Remove mildew odours with a Borax soak

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 15/06/2020 (1939 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Dear Reena,

I read your column on a regular basis and love your solutions. Now I need some help.

I packed a wet bathing suit coming home from a vacation a couple of winters ago, and even though I unpacked it and washed it right away, it has a mildew smell. I rewashed it, hung it up to dry, tried special bathing suit soap and washed it in vinegar with no luck.

I couldn’t part with it, so I put it in a cupboard with my two other bathing suits. When I pulled them out recently, all three had a mildew smell. I rewashed them, hung them outside, let them sit in water with vinegar, and rewashed them with vinegar and bathing suit soap — to no avail. 

I’ve worn two of them in a chlorine pool several times this winter, and still the mildew odour remains. I always wash and hang dry right after use.

Any chance at all I can remove the smell? What is the best thing to do?

Larisa

Dear Larisa,
Before washing your bathing suits in the washing machine, soak them in hot water and Borax. Borax contains no phosphates and no bleach but is wonderful at zapping hard-to-handle odours. If you cannot locate borax, use a generous amount of Oxy Clean or baking soda instead.

☐ ☐ ☐

Dear Reena,
I have laminate floors and when the felt floor protectors on chairs, stools and tables fall off, they leave a sticky residue on the floor. I have tried Goo Gone, dish soap with a microfibre cloth, even scraping with the scraper I use on my ceramic top stove and nothing gets it off.  Any help you can provide would be greatly appreciated.
Sal
 
Dear Sal,
Using a hair dryer, heat the area to loosen the glue. Next, spray the area with WD-40 (test on an inconspicuous area first), and then lift the adhesive off of the floor with the help of a plastic putty knife so that the floor is not scratched.

Note: Every user assumes all risks of injury or damage resulting from the implementation of any suggestions in this column. Test all products on an inconspicuous area first.

Reena Nerbas is a popular motivational presenter for large and small groups; check out her website: reena.ca. Ask a question or share a tip at reena.ca