How to remove pine pitch stains

Q. I parked my car under a pine tree and found it covered with pine pitch. I have tried to remove this pitch with soap and water, but it didn't touch it. Do you have any suggestions?

A. I did some interesting research and found out the best products to use are isopropyl alcohol and hand sanitizer, which is alcohol-based.

No commercial product fully removed the pine pitch; under microscope, some residue was left although it looked like the pitch had been removed.

The trick is to thoroughly wash the areas where the spots are in order to remove any grime that might scratch the finish. You can use a garden hose and car wash soap or powerwash.

Apply the alcohol or hand sanitizer on a terry cloth, paper towel or scrubbing sponge and rub the pitch gently in a circular fashion. As soon as the pith has been dissolved, which only takes a few seconds, wash the treated spots with soap and water to remove the alcohol so as not to risk damaging the car's finish.

Apply some wax to the treated spots to protect the finish. You can also take the car to a car wash that offers a wax finish.

Q. Thanks for your helpful news articles. I live in a 20-year-old condo that has two bathroom toilets. I have a problem in both with black mold forming under the lip and streaking down the inside of the bowls. I have tried various tank additives to no avail. It reoccurs about seven days after cleaning. Can you tell me where this is most likely coming from (atmosphere? water supply?) and is there a solution to add to the tank to prevent it from forming?

A. The black stains may be rubber particulate from the rubber flapper being eaten away by the chlorine found in most tank cleaners. It could also be caused by your water supply if the city water is treated with certain bleaching agents that eat at rubber parts.

Avoid tank additives. Remove the stains with bowl cleaners; follow instructions in their use.

If the culprit is the city water system, contact a water specialist to perform a water quality test and suggest a way to solve the problem.

Q. I had a registered plumber install two new American Standard sinks in my bathroom vanity about two years ago. I also had new Moen faucet/drain assemblies installed at the same time. One of the sinks is developing a rust stain on the white porcelain around the drain. The other sink is fine.

I contacted Moen thinking the drain stopper or the drain assembly was rusting and learned that the particular model that I had installed was plastic and therefore could not rust.

Is the rust coming from the sink basin's drain opening? Could the sink's porcelain finish be defective there? If so, could I remedy the problem by removing the Moen drain and using porcelain touch-up paint to coat the area around the drain?

A. You have very likely found the source of the problem. Congratulations.

The porcelain finish may not cover the entire drain hole, but plumbers apply plumbers' dope to set the drain assembly in, which protects the very edges of the drain from being in contact with draining water.

However, I have seen a few cases where the dope was not applied as thoroughly or thickly as it needed to be or the porcelain was very thin, or stopping short of the drain's edges, and water came in contact with the raw iron edges of the drain.

You could do what you are suggesting, and it may work, but make sure all the rust is removed or it will come through again. Get some plumbers' dope and don't spare it when replacing the drain assembly.

Q. I live in a tri-level home built about 1956. For the past 20 years I have had water in the center of the finished lower-level family room. My neighbors on the north and south have the same issue. There is a small creek about a half block away.

The floor of the family room is 3 inches above the gravel crawl space that contains the furnace and sump pump. If the sump pump comes on during a rainstorm, I will have water in the family room. This family room can have water and the sump pump is not even on. I have had waterproofing companies come out and they have no suggestions.

I can't sell because of the water. There must be some way to stop this. French drains have been suggested but they are installed around the edge and the water is in the middle. They are also extremely expensive. I still say the water table is too high, caused by this creek that overruns the road during rains. The neighbor on the north has a sump pump that runs even during a drought. Would this creek cause this?

A. A foundation drain is not the answer unless there is a way to have it drain above grade to lower ground or to a sump equipped with a submersible sump pump of adequate capacity.

Yes, it's quite possible the creek is responsible, aggravating what already seems like a high water table. When water appears in the middle of the family room, which is 3 inches higher than the crawl space, the crawl space should be full of water. Have you checked that? And it certainly should be full of water when you see water in the family room while the pump is not activated.

It is possible that, if you have a submersible pump, its float may get stuck at times if it is in a cramped sump or that, if you have a pedestal pump, it does not have the capacity to keep up with the amount of water entering your crawl space.

And since you still have water in the family room when the pump is working, it may be that the pump is not powerful enough. You may need to replace your pump with one of greater capacity or install a second one to handle the hydrostatic pressure you are suffering from. Look into the offerings from Zoeller Pumps (www.zoellerpumps.com.)

You may also want to consider having an hydrologist investigate.

From a Pennsylvania reader: "My mother had a problem with bats in her attic. However, before we realized the bats were there, she had a problem with being bitten by unseen bugs. She recognized the bites as being bedbug bites, but had no reason to suspect having them.

"Research revealed that bats carry a bug virtually the same as a bedbug, just much smaller. Upon investigation, we found that her attic was literally infested with bats. She had the entire house fumigated and my precious husband cleaned the attic and secured it so the bats could no longer enter.

'My suggestion to you is, of course, that you also caution people who have a problem with bats anywhere in their house be aware that insect infestation is also a potential problem.

A. Thank you for your bringing this up. Readers are now duly notified of this possibility.

• Henri de Marne, a former remodeling contractor turned columnist and consultant, is the author of "About the House with Henri de Marne" (Upper Access Publishing). He continues to take questions from readers for this column and his website, www.henridemarne.com. Email questions to aboutthehouse@gmavt.net.