Pattaya Today7/29 29 PATTAYA TODAY PROPERTY
Vol. 9 No. 05 16 - 30 November 2009
Ask Andy
Looking for a solution to problems in or around your house? Email questions to: andypattayatoday@gmail.com Quick Tip After paintbrushes have been soaked in water or turpentine, they invariably come out with the bristles bent all out of shape. What to do: using a rubber band or a piece of tape, attach a stick of wood to the brush handle, making sure the bottom of the stick extends beyond the bristle tips. When you immerse the brush in liquid, the stick— and not the brush--will touch the bottom, leaving the bristles intact. Cool Move Dear Andy, we have to take a refrigerator from Pattaya to our house in Petchaboon. My wife insists we must rent a pickup truck, but I say we can lay it in the back of my Range Rover? What say you? Arnold and Pum I would side with your better half, Arnold. Refrigerators should be moved in an upright position. You may tilt it back when placing it on a dolly to take it out of and into your home, but even then it would be better to truck it from the side. So rent or borrow a pick-
up and properly secure the fridge in an upright position with no chance of tipping or rolling. And keep these pointers in mind when moving a fridge: 1) Unplug the unit well in advance of the move to allow the evaporator time to defrost; 2) remove all foods and clean the interior; 3) remove or secure shelves, drawers, ice trays, etc.; 4) tape the door(s) shut and tape down all panels and any removal items, and 5) wrap the fridge in a protective cover. Bloody Sunday I had a lady friend staying with me last weekend, Andy, and when we awakened Sunday morning we learned too late that it was that time of month. She began her cycle in the middle of the night, leaving bright red stains in my new cotton sheets. I had a similar experience a year ago and tossed the bedding out. But these are expensive sheets and I’d like to keep them if you can tell me how to remove the blood stains. Franklin Most stains come out easily from cotton sheets, Franklin, but blood is not
one of them. On the other hand, trashing them is not the only alternative. Try this: flush the stain with cold water (more effective if this had been done last Sunday), then soak the area with a healthy amount of shampoo. (That’s right, plain old shampoo for your hair.) As an alternative to shampoo, you can make a paste of laundry detergent and water. Gently work in the shampoo or detergent with your fingers, then rinse and launder as usual. If blood stains remain, do NOT dry the sheets. Instead, treat the remaining stain with a few drops of household ammonia or hydrogen peroxide. Shampoo works really well to eliminate blood stains from most fabrics. Fresh blood stains can be removed in seconds; older stains might need some pre-soaking. Seal Hunt I have recently regrouted the bathroom tiles, Andy. One of your tips recommended that it is wise to seal the grout after it has dried. When I ask for grout seal at home improvement stores, all I get are blank looks. Can you recommend
where I might be able to purchase same? Denis Go back to those home improvement stores, Denis, and look for Aqua Mix or HG (hunting for items yourself usually is easier than asking). As an option, check out less expensive brands such as “PSK” Diamond Stone and Weber Liquid; they are easy-touse Thai products that provide English-language directions for use. If for some reason you cannot find a grout sealer yourself, ask at the customer service desk, where they can access the required information on computers. Sealants also are available at many hardware stores, tile dealers, and other outlets. Matching Coats We just remodeled our condo, Andy, and I ran into a problem with the painter who tried unsuccessfully to match the stain on our new wood cabinets with the color of existing cabinets. The stain he put on doesn’t match; it isn’t red enough. He said “Mai pen rai. Almost same.” I called in another painter who wants to strip the wood and start all over. Can you help me avoid that extra work and extra expense? Ira We might be able to save you some time and money, Ira. Buy some clear urethane—used as a finish—
at your neighborhood paint store and ask them to add a little red pigment. With luck, the pigment will impart just enough red to match. If not, after the first coat dries, add more red to the urethane and apply another coat. When you have a match, you should put on yet one more coat of clear urethane (with no pigment in it) to ensure none of the pigment rubs off when it is cleaned. Dark and Dank I have a problem with mildew in my room, Andy. Do you have a solution like a spray and what brand name and where to obtain? Hilsen Jan Is your room gloomy? Dimly lit? Damp? Perfect for mildew. As you may know, Jan, mildew tends to hang out in small areas with poor air circulation, high humidity and low lighting levels. Alter that environment and you’ll reduce the problem. That is, you need to control the humidity (from cooking, shower steam, laundering, etc.) Use fans, ventilators, and or air conditioners, and increase brightness in your home. Consider buying a dehumidifier. All such steps will help stop mildew--and mold as well-from growing. If surfaces already are infested, an effective remedy is chlorine bleach (available at most major stores). Dip and squeeze a sponge in
chlorine or a chlorine solution, apply it to the affected areas and lightly scrub. Rinse after a few minutes (no need to leave the bleach on any longer than that to be effective). However, chlorine is only a surface oxidizing agent; you may have to repeat the application of bleach several times. Please note: Be cautious when using chlorine; it can cause respiratory problems and can damage leather, woodwork, and similar surfaces having natural origin. Andy’s Helpers Richard in Pattaya writes: Thanks for the answer to my tile drilling question, Andy. I still think making a small starter guide with a strong nail and a hammer is a guarantee against any slipping, but I suppose if one was too heavy handed with the hammer the tile could split. Your article on the RO water machines was an eye opener! We have two in the entrance to our condo block and everyone, including myself seems to use them. There was an advert for a ‘Get your water free from the atmosphere’ machine but, at a price of over 50,000 baht, it seemed a bit expensive for home use (and the contact person sounded as dodgy as the ‘Save up to 40% on your electricity bill’ guy!) Thank you for your alwaysinteresting tips. --Handy Andy
Preparing before searching for that special property…. Before driving around the Pattaya-Jomtien area looking for a residence, you will save a lot of time if in a systematic way you first write down what your requirements and desires are. The best way to guarantee you will end up living in a residence that fits your specific needs is to jot down what is absolutely important to your retirement or vacation lifestyle. You can accomplish this exercise easily, and it doesn’t require very much time and effort, especially compared to what you will save in the long run. After all, you will be investing a substantial amount of money plus perhaps living the rest of your life in your new home or condo. It is worth devoting a couple of hours before hand analyzing what things will make your life pleasant. With your requirements
written down, you and your real estate agent will save significant time and frustration. You won’t squander hours driving around looking at one property after another that will never fit your needs and lifestyle. If planning on building a new home you won’t be struggling with designs that won’t work for you. To get started consider the following suggestions. 1. What is the purpose of your new home? Will it be a second home for vacations and holidays or your retirement home? You probably do not need a huge two story home for vacations a few times a year. However, if this is your retirement home you may have several specific needs for comfortable year around living. 2. If your PattayaJomtien residence will be
for holidays, write down what you like to do when vacationing. If you are a golfer you have vastly different needs than if you are a scuba diver. Things like this can determine location as well as size of the residence and storage spaces for your equipment. Your holiday lifestyle, which may be drastically different than your work lifestyle back home, should be what determines the size, location, and features of your vacation residence. 3. If this will be your retirement home your leisurely lifestyle will be a very important factor. Keep in mind that you will be looking at a different set of requirements for everyday living year around compared to a simple vacation home or condo. An excellent way to get the home you have
always wanted is to go back to the home you are currently living in and take a good look around. Make note of the things that irritate you and you wish were different. This will help make sure you don’t get a home with the same problems and your retirement home will better serve your needs. To make this list, get a clipboard and go into every room in your current house. Look each room over carefully. Example: Consider your master bedroom. Some people just sleep there and don’t require much space. Others spend a lot of time there and will want their master bedroom to be large so more furniture will fit in it. Be sure to consider what size bed, as well as other furniture, you will want in the room. Measure your bedroom’s length
and width. Let’s say it is 12’ X 14’ and you determine you would like your new bedroom to be bigger by approximately 2’ both ways. It will be a lot more helpful if you tell your real estate agent you want the master bedroom to be around 14’ X 16’ feet than telling the agent something arbitrary like, “I want a big bedroom.” If you love to cook, you’ll want to concentrate on the requirements you have for your kitchen. It is a work place, and for you to enjoy cooking it has to be functional in a way that suits your cooking style. Perhaps you have a small bathroom and you are tired of banging your elbows into the wall when drying off with a towel. Measure it, and come up with a larger size that will better suit you.
Room size can go the opposite way too. If you have wasted space in your home you now have the chance to better utilize the spaces in your new home. Space costs money. A good design will create spaces that are useful and provide for more enjoyable living. You get the idea. Perform this exercise in all the rooms of your home. Sitting in a real estate office attempting to imagine what it is you require in a residence, or standing in an empty show home void of furniture, makes it extremely difficult to figure out what you really want or need. Even if you get close you are bound to miss something. It is much easier to do some well thought-out preparation and then go house hunting armed with useful facts that reflect to your needs and lifestyle.