Whether you are trying to get rid of pesky water rings in your bathroom or need to remove scratches from your wood floors, Lou Manfredini is here to help. The TODAY contributor and host of “House Smarts” stopped by Studio 1A to answer viewer-submitted questions.
I have a horrible, loud grinding noise coming from my garbage disposal. I’ve checked for foreign objects and have the L-shaped wrench to move the blades, but I don’t know where to insert it underneath.
“This is an easy fix,” Manfredini promised. On the bottom of the garbage disposal, in the center, is a little whole where that L-shaped wrench goes inside. Turn the wrench back and forth to loosen the disposal’s interior. Grab a flashlight, look inside the disposal and pull out whatever is caught in the blades.
I have cherry wood floors. How do I get rid of scratches, or at least hide them?
There are three products that I typically choose from to remove scratches on any type of floor: Bona Hardwood Floor Polish, Rejuvenate All Floors Restorer or Lundmark Poly-Pro Tech. These are all water-based floor polishes that you can apply. When the floor is clean, squirt the product on like a polish. Put a microfiber pad on the end of a mob and work the product back and forth along the scratch. A few hours later, the shine will be back and the scratches will be gone.
We have hard water, and even though we have a water softener, we have rings around our toilet that I cannot get rid of. How can I get rid of the ring and keep it from returning?
Where the water line is, pour a little water so it’s above that. Add CLR Calcium, Lime and Rust Remover or Whink Rust Stain Remover and let it sit for an hour. With a glove on, use a Chore Boy Copper Scouring Pad to work the sides of the porcelain and remove the ring.
I’d like to buy an electric lawnmower. Any suggestions?
Go cordless. You don’t use any gas. There’s no maintenance. All you have to do is sharpen the blade, and it only costs $5 worth of electricity the entire season.