HOME HELP: 4 April
Q I have just bought a house with a lovely pale-oak floor in the kitchen, which has been oiled. I am nervous about cleaning and maintaining it. Also, what should I do if I spill something on it?
FF, by email
A You should use White Soap by WOCA at £25 for 2.5 litres, diluted in a bucket of water. Apply it with a slightly damp cloth. The White Soap will build up protective layers against damage; for a kitchen floor, it should be applied weekly. For food stains, a cloth soaked in water, then wrung out, will absorb the stains. Apparently, what is left will break down over time and give the wood a lovely, aged feel.
WOCA at Dane Care: 01952-727899, www.danecare.co.uk
Q I am looking to put up some plain, blue linen curtains in my husband’s study. Although there is a huge amount of linen out there, I can’t find the colour or texture I want at a reasonable price at any local interior-design shop. Can you guide me?
VS, Kent
A The Cloth Shop in London’s Portobello Road has pure Swedish linen in virtually every colour, including seven shades of blue, from sky to navy at £19 per metre. Samples are available on application.
020-8968 6001, www.theclothshop.net
Q I have just moved to a new house and am going to make fitted cupboards out of old doors. I want to maximise the inside space, so can you suggest where to buy ready-made internal fittings?
M de P, by email
A A Place For Everything has ingenious storage ideas. For instance, it sells modular stacking shoe racks; a U-shaped handbag shelf that hangs on a rail or on the back of the door, and wire racks for shirts that can be placed beneath a hanging rail.
0844-414 2885, www.aplaceforeverything.co.uk
Send your queries to the usual Bedford Street address or email Hugh St Clair at hughstclair@googlemail.com
FF, by email
A You should use White Soap by WOCA at £25 for 2.5 litres, diluted in a bucket of water. Apply it with a slightly damp cloth. The White Soap will build up protective layers against damage; for a kitchen floor, it should be applied weekly. For food stains, a cloth soaked in water, then wrung out, will absorb the stains. Apparently, what is left will break down over time and give the wood a lovely, aged feel.
WOCA at Dane Care: 01952-727899, www.danecare.co.uk
Q I am looking to put up some plain, blue linen curtains in my husband’s study. Although there is a huge amount of linen out there, I can’t find the colour or texture I want at a reasonable price at any local interior-design shop. Can you guide me?
VS, Kent
A The Cloth Shop in London’s Portobello Road has pure Swedish linen in virtually every colour, including seven shades of blue, from sky to navy at £19 per metre. Samples are available on application.
020-8968 6001, www.theclothshop.net
Q I have just moved to a new house and am going to make fitted cupboards out of old doors. I want to maximise the inside space, so can you suggest where to buy ready-made internal fittings?
M de P, by email
A A Place For Everything has ingenious storage ideas. For instance, it sells modular stacking shoe racks; a U-shaped handbag shelf that hangs on a rail or on the back of the door, and wire racks for shirts that can be placed beneath a hanging rail.
0844-414 2885, www.aplaceforeverything.co.uk
Send your queries to the usual Bedford Street address or email Hugh St Clair at hughstclair@googlemail.com