Dear Sun Spots:
Please help, the juice of a lobster spilled in the kitchen drawer. I
have tried different things to get the smell out but have had no luck
yet. Any suggestions?

— No Name, No Town

Answer: You have Sun Spots’ sympathy, especially if the lobster juice also contained butter. This will be a very difficult smell to overcome.

You should start by taking the drawer out of the cabinet and cleaning everything thoroughly, including the slot the drawer came out of. Before cleaning, put some lemon juice in a spray bottle and douse the affected surfaces. Let that sit for an hour or so, then wash everything with Murphy’s Oil Soap (you might find the spray Murphy’s best for this application), using an old toothbrush on the seams and hard to reach places. 

Let the draw dry completely out in the sun. If it still smells, and it probably will if the juice has permeated the wood, purchase some activated charcoal. You can find it in pet stores/departments where they sell aquarium supplies. Fill the drawer with the charcoal, then put the drawer in a garbage bag big enough to allow the bag to close. Leave it this way for several days to allow the charcoal to absorb the smell.

Some readers may suggest using baking soda. A paste of baking soda and water might be effective as well, but Sun Spots has had better luck with the activated charcoal.

Dear Sun Spots: I’m wondering if Toni Orestis, former owner of Marois
Restaurant, would be willing to share her recipe for salmon pie.
Thanks.

— M. Leblond, Lewiston

Answer: This same question has arisen before (October 2008). Unfortunately, Sun Spots is still unable to answer it.  Perhaps someone reading the column today will know her and pass on your request.

Dear Sun Spots: I am looking for somebody in the Rumford and Mexico
area who is willing to paint some little wooden trucks that I make in
my workshop. Some of these will be donated to Santa’s Helpers at the
Free Store for Christmas gifts for children. You can call Alyre Richard
at 364-8364. Please leave a message should I be absent from home.

— Alyre Richard, Rumford

Dear Sun Spots: I really appreciate the service that Sun Spots provides to the community. You have helped me before and I hope you can help me again. Do you have the address to Jay Leno’s show? I would like to submit something funny to him.

Roger Castonguay, Mechanic Falls

Answer:  The Jay Leno Show will premiere Sept. 14 on NBC. The new Web site, www.thejaylenoshow.com, has numerous online forums to contact Jay, including submissions to the show, but the only mailing address Sun Spots was able to find was for purchasing tickets. That address is The Jay Leno Show,
3000 W. Alameda Ave.,
Burbank, CA 91523. Hopefully, a letter sent there will reach him.

Dear Sun Spots: I am the activity director at Montello Manor nursing home. I have written to you on a number of occasions and gotten great results.

We have a cockatiel who needs a companion. His cage partner passed away last week, and he is very lonely. I am hoping that someone will have a cockatiel that they would be willing to donate to Montello Manor for the enjoyment of the residents. Please contact Mary Lou Dow at 783-2039.

—
Mary Lou Dow, Montello Manor Activity Director

This column is for you, our readers. It is for your questions and comments. There are only two rules: You must write to the column and sign your name (we won’t use it if you ask us not to). Letters will not be returned or answered by mail, and telephone calls will not be accepted. Your letters will appear as quickly as space allows. Address them to Sun Spots, P.O. Box 4400, Lewiston, ME 04243-4400. Inquiries can also be e-mailed to sunspots@sunjournal.com.

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