I try to remember to add vinegar each time. I'm amazed the difference if I forget. The jars will come out with the white haze on them. Fortunately, since it hasn't been many times, the white film wipes off. We have special a salt addititive to put in the dishwasher here to help keep the glasses from getting etched. It was a hassle adding that stuff to the resevoir so now I just take the easy route and buy the tabs with the salt built in. Over here, Calgon sells tabs for the clothes washer also. You add it with the regular detergent. I use those also. The regular powder didn't dissolve very well in my pesky european washer.

Hi there Hazel, A)just wondered have you had any luck wth the window cill incident? Did the toothpaste work? Have heard about a product specifically made for cleaning UPVC units, but no idea what or where is is available from....have you tried contacting a UPVC window instaler for advice...worth a try maybe for the sake of the cost of a phonecall? Your posting prompted me to check my propagator....yes, it too is on one of the lounge cills, we have hardwood frames...all was fine. Told d/h of the problem you had and he assured me he had checked the heat of the bottom of it before allowing me to put it on the cill...something I had never thought to do!!!phew, what a relief! Hope you can sort it. B)BTW how are the Proteas coming on, had to do a spot of googling when you mentioned the smoke rings, but know know wht they are! Interesting project..mmmh, youngest daughter is off to Jo'burg to visit her b/friends family in Oct, wonder if she will have room for some S.A.seeds!!?? haha! Will check the regs as usual. Keep us posted on both pls? Gill.

Greywings, thanks for reference to MSDS. I knew this sort of thing must exist out there somewhere, I just didn't know what it was called. There must have once been, or perhaps still are more than one dip-it as jannie's package contains no phosphorous and greywings link does. I have found links to two, perhaps different, coffee maker cleaners. One dip-id product contains, or did contain, citric acid and sulfamic acid which are, or once were the workhourses in denture cleaners.

Be very careful with a glass thermos interior. This glass is thin and fragile- easily broken. If you do use a brush, be gentle. A brush made with twisted wire is probably asking for trouble. A sharp rap or poke of the metal part may shatter the glass. For this reason, try chemical cleaning agents first. In addition to the hints in the above posts, try vinegar. (Vinegar has 4% acetic acid. This is the main cleaning agent). Vinegar is very good for disolving calcium and hard water deposits. Fill the thermos about 1/5 to 1/4 full of vinegar and then add warm to hot water until full. Do not cap and let sit for a couple of hours, and then pour it out and immediately rinse. Caution: Do not mix vinegar with amonia. Vinegar is an acid and amonia a base. These could react violently, and since they react with each other, a new compound is formed and the cleaning power of both are diminshed or neutralized.