apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Is there some sort of maintenance you're supposed to do with ceiling fans? Mine was installed about 3 years ago and, I admit, I leave it running pretty much all the time.

Now, it's making a thumping noise (like a washing machine does when it's unbalanced) and this is driving me nuts. How do I restore the silent operation that I used to have?

I'm desperate to remove the smoke smell from what I thought was a great vintage find.
I purchased a walnut stained pine armoir over a month ago from a thrift store. As soon as I brought it home, it "assaulted" me from accumulative decades of residing in a smoke infested home.

Needless to say I did some research online and have tried the following steps.
1. Aired it out for a week.
2. Placed dozens of cedar blocks.
3. Washed with Murphy's Oil Soap.
4. Spread baking soda and let sit for a few days.
5. Washed with vinegar.
6. Drenched it in lemon pledge.

... and now it STILL smells like smoke with a hint of bad salad!

Is there any hope? Should I just count my losses and get rid of it?

Any suggestion would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.

kathryn, your fan may need rebalancing.
Our company blocks video content so I don't know how helpful this is but it sounds pretty helpful:
http://www.taunton.com/finehomebuilding/pages/hvt002.asp

Has anyone used chalkboard paint on a frigerator? I'm looking to turn the front of my fridge into a chalkboard for grocery lists, my son's doodlings etc. and I'm not sure how to go about it. If I bought an actual chalkboard, how would I attach to the fridge?

maria

Wow- I just found my answer!
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/look/look-chalkboard-paint-on-a-kitchen-wall-001587

Thanks, jamie pup!
I was hoping it could be fixed with a little WD-40! This looks a bit more involved...

maria, maybe it's too obvious, but you could also hang a chalkboard on the fridge with magnets, or glue on a false front and paint that for something more permanent.

Is everybody standing-by in for news of the birth of the AT-heir?
it's weird that I'm excited about this announcement and I don't really know the family, but that's the internet for you!

oh - and does anybody know when Maxwell and SKGR plan to have the kitchen installed?

I'm quite ridiculously excited about the impending birth of the little GR, and I'm not usually a baby enthusiast.

The kitchen seems to be scheduled to arrive September 25, and then the other appliances are presumably at the mercy of the appliance vendor:
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/9-month-cure/9-month-cure-crunch-time-010690

I'm still thinking fundamentally complete 10/1 is a highly probable scenario, but that between the last 5% *always* taking forever and the distraction of the Actual Baby, there will be details we're hearing about at Xmas. That's normal, though.

quick question.

how strong are your average low-end rental apartment kitchen cabinets?

i've been displaying a collection of plaster saints and buddhas up there. none of which are terribly heavy on their own, but they definitely add up. i got another one this weekend in a junk shop, and just as i was about to stick it on top of the cabinet i thought, "hey. plaster is heavy. i'm starting to amass quite a collection here. i wonder...

well, dishes, pots, and pans are rather heavy when you think about it....

I am very excited about the coming baby! Feeling a suspenseful thrill when I check in, best wishes from all of us. We are thinking of you Maxwell and Sara
Kate.

that's also a consideration, JonathanB. i've got dishes and appliances in there, heavy bulky dry goods staples, etc. all that plus a growing collection of plaster sculpture might add up to a lot.

also, count me in for total GR baby anticipation.

The chunkster did not allow me to bail from the birthing room. frankly, i found the experience morbidly fascinating at best. say what you will about the woman pushing a human being through her vaginal canal, what about ME? it was VERY stressful for me to watch the birth and I'd rather go back to 1950 on this issue, where I sit in the waiting room getting drunk with my friends.

I suggested to her that, this time around, i not be present and she wouldn't hear of it. Ah well.

hey the opoponax,

It's less about how strong the cabinets are, and more about how well they were anchored into the wall. If the cabinets are attached to a metal rail which is attached to wall studs, you're probably fine. If some ass of a handyman just screwed those suckers to a piece of one-by and stuck it on a wall, I'd watch out for your Karma.

(Spouse once had a cabinet full of glasses fall on him. Luckily I was home, and we saved most of the glasses.)

But I second JonathanB in that your pots, pans and plates do have some heft to them, so the cabinets are most likely doing their job well by staying attached to the wall.

Since it is kids month, I need some help. My son is turning one in a few weeks and we're throwing a little party at our place for him. I'm sure he couldn't care less what the decorations and tableware look like but after visiting "Party City" and discovering my options were basically themed "Baby Einstein", "Sesame Street" or cutesy "barnyard Animals". His room isn't decorated like Potterybarn Kids (we have a bunch of colorful dots on his walls and ceiling and it's fairly modern) so we'd prefer the party not to look like that either. Does anyone know of any places with more contemporary or retro party tableware that isn't neccessarily too kiddy? Thanks!

Just ignore the kiddy-themed aisles. Go to the big wall of colored plates and assemble a color scheme you like.

If you also want party-store-type decorations, the non-child aisles of big party stores offer non-age-related themes such as Hawaiian/tiki. I'd be tempted to build a centerpiece from baby's building blocks or do a retro-style floral arrangement and call it done, but I'm lazy.

Reef--

How about investing in some French Bull Melamine plates and augmenting with solid color paper napkins and other (mismatched) colored paper plates?

Reef--

I also think, in honor of kids' month, this would make a great "Good Question."

Wende and P2,

Thanks for the excellent suggestions. I'd never heard of French Bull but having just looked at their website I love some of their stuff and could see that working great!