northeastmom

Karen Colleges, I have never grilled, but my microwave browns, and we use this feature a lot. It was very pricey though. It required an electrician to come in and upgrade. I would never have gone for the expense, but we had to have kitchen electrical work done anyway, so it was worth it for us. The appliance itself was expensive too, but I have no regrets. We have enjoyed it for 4 years.

worrywart

So what do you use to sanitize granite countertops? I've got them on order and the supplier said just to use Glass Plus because it contains no ammonia, but the germophobe in me says that that won't sanitize the surface. Ew.

jmmom

Why do you have to sanitize? You don't cut raw meat or put raw meat right on the granite, do you? I do that on cutting boards that can be washed immediately after use - separate ones for meat/chicken/fish vs. vegetables/breads etc.

The overuse of antibacterials and all that jazz are part of a problem, creating resistant strains which is not good for the whole community/public health, imo. So best to avoid them.

::steps off soapbox::

thisoldman

When the last post is posted, all I want to know what to use.

I also want to know what is the dirtiest, nastiest, most resistant stain "that really "wow" you"

I'll wait for answer, online. Thankyou in advance.

limburger cheese.

worrywart

The granite is going in my bathrooms, hence the desire to sanitize.

momof2inca

I don't think anyone has mentioned Tide Stick, the little pen-like stick that you can carry in your purse. I bought a new white cotton jacket last week and almost instantly spilled a few drops of soy sauce AND marked it with a red felt pen. I dabbed at the spots with the Tide Stick and checked back an hour later and all were gone.

mkm56

^^^Yes! That Tide stick thing is great. I had just bought a couple and had them in my purse. We went out to eat and son got marinara sauce on a new shirt. I whipped out the pen (much to his embarrassment) and treated the spot--it was gone in minutes! Now he has one at school.

LIMOMOF2

worrywart, when I had granite counters installed, I asked how to disinfect the counters and the guy told me to use rubbing alcohol mixed with water. I'm not sure about the amount of each, so I just use 50/50 and keep it in a spray bottle. My granite is about three years old now, and so far, that has worked well.

worrywart

Thanks for the tip!

kschmidt

More than once, my 16 yo son has left a pen in his pocket that then made a trip through the washer and dryer. The last time this happened, the ink stains ruined about 6 almost-new Hollister t-shirts (which are not cheap!). In desperation I did an internet search and somebody suggested to spray the ink spots with regular ol' hairspray, let set for a minute, rub with detergent and wash. And it worked! Every last bit of ink came out of every shirt. I have used this tip since on a white dress shirt and that worked too.

mkm56

kschmidt, the hairspray was something I used when I worked as a nurse (back in the dark ages when we all wore white). It seemed like daily you were getting ink on your uniform. We kept hairspray in the break room for this use--does work great!

BunsenBurner

Thanks! Great tip. Does anyone have any good tips on removing pen ink marks from a leather couch?

jmmom

BB - I am no expert. But I recently had the experience of someone making pen marks (can't remember if it was ballpoint or felt tip) on my microsuede sofa. I took a dishcloth and water and rubbed. Voila - came right off!

I was amazed as I had heard microsuede/microfiber was easy care, but I never expected that. Have you tried just rubbing at it with water?

worrywart

MM re: post #64 Just tried your silver tarnish remover tip (which I've read about elsewhere) without any luck. How liberally do you apply the baking soda?

lorelei2702

A tip for cleaning the hobs and grills on gas cook-top....boil them with baking soda for a few minutes, let them sit a few more minutes, the most everything wipes or is easily scrubbed away. It cleans the baked on crud in the bottom of any stew pan (happens when there is any sugar or flour in the mixture), too.