March 23, 1998
IS SOMETHING BROKEN, leaking, or shabby-looking in your house? Found a weird stain on your carpet and don't know how to remove it? The Tripod Handy Girls can help! Check out the latest questions they've answered, below. For a full archive of Handy Girls answers, go here. If that doesn't help, go ahead and Ask the Handy Girls. New here? Come on in and meet the girls.


Tripod member osamaomran asks:
Me and my wife are a bit upset as our marble table in the kitchen is stained... Do you know a way to bring it back to how it was before?
Handy Girl Al replies

Tripod member lfinegan asks:
I have a new house and have experimented (successfully) with sanding and staining the softwood floorboards. I do however think that they would look better if I could get a slightly lighter color. I have heard about bleaching the floor to lighten them initially. Will this make any difference to new (if dirty) boards? What kind or brand of bleach should I use and what is the procedure?
Handy Girl Al replies

Tripod member believeralso asks:
I have a dark gray stone fireplace that I love, but I wish it were a different color. Is there anyway I can change the color of stone?
Handy Girl Karen replies

Tripod member LindaHoffman asks:
Help!! I've lived for 18 years with an old knee-high attached to the exhaust pipe/stack thing on my dryer. My husband says this will circulate all of that warm air into our basement...BUT I'M SICK OF ALL OF THAT DUST BLOWING AROUND THE HOUSE!! My question to you concerns placement of the vent to the outside: How long can the pipe/stack thing be to remain effective?
Handy Girl Candi replies

Tripod member scarrr asks:
I have a plumbing problem. My bathtub drain is clogged with tar dust that came in an open window (whoops) when my roof was getting redone. I've already poured a bottle of Liquid Plumber down the drain, but it's still clogged. Any suggestions?
Handy Girl Bernadette replies

Tripod member kathgrif2 asks:
The squeaky floors in my house are about to drive me crazy! Is it necessary to pull up the carpeting to fix this or is there a simpler way?
Handy Girl Jennifer replies

Tripod member edoster1 asks:
I have an old oak chest with a top which has raised wood grain. It was caused by heat emanating from a stereo turntable. The "feet" of the turntable also left brown spots in the wood. Short of sanding it all the way down or painting it, how can I repair it?
Handy Girl Jennifer replies