Heat may help loosen protective plastic film

Q. I installed a new dishwasher, and it works perfectly, but Ican't get the plastic film off the front door. Do you have anythingin your bag of tricks that would get it off? D.K., Dracut

A. Something has to work. Sometimes if the sheet is left on toolong, it is harder to get off; the same thing happens if the backersheet is left too long on a piece of acrylic.

Try heat; a hair dryer will do, but not a hot-air gun. Start atan edge or corner, start pulling off the plastic and aim the dryerbetween the loosened plastic and the dishwasher front; keep goingthis way.Or wet it with vinegar and apply more vinegar between the plasticand dishwasher. Or mayonnaise; sloppy but it may be effectivebecause it has oil in it. Let the mayonnaise sit on the plastic fora little while so it will soften it enough to start pulling off.Continue as above.Finally, if all else fails, spray WD40 lubricant on the plastic tosoften it, peel off an edge or corner and continue spraying betweenplastic and dishwasher and keep pulling. Clean off all this goop andsit down with a sigh of relief. None of these materials will hurtthe dishwasher front.Q. My bluestone walk is just great, except that it has somescrapes and scratches that are somewhat unsightly. Also, there is awhite line across one of the stones. I can't figure that one out,but how can I get rid of it and the scrapes and scratches? P.K.,NewtonA. Sand it with coarse sandpaper. This will lighten the stone butit will weather quickly to match the unsanded stones. For the whiteline, that sounds like a lime streak, so try this: Mix muriatic acid,one to one with water, and paint this on the stone. Wait a fewminutes and hose off the stone. When mixing acid and water, alwayspour the acid into the water. Wear skin and eye protection whenworking with acid.Q. Some of my baseboard heaters are pulling away from the wall.How can I get them back flush with the wall? R.W., DorchesterA. Here is what W.S. Zankowski Jr. of Mansfield said can be done.Zankowski wrote in when the Handyman suggested a different cure forthe gaps between baseboard heater and wall."Typically, the back of the baseboard assembly is nailed to thefinish wall before finish plumbing. This back section has supportsfor the hot-water pipes and fins. It could be that, in your case,the nails missed the studs and instead were driven into just thedrywall."I suggest you pull off the front covers and louver, and verify mydiagnosis. If I am right, you can predrill {through the back of themetal cover} and screw the metal baseboard to the wall at each studlocation {making sure the screws go through the drywall and into thestuds.} This will certainly hold the baseboard on the wall where theybelong, without gaps."Thank you, W.S. Zankowski, and so will Rose Williams. You seethat the Handyman saved your letter, and is happy that he did. Callin your questions on 617-929-2930. Globe Handyman on Call PeterHotton is available from 1 to 6 p.m. Tuesdays to answer questions onhouse repair. Hotton will chat on line from 1 to 2 p.m. Thursdays.To participate, point your Internet browser to http://www.boston.comand use the keyword, chat.