, some people call Pumice stone. Make sure she doesn't get at the cosmetic section (also used the same word), but this pumice stone is used for dead cells at the bottom of the feet and will scratch enamel.

[Sheryl]

Cillit available here have seen in bigC, tesco etc but called easy off bang, same purple type of packing though. I use duck ra killer, in dark blue bottle, bit stronger bleach than some Thai brands!

tried both with no luck until I finally found Pumie Sticks!

[gisele]

Last time I was in Canada I bought nice sheets, soft cotton, used up so much of my luggage space, my family couldn't believe I couldn't get flat cotton sheets here.

Then I made the mistake of drying the sheets of one of those metallic stands, yep, now I have rust stains on my beautiful blue sheets,

[cathyy]

You're looking for pumice stones in the wrong place. Go to the beauty supply section where they sell mirrors and tweezers and stuff. I have seen them there quite often. They are used for callus removal when your skin is damp as well as toilet cleaning. I recommend different colors to not get them mixed up!

[srifah]

You're looking for pumice stones in the wrong place. Go to the beauty supply section where they sell mirrors and tweezers and stuff. I have seen them there quite often. They are used for callus removal when your skin is damp as well as toilet cleaning. I recommend different colors to not get them mixed up!

There are not the same, if you get at the beauty supply, it will scratch. I bought for my sister in thailand which proved to be so. The one that clean household stuff is specified for cleaning not universal used.

[cathyy]

I bought mine in the beauty supply section and it doesn't scratch porcelain or porcelain enamel. It will sctatch those new fiberglass sinks and tubs and showers, but so will common cleanser, like Comet or Ajax. And, yes, I *have* seen those new fiberglass sinks here in Thailand.

Did she get the stone wet first?

Edited April 2, 2007 by cathyy

[srifah]

I bought mine in the beauty supply section and it doesn't scratch porcelain or porcelain enamel. It will sctatch those new fiberglass sinks and tubs and showers, but so will common cleanser, like Comet or Ajax. And, yes, I *have* seen those new fiberglass sinks here in Thailand.

Did she get the stone wet first?

She cleaned the hard water ring in the toilet bowl, apparently the stone was wet. I don't know it made of the fiberglass or porcelain enamel. I noticed the one from Sally was porous (like lava rock), but the one at Walmart was dense, if I have time this weekend I probably get them both and compare.