Polishing off an old dusting practice

ELIOT, Maine
A. Polish and its use or nonuse has been a bone of contention among handymen and other persons concerned with keeping up house and home. Here is my side, based on experience and the questions and comments of numerous readers. Polish is good if applied sparingly and rarely. That is, maybe twice a year. I have had good luck with Pledge. The problem with most polishes is that when used too often, they build up a coat of wax or other material that dulls the finish. The only cure is to remove all of it with paint thinner and start all over again.

In fact, I do not use polish anymore, or any other product, because the original finish of varnish, lacquer, or shellac, including my own refinishing attempts, works very well. To clean, I usually wipe with a damp cloth.

Q. A friend of mine lives near the water, and has a plague of pigeons on her roof. She has tried a sound machine, and a fake owl, without much success. How can she keep them away?

JULIE, from area 617
A. There are many products on the market, and some work for some people and some don't work for some people. I was in an airport in Philadelphia years ago waiting to get a plane, and during the wait I looked out a window to see a big old fake owl, surrounded by pigeons who kept flying around and perching on the owl's head. So much for that deterrent.

One thing that will work is a needle board. You can make your own by driving sharp nails about 3 or 4 inches long through a wooden board so they are points up, close enough together to keep birds from roosting. Trouble is, you'd have to cover the entire roof.

There are two companies that make needle boards of stainless steel, and they are wicked looking things, but the companies claim they work. They are Nixalite of America in East Moline, Ill., 309-755-8771 and 800-624-1189, and Ecopic of Birmingham, Mich., 313-647-0505.

Q. A window on the sunny side of my apartment building has bugs crawling all over. They look like small ants, but have wings, yet do not fly (when I am looking, anyway). My son sleeps in said room, so I wonder if they will bite.

JESSIE CARR, Boston
A. They sound like swarming ants or even swarming termites, which form wings once or twice a year to mate, produce babies, and form new colonies. In either case, they will not bite. It's unusual that they are swarming in dead winter, but anything is possible. Look at the insects closely. If they are black and have a so-called wasp waist, or hourglass figure, they are ants. If they are light brown and have no waists, they are termites.

If they are termites, I would inform the landlord.

Q. I have a center hall Colonial from 1948. The house has six-over-six wood, double hung windows single glazed. I am looking for alternatives to replacing the windows. Currently my storms are the typical aluminum sliding one over one, with a screen as well. It is my understanding that there are better storm windows on the market that can deal with some of the infiltration at the windows. I guess an alternate is replacing the upper and lower sash; but I am concerned that I will not get the look I want, six over six.

DAVID DeFILIPPO, Milton
A. Those six-over-six windows are good, except for the weight pockets, if you have them. Make sure the windows are well weather-stripped. Harvey makes a very good storm window, called Tru-Channel, and I believe it comes with Low-E glass as well. Your old storms are pretty loose. You could also put in an inside storm window made of plastic. There are kits for this purpose in hardware and big-box stores.

Also, Harvey makes a vinyl replacement window that virtually duplicates your six-over-six windows.

Q. I have a white porcelain kitchen sink that I hate! I cannot get the scratches out no matter what I do. I use Soft Scrub, I let it sit on the scratches, I buff it, and it still looks awful. How can I get my white porcelain sink to look clean and new, or at least less scratched?

ANGELA COX, Albany, N.Y.
A. Try this: Buy a small bottle of appliance touch-up paint; it comes with the brush in the cap. It is white and oil-based. Brush this on the scratch lightly and let it dry. It should disguise those scratches. But first try this trick, if the porcelain is true porcelain and not porcelain enamel on cast iron: Brush straight household bleach on the scratches. They may come white. If they do, keep doing that to keep the scratches from going to black.

Q. We purchased a "tract home" in a development that was built within the past few years. It's a two-story, and the master bathroom is above the family room. We are hearing creaks in this room, I believe from one side of the ceiling, as if it was getting ready to have something crash through. I believe the tub/shower is right above where we hear the creaking, if that matters. To our knowledge, there have never been any water leaks. I understand settling in a home, but this happens all of the time. And I only hear settling in this area in the home. Do we need to worry?

NANCY, on the West Coast
A. Not to worry. The location of the master bath does matter, because of its nearness to the family room. Those strange noises occur when the hot water or cold water is turned on. The hot water causes the pipes to expand, and when they do, they pop or creak a little. Not too loud, but loud enough to be heard. The cold water causes the pipes to contract, and the same thing happens. The same thing can happen with your heating system, whether it is a hot water boiler or a hot air system. The heat makes the metal ducts or pipes expand, and when they cool down, they contract and pop. The sounds may be telegraphed by the rather lightweight construction of the house; maybe within code but still a lot lighter than older houses. The wall finishes, such as plasterboard (drywall) or Blueboard and skim coat, are thinner than in old houses and the doors may be hollow, which amplifies many noises. Little can be done, although you could replace hollow doors with solid wood ones.

Q. When my house was built one of the heating ducts was placed under the kitchen sink, next to the dishwasher. As a result the area under the sink gets pretty hot, and the dishwasher does as well, creating condensation and an odor in the dishwasher. Is there a way to insulate or deflect the heat away from the dishwasher?

KEVIN, in Hotton's chatroom
A. I assume the duct is under a false floor underneath the sink, but if not, there would not be much of a heat flow from or to the dishwasher. There is a plywood wall between the dishwasher and sink, so that should be enough. The big problem is the odor in the dishwasher. Either the heat is causing decay of food left on the dishes, or there is water left in the dishwasher that is turning rancid. If the food is rotting, then rinse the dishes before putting them in the dishwasher. If the water is getting rancid, it's because the washer is not emptying properly, so call an appliance representative to find out what's wrong.

Globe Handyman on Call Peter Hotton is also in g on Thursdays. He is available 1-6 p.m. Tuesdays to answer questions on house repair. Call 617-929-2930. Hotton also chats online about house matters 2-3 p.m. Thursdays. To participate, go to www.boston.com. Hotton's e-mail is photton@globe.com.