Guavadilla 911; spit and polish your glasses

[caption id="attachment_35871" align="alignright" width="405"] CLEAN SHEEN: For sparkling clean glasses hand wash in warm water and washing-up liquid, rinse in warm water and dry with a soft cloth[/caption]

I HAVE a microwave oven that had something burnt inside. Now it makes my whole house smell, and the colour inside has gone from white to bright yellow. Any ideas on how to get rid of the smell – and the yellow? – LJ, Port Elizabeth.

A few months ago, I would have been surprised that this had happened, but now I can speak from experience. A frozen herb-buttered roll was apparently in close contact with the plastic cover and burnt instead of thawing. The resultant smell permeated the kitchen, but there was no yellowing of the microwave.

It was not easy to get rid of the smell, despite valiant scrubbing efforts, and leaving the oven open when it was not in use. What finally did the trick was placing an open jar of cloves steeped in vinegar in the microwave, with the door closed when the microwave was not in use. I think continuing to use the microwave also helped.

I don't think there is any product that will whiten the plastic lining now.

Regarding the item about recycling soap slivers, another useful method is to place them in a small net bag with pull strings. You can hang this over the tap, and wet and rub, just like you would a bar of soap. It's ideal for kids or elderly people, who are inclined to drop slippery soap. Baby soap whole, AND the left-overs, can also be applied by using the bag as a "cloth". The method is good on the garden tap, too! – SJF, Cannon Rocks.

Thanks for the excellent suggestion, which will no doubt be adopted by many readers.

Do you have any advice regarding my guavadilla, which is growing really slowly. In 14 months, it is only a metre long. What can I use to make it grow faster? – Calvin, Port Elizabeth.

Under suitable conditions, there shouldn't be any problems with a yellow granadilla, known as a guavadilla. Like all granadillas, which are subtropical, it requires a reasonably warm temperature throughout the year in which to flourish. It also needs regular watering and some feeding with a fertiliser. Organic 3:1:5 would be a good choice. High humidity gives maximum yields in mature plants, which should be judiciously pruned.

The vine should bear fruit after 12 months, so your guavadilla is a long way behind. Perhaps the position it is planted in is unsuitable.

We have a lot of glasses that have a milky look – not the cut glass ones, which seem immune to the problem. The glasses get washed in a dishwasher. We've tried a de-scaling liquid and other cleaning agents without success. Could you please provide some help? – MT, St Francis Bay.

This query has come up before, and a knowledgeable reader provided an interesting explanation: The problem is indeed caused by the dishwasher. It is not, however, the result of any build-up of scale or washing powders in the machine, but by the fact that ordinary drinking glasses are made from soda glass. This is a soft kind of glass which is easier to form into glassware, but has the problem of being very slightly soluble in detergent solutions used in dishwashers. Over time the surface is attacked and becomes cloudy. Once this happens there is no remedy.

The answer is, of course, not to place these glasses in your dishwasher. In fact, it is better to wash all glassware, one piece at a time, in warm water and washing-up liquid, rinsing in warm water and drying with a soft cloth. Your glassware will then stay bright and keep its sparkle. Never wash crystal in a dishwasher.

There you have it. I don't think you will get the cloudy glasses clear again.

- At Your Service, with Gwen Bisseker