Good morning Corona! I never thought that a simple query would result in such a flood of letters and advice. Radiator brush, superb idea. So. I do have a water softener, which works, but is pricey on a yearly maintenance/ guarantee. I probably do a wash once a week, never over 40 or maybe 60 (sheets, tea towels) and very often on cold. After two years of this my machine stuck. Benoit came, and said that it was gummed up from cold water too often, and suggested that every few months I run an empty wash at 90 to clear away the muck that has stuck. I use a calgon tablet every few washes, no smell. As you and other readers will see, I donât do a lot and manage pretty well. Now, what is a simple remedy for black mould on the silicone in the shower. Iâve done the tiles with white vinegar, need to shift the black dots. Easy remedy please. PS my pool balance seems fine thanks to your advice.
You might want to reconsider using LastPass. There were data breaches reported not so long ago and porting all your passwords &etc across to Bitwarden (which is much more secure) is a cinch.
A couple of reference for you:
https://www.howtogeek.com/715063/lastpass-vs-bitwarden-which-is-right-for-you/
https://www.howtogeek.com/714518/how-to-transfer-your-lastpass-passwords-to-bitwarden/
haha⊠nothing is ever that simple 
Spray bleach will get rid of the spots, if you have mould/mildew in an awkward place maybe the back of the toilet or corner of were the wall meets the ceiling in a bathroom or sides of a window and it is white emulsion, use (other brand available ) Super U gel WC Javel just make sure it is the clear not green one, put it in a jar and paint it on, it does not drip down the wall and stays damp for a while then dries/soaks into the surface stopping the mildue from coming back for months and you donât get any spray floating around.
Having a 400+ year old cottage means we used to have problems with mildue, not any more.
If you have persistent mould, mix silver nitrate into the paint you are using for a permanent fix.
Thank you! I have learned something new for today. I shall practice on the Art thread, which I love.
I have some. And anold house! Thanks.
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Itâs also great if you have large cream stone sinks and a FIL that wonât pour tea down the plug hole and just chucks the tea in the sink without rinsing , turning the cream sink brown 
, paint it on, leave for 5 min rinse off, as it clings it works way better than spray bleach, cream sink again.
And if you use kitchen towel as a soak into, you can position the towel along the silicon so the bleach doesnât just run away.
With the gel it stays in place without kitchen roll giving it time to do itâs work, no run off.
Having a completely redone shower as of last year I am now paranoid about mould. So I quickly dry my shower after use - sponge and window scraper - give it a blast with hair dryer as I dry my hair, and make sure it is well ventilated.
Karcher type window vacâs come highly recommended. Also good airflow which may take more arranging
Thank you Graham, I will do that. I always take reliable advice!
Iâm getting into a bit of a pickle sometimes trying to get to grips with a new iPad, new laptop and new phone at the same time.
All different makes â I know, I should get them matching. Weâll see.
now another query. ElectricsâŠmy earth wire comes out of the back of my barn that is attatched to the house and into the ground. Is this ok?
Yes, though it advised to get the connections checked occasionally, @Badger will know.
IIRC the householder has the responsibility of ensuring that the property has a properly connected earths, unlike in the UK, the live and neutral come in on the main cable but the earth is connected to the property by a ground rod or rods.
More common to do this in the UK too.
You donât have to provide, install and maintain the earth like here though.
Talking of things electric, I recently unpacked my 20year old Tefal Raclette machine for a family lunch. Instantly the wall socket fuse blew on the board so tried other sockets, same thing. Speaking to the electrician who did the installation on this new house last year, electrics now are very âpickyâ (the only word I could think of to describe his french version) or more finely tuned about older appliances being plugged in and often reject them via the fuse.Needless to say, themachine was binned immediately and I will replace it with a new version.
This is a very typical scenario, but only a proper inspection & test will confirm that the earth conductor (wire) is of sufficient size (minimum 16mmÂČ if insulated, 25mmÂČ if bare), that the earth resistance is low enough (below 100Ω), & that itâs actually connected to your installation.
Modern normes now stipulate that all end-user circuits are protected by a 30mA différentiel. Your previous property may not have had that standard.
No, as long as an older appliance is not damaged/corroded it should perform as safely as a newer one.
A fuse only drops out under excessive load & is there to protect the wiring, not people. I suspect what tripped out was a différentiel.
Iâve just unpacked my 40yo Tefel sandwich maker! Was among my motherâs possessions that I bought overâŠand it works just fine!