Thanks for both of your replies. I will try them both. I don't know if the Calgon will work, because my main problem is that I can't rinse the curtains. Oh, I suppose I could throw buckets of distilled water at them, but that's not practical, really. And I could possibly electrocute myself, which wouldn't really be productive... I will also try the magic eraser. Ya never know. Thanks! Sorry for the typo ("Hlelp") in the thread title. No solution for that problem, either, I guess.

Ahem... OJ, my friend, your hypocrisy is showing! ;) As I understand it, you're a "bottle babe" too, right? But you're a closet bottle babe. You drink bottled water as I recall. In fact you drink nothing but if memory serves correctly. And you're a water bottler too so all these companies and people you go at about bottling water is done by that guy in the mirror? Or have things changed? :D I make no apology that I drink spring water. Can you carry 20-30 cups of tap water in your vehicle so you have it with you and available when needed and wanted? I think not. The cost? 7¢ to 9¢ a bottle is what I pay. Certainly not going to break me. And I'm not driving back and forth every day or two to get this water, burning gas, oil, tires and wear on the vehicle. :D (OK, end of the jabs!). Now to the "clubs". :D I know it's become fashionable to vilify water. Complain about "all those bottles in the landfills!!!!" LOL People who do this, I have to wonder what's in your water? Interesting how pop, tea, juice, milk and other containers can go in the same landfills and no problem with that right? How about all those foam coffee cups and plastic dome lids on the coffee cups that people insist on buying at Starbucks, Tim Horton's, Caribou and the like? Where's the screaming about that? Dead silence. Perhaps that foam and plastic doesn't use petroleum products? Or maybe they're 100% recycled? Or is there another reason? What about the pod coffee drinkers? Nobody's bothered by that plastic going into the landfills. Those little plastic cups going into the garbage don't seem to offend people? Why? OH, it's not water! I forgot that water is the target. I also have to ask, where's the same (manufactured) outrage over all the diapers that go into those landfills some are so concerned about? When's the last time anyone has recycled a diaper? 'Splain that one to me Lucy! Shall we talk about all the other stuff that goes in those beloved landfills? (Today they're "landfills". I remember when they were called "dumps"!) Light bulbs, batteries, packaging, greeting cards, expired gift cards, rotisserie chicken containers, fem hygiene products, toilet paper and paper towel rolls and wrappers, and so on and so on and so on. I realize that water has become a fashionable villain these days. Must be people having stock in Coke, Pepsi, Huggies and Starbucks. I used to have great water here. I don't anymore. And I am not going to have a cow over spending a few dollars a month to buy spring water, have it handy and not buy soft drinks, coffee and the like while out and about. So go ahead and yell and scream about people like me who drink water rather than sugar-laden or aspartame-filled drinks. I recycle my bottles. Coffee drinkers don't recycle many of their cups, lids, stir sticks, creamer/sugar containers, lids, etc, I'm sure. Every time there's a national disaster what's the first thing they ask for? Coffee pods? Diapers? Soft drinks? Nope. WATER! Perhaps we should never again send water to these people. Or the places with contaminated wells. They shouldn't drink bottled water. If tap water isn't good enough for you then you should go without? Hey, now THERE'S a possibility. I'm going to go have a bottle of water right now. Might have a bottle of juice to go with it. At least juice doesn't seem to be a villain like poor innocent water is! Proud to be a water drinker. Just noticed how old this thread is, but it was a good response that didn't deserve to be deleted. And after thinking about it, compared to many of the "current topics" being posted, it's more interesting, more thought provoking and far better than many of those topics. Moving on! :)

You've probably never been in a home with properly sized ductwork. Don't feel bad, it's estimated that as much as 3/4 of the heating and cooling systems in the US are oversized. 2 stage and modulating furnaces are better, but I've lived in a home with both, and both can be very comfortable and the single stage equipment doesn't make it feel more dry that I can tell. BUt you are correct, multistage cna reduce the sense of dryness you might get with a less than ideal system. THe RH of hot air is lower than cooler air, but cool air can make things feel drafty. That's why radiant heat is popular. You essentially have very, very low air velocities and much of the heat energy is indirect infrared heat which make you feel warmer, similar to direct sunlight. Keep in mind too, that unless you have an outdoor rest control for hte boiler or to sped up or slow the circulator, most hydronic air handlers are single stage for heating. So the heat is no different than a furnace. Worse, as you reduce BTU's to the coil, the airflow speed is usually ocnstant, so air temps get cooler. My point being, that a properly designed and installed furnace won;t make it feel dry even if single stage. But yes, oversized furnaces and those with restricted airflow can. Vairble capacity will always make the system more comfortable, but it will cost more. Radiant heat overall is superior, but the installed cost is much, much higher. That's why it fell out of favor. Same reason drywall took over the market and plaster disapeared. ITs' primarily a matter of cost. It's also why stone and brick homes aren't built anymore and concrete homes are the minority.

Not having a water dispenser isn't too tough to find but I searched a lot to find a frig without the ice maker. Very few don't have that wart. Though I really liked the 4 door Samsung with the option to make 3 compartments freezers, (and especially liked it being marked down from $2500 to $700) but it annoyed me that for the most part 1 full section was lost to the ice-maker and water dispenser. Yes, I know they don't have a tank in there for water, but I haven't seen any using copper pipes. Every one I've seen uses plastic tubing and a plastic tube to connect the water to the unit. Sooz, it's been a long time now, but basically take the thing apart as much as you can and wash that stuff away. He used his "miracle cleaner" that had this odor of... salad? Vinegar takes that crust off the stainless and plastic quickly and effectively. And I guess I should clarify, I DID drink water from a garden hose, but never the stuff that was sitting in the hose! I ran it a while to get the hosewater out of there and would have to do that with a refrigerator unit. Even my cousin, who was so proud of his new frig with icemaker quit using the ice for drinks. He agreed with me that bad water makes bad ice, just like bad water makes bad coffee. The only thing he used that ice for was to dump in the cooler when he headed to the lake. Annie, the only way I know to clean out the frig dispensers is to disconnect the water supply line, and these days most often they're those dang vampire couplers, then flush the system with bleach. And I highly doubt anyone ever has, or will. Triciae, too bad about the flood, but it reminded me of when a friend's place flooded from a broken washer hose. All the totes floating around in the basement and her little foo-foo dog on top of one of them. I wanted to call her Gilligan after that! :)