apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I have a simple rectangular 10 gallon fish tank that I want to get running. Problem is, there is a lack of modern attractive aquarium stands on the market. I was considering a steel rolling cart (with brakes on it) as a solution, because I couldn't think of anything else. Does anyone have any ideas?

Here's a link to the cart I am considering:
http://www.cb2.com/family.aspx?c=302&f=94&q=cart&fromLocation=Search&DIMID=400001&SearchPage=1

Thank you to everyone who helped me with my caulk issues. Today I have another question:

I sometimes notice grease stains on clothing that were not there when I put them in the machine. I don't think it's a case of them "not showing up until they are washed." I feel like it is either oil coming out of the washing machine's bearings, or maybe the fabric softener sheet? Does anyone have any answers for me? PS-I use the industrial laundry machines in the basement of our coop.

Matilda--only thing I could say is (if you haven't already) check the machine and clean the inside--it's possible people are washing greasy things in it before you, maybe?

Mischa
I would be careful with using something like that.
Although the shelf is strong the steel will easly flex. The tank full of just water is 81 pounds and any flexing in the metal will mean that the glass or acrylic in the tank will be put under extream pressure somewhere on the tank.

I understand what you mean about there being absolutely no nice modern aquarium stands however since the tank is small you might find a bench top type thing..

Something strong.

Matilda - Is this black grease or is it a clear, oily-looking discoloration? If the latter, it is probably either your liquid detergent or fabric softener, or hair spray or leave-in conditioner from your hair.
Try filling the laundry machine with water, putting the detergent in as it begins to fill and letting the agitation start for a moment before putting your clothes in. This will dissolve the detergent a bit. If it is a hair product, don't put your shirt on before applying and letting the product dry, or drape a towel over your clothes when you apply it.
I had this problem and it turned out to be the hair stuff.

Sharon - unfortunately the washers are front loading, once you start you can't open the door kind of machines. The stains can't be hair product b/c they appear on my son's clothes (he's 2 so he doesn't use product) as well as bedding, etc. I'm intrigued by your suggestion that it could be the liquid laundry detergent though. Can you tell me more? Thanks!!!!!

despite being warned about the strong odor emitting from that small antique dresser, i took it off my mom's hands anyway... now, i'm afraid i know why it had been banished to the garage - my apartment is beginning to stink! is anyone aware of a product that could "seal in" odor? i think it’s a defect in the wood. it doesn’t smell particularly moldy, just a pungent woody smell. any thoughts are appreciated – it’s a great looking piece and i need it!

If anyone has gone through the new IKEA catalog yet....

In the catalog they have what looks like a boxspring that opens up for storage.

Does anyone know if it is possible to put one of those in a bedframe? Or does it have to stand alone to open? Or if you had it up against a wall, would it need room for clearance to open?

They don't have one on their website, otherwise I would like to a picture.

I have a great vintage bedframe, but can't use it (fully assembled) because currently, I cannot give up the storage that is under the bed. This seems like it could be a great solution, if it would fit.

Is anyone else surprised by the new collections at West Elm?

*lizzy, is the smell coming from inside the drawers? You could put small containers of vinegar in each drawer for a couple of days, and use lemon oil on the outside if the surface can handle it.

I want to buy the Big Bin designed by Diez. I know it is availble in Europe, but does anyone know of a source in the US?

http://www.authentics.de/english/flash/waste/produkte5.html

Thanks!
Andre

Matilda,
Try not using fabric softener/dryer sheets. Fabric softeners and dryer sheets just coat the fabric to make it feel soft. Sometimes this coating can occur unevenly, in the form of unsightly spots.

Matilda: I used to get greasy marks on some of my clothes (one coral blouse in particular -- looked as if I hadn't washed it!) and the culprit was the fabric softener sheets I was using in the dryer. If you're sure it happens in the washer rather than in the dryer, do you use liquid fabric softener? (Or as Christine in DC said, liquid detergent?) Any of these could show up on any clothes in the load, depending on how the fabric interacted with the liquid product (or fabric softener sheet - my "grease stains" were only noticable after the clothing had dried.

Hope this helps. I know those marks are annoying!

matilda -
I sometimes get greasy stains on my clothes from the dryer, and it's usually a lost lip-balm (chapstick or other) that has melted and globbed onto everything.
I also second the idea that it could be detergent or a fabric softener. Make sure you are using non-phosphate detergent, and no liquid fabric softener. If you can afford it, try "cleaning" one washer before you use it, by running a very hot cycle with grease-cutting detergent like dishsoap, then running your normal wash and see if there's a difference.

Oops! Lexy got there before I did!

Speaking of new collections (West Elm, IKEA), has anyone seen the new collections at Pier 1? I strolled in the other day and couldn't believe all the nice things they have. I've never been impressed by them in the past but like what they have now. Even some of the furniture is good looking.

anne,
Their website shows a serious change in personality too: http://www.pier1.com/default.aspx

Anyone know a good online source for beeswax candles? Economical too, please.

lizzy, try wiping it down with white vinegar (generously inside and out with a cloth, then let dry, repeat if needed) then adding scented drawer liners...i had a dresser of my grandparents, who were huuuge smokers and that seemed to help a lot. hope that helps you some.

Marie, do you mean it opens like this?
http://www.eq3.com/cat-eq3/3090-405-2-storage.html

Jamie Pup - that is exactly what I mean!

I wish those pictures were bigger - it kind of looks like there is a little space between the mattress and the headboard, but I can't really tell.

However, the one at IKEA is not attached to a platform/headboard. Imagine a boxspring with a pop top!

We were getting black greasy stains on clothes from the washing machine a few years ago, I think that is why we had to get a new one. The new one has a warning in English and in French that if we put in anything containing cooking oil stains it could explode resulting in death or la mort. Gasoline stains are perilous also. I'm a little scared everytime I do laundry.

Sorry Marie but all I can say is that it depends on the hinge mechanism. The ones I have seen by flou and the one in this eq3 pic have a mechanism that lifts the matress support clear from the headboard. Hopefully the Ikea one does the same.

Smallcitybeth - I actually use the dryer sheets, not liquid fabric softener so I am very interested that you have the same problem - deep down inside, I just FEEL like it is the dryer sheets. Why would this happen?

Separately, has anybody had luck using vinegar in the rise cycle as a fabric softener/soap residue banisher?

Back when I kept fish I used Metro commercial shelving very happily because it could hold the weight and looked good (to me any way).

regards,
trillium

Just FYI, a couple of posts I saw on Craigslist under art/media/design:

Jonathan Adler seeks full-time product designer

Interior Designer / Head Carpenter for Home Makeover TV Pilot

matilda - yes, vinegar works well as a soap residue banisher (not sure about the fabric softening, but I am not particularly fussy about that and don't use any).

OK, so I just googled "stains from dryer sheets" and I am definetly not alone. In the course of my research I also found out that dryer sheets emit toxic vapors so I don't think I'll be using them again. I also did find several articles about the use of vinegar as a fabric softener and soap residue reducer. So I think I'll just buy a big bottle of vinegar and use that instead. 1 cup of vinegar in the fabric softener compartment (or can use a Downey ball) if anyone else is interested.

But wouldn't the vinegar make the clothes smell like vinegar?

anne, apparently not and it also removes other stubborn odor. Lots of posts about vinegar curing smelly diaper situations.

Matilda -- yoicks, I didn't know about dryer sheets emitting toxic vapors! I quit using them on my doctor's advice, because I have very sensitive skin, so now I don't use anything (I'm the Static Queen around here!) When I did use dryer sheets, I found it was certain fabrics that really had the problem. T shirts and such not so much as my "good" clothes, which, of course, made my "good" clothes look as if I'd been eating really messily or something. My mother has used vinegar, and no, the vinegar doesn't make your clothes smell like pickles (as one might expect). She used it for towels, mainly, and it did make them softer. I think I'll try it, and see if it will deal with my Static Queen status.

As for why it does it, someone who posted up there somewhere said that dryer sheets coat the fabric with something -- perhaps certain fabrics absorb the coating or something???

Good luck with destainifying your clothes!

scb

Matilda: One more little comment -- Angelune suggested "cleaning" the washer before use. Because of my skin sensitivity, and the fact that the others in my building use various scented detergents and fabric softeners (one woman that used to live in the building regularly used 5 or 6 dryer sheets per load!) I started doing a full cycle in the washer and the dryer, with an old white sheet dedicated to the purpose of being an "odor eater" -- that way I don't get residue from other people's dryer sheets on my clothing.

Matilda - Regarding the liquid detergent, it's just something I started doing (along with the hair thing) and I stopped getting the stains. I never used dryer sheets so that was not the culprit in my case. Can you use powdered detergent in the front-loader? That would address the same issue.

Goodbye petrie and jasper. Welcome to the sofa of 2006 - 2007 season:

West Elm:
http://www.westelm.com/media/WE/pf2/p_f288_pip_WE06C236_F06_060707164403_PIP_large.jpg

Room & Board:
http://www.roomandboard.com/rnb/dept.do?dept=RB1

Pier1:
http://www.pier1.com/catalog/productdetail.aspx?oid=74000

I am sure DWR and C&B will follow suit shortly.

*squeak*

Except for having visible legs, that last sofa looks alarmingly like the sofa we had built 18 months ago.

I actually hate it when that happens, because then only people who visited before stuff came "in" realize that I'm not a trend-follower.

Is it just me or has AT gotten so that one cannot say something even slightly negative (worded constructively) without being shot down as insulting or mean or unhelpful? I'm fine with someone disagreeing and saying I'm wrong for the content of my point, but to be shot down just because one is not all ra-ra-the-troops is kind of tedious.

Maybe I'm overreacting due to the heat in my apartment, but I've seen several dissenting posters get totally wallopped lately for no reason other than that they disagreed with the prevailing attitude.

Yes, I agree that AT has gotten to be intellectually narrower lately. The descent began when dissent was banned a few weeks ago. The stated reason was the "bad language" used by a poster or two, language that caused our AT regulars Enrique and P2 to jump on their chairs and scream "that mouse is using bad words." Purges followed, and now nobody dares disagree.

Matilda,

I've repaired front load industrial washers for a while now. It might, as everyone suggests, be the laundry chemicals. But if the grease stains look black or dark blue/green, the bearing on the washer might be going. This happens after a few years with most makes and models. When the bearings start to go, the bearing grease could get onto your clothes. I'd call the super to get the laundry service techs in to look at it.

I find Enrique and Patrick (too) to be on a higher intellectual plane than most of the negative posters. They usually know how to disagree without being obnoxious.

Allison--
You are taking today's comments out of context. You were not completely an innocent bystander. If you can say someone's hobby is boring, someone can say to you they think you are out of line. That's the way it works.

And Bring Back, I did not lobby to have him removed.

And it's sooo not a matter of being intellectually narrow. It's about common decency on a site that is largely a positive experience, and some of us would like to see it stay that way.

Joan A: Well, in my case, "usually" is the operative word. the opoponax and I got into it pretty good a few weeks back, which was admittendly in bad form on my part. I've apologized to her (on the thread) and have since adjusted my posting "voice".

Bring back Jonathan: Shucks, you give me too much credit. I've I had the power to influence people like that, I'd be selling pyramid schemes on late-night TV. Can't ya just see me on a yacht with 7 blondes in bikinis? Me neither. PS, it wasn't about "the bad words". I'm no Michael Powell; far from it, actually.

I'm SO enjoying the Urban Outsiders show on HGTV. I love Matt James' gardens and now he's doing outside spaces here in the US. I applied to get my balcony done by him and got thru the first elimination but never heard back after that. DRAT! Anyone else watching this show?

Bring Back -- If you want dissent, check out any of the threads that discuss Simple Living. Many of us have firm dissenting opinions but have not been banned because we're reasonably polite in expressing ourselves.

Enrique on a boat with 7 blondes would be a hoot though... do send photos!

I'm in urgent need of advice on staining my pine floor. I had it stained earlier this week using a mix of Minwax Provincial and Minwax Dark Walnut. I was aiming for a nice brown shade. Unfortunately, it came out completely "stripey" with some parts nearly black and some parts red. I'm paying the flooring guys to sand down it down again tomorrow and have given up on the brown floors. I just want something decent and not oddly "stripey". So, my question is: Should I just go with polyurthene (in which case I'll have to accept the light and yellowish tone of the floor)? Will I have the same "stripey" problem irregardless of what stain I use? Many thanks for any advice.

Wende (in SF): I enjoy your posts and am a big fan of yours. (It will surprise you, but BbJ is not my real name -- I've posted here before under another, more real, name.) But I must disagree with you now: why must we be "polite"? What's there to be afraid of in opinions lustily expressed? Whatever happened to that bit about detesting what someone says but defending to the death her right to say it?

Joan A.: If P2 and E are your idea of a higher intellectual plane, I shudder for the future of the human race.

Allison,

I read that thread, and I think you are making it a way bigger deal by posting about it over and over.

You said something was boring, someone said that was pointless, and you defended yourself. All allowed, and all mild.

What's boring is this thread about another thread.

You can detest and defend and debate and still not personally attack or insult someone.

But on a site that's basically about house and home, why is there any *need* to create dissent or have negativity tinge the paint and sour the waters?

Btw, SHOCKING that you are posting under an assumed name. We never would have guessed.

Batbat--

Did your floor guy not think multiple applications of stain would alleviate the problem?

My understanding about pine and softer woods: the variation in grain density means (as you have discovered) that it takes stain unevenly at first. But also my impression that multiple (many!!!) applications will even things out.

Some people here seem to think this website is a democracy, and that "free speech" reigns, and they can say whatever they choose, whenever they choose. It's not a democracy. It's private property and as the owner, Maxwell can choose and control what occurs here.

It's more like a private club. Membership is based on our mutual interest in design. Our price of admission is following the rules. Maxwell creates and maintains those rules. Dont like them? Think it's intellectually narrow? Well you are certainly free in this big democracy known as the internet to create your own website and say whatever you want.

Have a lovely day.

sjv: I understand the concept of playing by the rules. Shouldn't the rules you mention be stated somewhere, though?

My understanding of AT is that it is a community hub that provides news, reviews, inspiration, interactive community, house tours, answers to daily questions, open threads, classifieds, surveys, contests. www.apartmenttherapy.com is a daily blog hosted by a main editor and supported by the contributions of daily readers along with those of a small team of reporters.

Do you (or p2 or jamie pup) agree with this understanding?

If At is indeed just Maxwell's private property, as you say, if discussion is restricted, if people who are deemed offensive are banned, if "open threads" are not truly open, shouldn't these constraints be mentioned somewhere? Naive and gullible people, such as myself, won't be fooled then.

You are making WAY too much of a VERY brief, very isolated period where things got out of hand, and a big part of the contributing community was sickened by it. This site is sooo NOT "big brother" and it is soooo not about censorship. AND, for the MILLIONTH TIME, Maxwell can play by ANY rules he likes.

I'm tired of talking about this with you, and I'm sure people are tired of reading about this.

Move on, can we?! OR, contribute something, as jp suggested earlier.