Update On My Buggy Hickory Chairs

Ok,  so you remember my post Tips on Getting Rid of Wood Eating Bugs (click here to view that post), specifically for those eating four hickory chairs that I purchased. When we last visited about them, I shared that I had painted a borax solution on them and later sprayed them with insecticide.  I "baked" them while sealed plastic on the basketball court of the old house for two days AND then on the back deck of the new house for at least two days, but the second day we had rain.

(See some of the insect damage on the chair in the above pic).
So we threw them in the empty van, still covered in plastic.  We parked the sealed van in the hot sun for several days (stow and go seating, got to love it) until I could get to them.  So I did all I could to kill those little buggars.

(See insect exit hole in above pic.)
I finally removed the plastic sheeting and I used a wood stain on all exposed wood.  Then spread a nice white sheet in the back of the van and plopped the chairs on it for two more days in the hot sun.  (We have another vehicle so I did not need to drive the van during this time).  The white sheet was there in case there were any critter sawdust, it would be easy to see.


The big reveal was today.  ONE of the chairs still had tell-tale signs of powder post beetles.  I did not have it in me to repeat all the procedures I tried, so in the burn pile it goes.  TWO of the chairs were invited into our tiny living room, and blend in great.  The last chair I will sell, and hope to recoup the money I spent on the chairs, the insecticide, the 55 gallon trash bags and the stain.

Tips To Getting Rid Of Bugs Eating Vintage Wood

What in the world is going on here?

Slow death.

I hope.

I bought four hickory arm chairs at a yard sale Thursday (for a song).

I am starting to be drawn to hickory furniture,

the kind that still has the bark on it.

(Look at the "Old Hickory" furniture website for inspiration.)

I put them on my front porch, because I knew I was going to a flea market

on Saturday and might need the room in the van.  After that,

I could just load them back in the van for a trip to the "south house" next week.

Then on Friday I spied sawdust on my red porch.  What?

Further examination showed all the chairs suffered from some overnight "chewing".

YUCK!!

On-line research led me to believe it is powder post beetles.

Many suggestions on getting rid of them,

the most thorough being burning the furniture (which still may happen.)

But here is what I am trying first:

1.  My first step was mixing up a solution of borax and hot water.

I painted it on the wood with a paintbrush.

That seemed pretty simple, cheap, and non-toxic.

2.  But I spent more time on-line and got more paranoid.

I don't think the borax solution can soak in because of the bark.

So, I bought a spray from our neighborhood hardware store that

is supposed to kill ants and termites.

But will it kill whatever is eating my chairs?

3.  Which brings us to "baking".

Bringing the wood to 135 degrees for several hours should kill all bugs and eggs.

On-line research showed men devoting quite a bit of money and time setting up

elaborate ways to heat up their wood (insulated cages with heaters, "kilns"

made from junk wood with wood burning stove inside).  The suggestion to put

them in an attic all summer was a simple one, but our attic doesn't have a hole big enough

and we are MOVING IN A WEEK.  So I bought giant black plastic bags to cover them.

 Side note:

Men love discussing "or" scenarios.

Who would win in a fight, batman or superman?

If you are stopping your car for a short time in the summer --

smarter to crack your window or leave them rolled up to keep the car cool?

(I ran across this one while doing research, the answer is rolled up).

It did not surprise me therefore when a large group of men were very 

interested in my own "or" scenario at the hardware store.....

Which would raise the temperature of the wood more:

putting the black plastic encased chairs in my van with the windows rolled up or

on a basketball court in the direct sun?

After much speculation (which is really what "or" scenarios are all about)

I went home and put them on the basketball court.

I am going to leave them there for two hot, sunny days and then check on them.

I'll let you know:

burn or save?

Vintage Suitcase Cleaning Tips Tutorial

I sell a ton of vintages suitcases each year.

Here are some of my best tips on cleaning suitcases.

Make sure they are not mildewy on the inside before you buy them.

There is no good remedy for that.  It is a health hazard.

Samsonite is my favorite, but

almost all vintage Samsonite suitcases have a sticky issue.

Gag, sticky is definitely on my "avoid" list. Almost all of the trim and handles on

Samsonite suitcases seem to become gummy over time.  Shudder.

Here are my weapons to combat that, in the order I use them:

#1 -- GooGone.  Take the suitcase outside (this will actually take the shine off of your granite countertops if it comes in contact with them) and spray liberally on trim.

Wipe off (scrubbing motion) with dry paper towels. I use rubber gloves.

#2 -- Magic eraser.  You can pick up the generic version at Dollar

Tree for $1.  Get wet, squeeze out extra.  Scrub on leftover gummy areas of suitcase,

also good on any black spots on suitcase body.
Magic eraser can be rinsed and reused until it wears out.

#3 -- Windex, generic is fine.  Good for all-over exterior suitcases cleaning.

Helps clean off any remaining Goo-Gone.
Viola!
Looks like a new (1950s) suitcase!

Cleaning 100+ Year Old Windows

I have a tough time cleaning my windows.  When I bring up this subject with friends and relatives, they just look at me.  Perplexed.  Why doesn't she just use windex like the rest of us?, their expressions say. 

Because they don't have windows that are 120 years old! 

When we bought this house, we were just young pups.  We hired some professionals to paint the exterior -- which included the window frames.  So, they had to take the windows out -- and the workers wondered if I wanted to clean them while they were out.  Sure, I gave them all a once-over with Windex.  (I sometimes have to laugh at my young self.)  That didn't seem to make much of a difference, so I probably tried a couple of other lame things before giving up.  The glass may have looked a tad better, but all of them still had build-up.

Fast forward (an unbelievable!) 26 years.  My windows look absolutely horrific.  (The photo above is the view out of several of the windows).  But thanks to the internet, I know why and I know what to do about it.  Knowing that taking windows off of the second story of our house is not going to be easy, I confess I have put this off.  But, as I have mentioned, I am in the process of painting the first story exterior -- so the time has come to face this monster.

Why do I have cloudy windows that would make a Windex salesperson weep?  I mentioned before, that our house was either vacant, or neglected much of it's 120 years.  Not a lot of exterior window cleaning being done during those stretches.  Every time it rained, the water left behind mineral build-up.  Multiply that by decades.  That (and dirt) is why I have hazy windows.  And let me tell you, windex doesn't touch it.

So, today I tried cleaning on a couple of storm windows (they aren't 120 years old, but they weren't close to new back in 1988 either).  I would have loved to have gone a completely "green" route.  So I tried two coats of straight white vinegar.  Leaving the vinegar on for awhile before squeegeeing (is this a word?)  Really, it made no difference.

I had to resort to the CLR (Calcium  Lime Rust Remover).  I don't even want to know that it has in it, but it did the trick.  I still had to treat each side with two applications, and then hit a couple of tough spots one last time -- but I ended up with sparkly storm windows.  So now I am taking my show on the road (or on to the porch roof), and trying it on some of the old wavy 120 year-old glass windows.  I personally do not have the technology to take out these windows, so they will have to be cleaned "on site."

The Dirt On Antique Dishes

I was invited to come purchase items of an estate.  I never really know what to expect under those circumstances.  We came home with some interesting items.  (And wearing some interesting smells.)

 

It took a lot of digging under crowded, dark, hot and stinky conditions.  I DO love my job:)

I may be posting in the future over some more of the items.  But I wanted you to see what I was up against with the dishes. 

This century-old beauty had some great

St. Joseph, MO advertising.

 

I had my husband clear out an old cabinet and just put the dishes in totes.  It was dark and they were too dirty to really see what I was buying.  I kind of purchased on faith.
You can see what I was up against.  I think they had been around a house fire at some point because they were black.  It took lots of elbow grease and Magic Eraser (love that product, you can generic for $1 at Dollar Tree) to make them look presentable.  I sometimes use windex, and for the sticky - GooGone.  Dishes are tough, do what you have to to clean them.  I've soaked them in a 50/50 bleach water solution for a whole day in the past.

I thought they looked beautiful together since most of them had blue in them.

Any keepers?  Maybe the Chase Candy Co (located in St. Joseph, MO for a century) plate.  I already have one, but this one is a little different.