Furniture polish wipes kitchen cabinets clean

Q. About 35 years ago, we had kitchen cabinets installed (all-wood, dark oak). Over the years, they have retained a certain amount of grease and grime. I've tried various degreasers with not much success. The finish is still good. Is there anything that would really be effective in removing the buildup to restore their appearance without ruining the finish? Your help would be greatly appreciated, as I am not in a position to reface or replace them.

A. Try Milsek Furniture Polish. Over the years, I have received many letters from users of Milsek who swear by it; some even call it a miracle product. Milsek Furniture Polish is distributed regionally in about 36 states and sold through their mail-order division. Interest in the product spreads through word-of-mouth - they apparently do not advertise. I have used it myself with great results.

The number of uses for this product is quite astonishing: All furniture including antiques, brass, copper, stainless steel, vinyl, musical instruments, boats (they sell a lot to marine stores for teak wood and fiberglass) and appliances. It also removes adhesives, tar, soap film from tile and shower doors, scuff marks from floors and water marks from furniture.

It contains some lemon oil but no wax and, most importantly, no silicone - a product that should not be used on wood furniture. At this time of year, Milsek offers a bonus: Milsek with Holiday Oil - a blend of cinnamon and raspberry oils, a very special holiday treat for the senses.

The best way to find Milsek in your area is to check their Web site: www.milsek.com. Their mailing address is 5525 E. Pine Lake Road., Petersburg, OH 44454; the phone number is (800) 216-9517.

Q. I have a Flambeau 2053 fishing tackle box made of plastic and beige in color. The bottom of the trays have become deeply discolored with rust stains from hooks and metal lures over the years. How can I remove these rust stains without damaging the plastic trays?

A. Try Easy Off BAM Grime and Lime remover. You should be able to find it in True Value and Ace Hardware stores, supermarkets and some box stores. Choose the trigger spray.

Q. My patio is large and made of poured concrete that had a green tint added at the processing plant. That was long ago; the color has faded and the concrete surface has a dull, drab look to it. What suggestions can you offer to treat or recoat the surface without creating a slippery surface?

A. Have a concrete contractor etch the surface and apply a concrete stain to it.

Q. My house is a 50-year-old, small ranch with a full basement. It has no sump pump. About a year ago, my basement laundry-room drain started to back up. About a gallon of water comes up, but goes back down within five minutes or so. If I am doing a few loads of laundry, the first backup has a sewer odor.

About seven months ago, I had my plumber come and rod out the drain. He worked for about an hour trying to clear it but was not able to do so. He could only go about 22 feet. The next day, I had a sewer man come over. He put a camera down my main drain. The pipes looked quite clean except for a few small roots, and he used some solution to kill them. He could not get the camera down the laundry room drain, as the pipe is too small. He put a transmitter down the drain pipe as far as he could then went over the basement with something like a Geiger counter. It made a lot of noise by the foundation of my house, and he claimed this is where the tile was broken from the weight of the house over the years.

He said he could enlarge the laundry room pipe in order to put the camera down there and see what the problem was. Then he would have to tear the basement floor up at great expense to repair the drain tile.

I dread this, as my basement is full of 50 years of living (my husband built the house). I am planning on having another sewer man give me a second opinion. The recent severe rains we had flooded part of my basement from the window wells. Because of the drain problem, the water did not go down fast enough. Your opinion and suggestion are really needed. Your column is most helpful.

A. Usually, the main drain from a house to the city sewer or a septic tank is made of cast iron. This does not break easily. Furthermore, a house should not settle if built on solid, undisturbed ground. If the house has settled, you would be able to tell, as cracks would develop in the walls, and windows and doors may be binding, etc.

Since your husband built the house, does he remember what he used for the drainpipe? Does your municipality have a building-inspection department that would have issued your husband a building permit and checked on the excavation before concrete footings were allowed to be poured? These are insurances that the house was built on solid ground.

You should have a Roto-Rooter person come and run their auger through the pipes - they can go much farther than the 22 feet your plumber did. They are specialists who have solved clogging problems where others have failed. Ask them if there is any charge if they do not succeed in clearing your drain. If rain came in through your window wells, you must have a grading problem. Check it out and correct any negative slope, so surface water runs away from the foundation. The window wells may also need to be cleaned, and more clearance established between the soil in them and the windowsills - a foot or more should be the minimum, and the soil should be covered with several inches of stones, leaving a 6-inch space between the top of the stones and the sill. Be sure to remove leaves and any other debris that gets in the wells as needed.

Q. Our home was built in 2001 and has limestone trim around bricks on the outside and a limestone hearth, trim and mantel for the fireplace. The hearth was sealed before we moved in, but the fireplace trim and mantel were not. We often sit on the hearth when playing with the dog, and over time it retains a dirty look, even after a good washing. Do you have any suggestions for cleaning it? Should we reseal it, and, if so, what products are good to use? Also, while decorating for Christmas, a heavy stocking holder fell on the hearth, chipping it in a couple of places. How can we best repair these chips? They're small but right in the middle, and quite noticeable to us.

Finally, we have a bricked-in screen porch, used mostly for storage now, but we hope to clean it out this summer. The windowsills are also limestone, and we have used them for storage as well. The windows are not watertight, and we have some ugly stains that I assume are from water leaking in during heavy rains. Any suggestions on how to clean this up? The windows are on the southwest side of the house, facing the sun and the lake most of the day.

A. If the limestone has oil stains from the dog's hair, use K2r stain remover. Water and other nonoily stains can be removed easily by pressure-washing, as limestone is very porous. The pressure drives stains out, but that is not practical inside. Your best bet is to contact Galloy & Van Etten Inc. in downtown Chicago, 11756 S. Halsted St., Chicago, IL 60628, (773) 928-4800, galloyvanetten.com. Another source is Adam Ross Cut Stone Inc., 1003 Broadway, Albany, NY 12204, (518) 463-6674, adamrosscutstone.com. Both of these long-standing firms have been in the stone business for generations and can provide you with the necessary cleaning, repair and sealing materials.

Q. What is your position on the replacement of gas hot water heaters? After how many years should one consider replacing the heater? I have a 10-year-old gas hot water heater, which seems to be just fine, but I don't want to wake up some morning with a flood in my basement. Would you recommend replacing the hot water heater now?

A. Glass-lined water heaters have a useful life of about 10 years. Stone-lined heaters should last considerably longer (mine lasted 20 years.) Water heaters start leaking slowly. So, if they are set on a concrete floor in an easily visible area, the leakage will become apparent early. But you are wise to think preventively.

For those who have electric water heaters, a replacement well worth considering is the Marathon plastic water heater; it cannot rust. I replaced my leaky stone-lined heater with a Marathon that I purchased through my power company. The installation must be made by specially trained professionals, as soldering the connections is tricky because copper is connected to plastic.

• Henri de Marne was a remodeling contractor in Washington, D.C., for many years, and is now a consultant. Write to him in care of the Daily Herald, P.O. Box 280, Arlington Heights, IL 60006, or via e-mail at henridemarne@gmavt.net.

© 2009, United Feature Syndicate Inc.