The Family Group Chat Is My Help Desk
The text usually arrives on a Saturday, and it usually starts with “quick question.” How do I get Silly Putty out of carpet? Will Pine-Sol ruin my wood floors? Can I paint my sister’s dresser with the leftover wall paint? For about ten years I have been the person in my family who gets those texts. In late 2025 I started answering them somewhere other than a group chat, and that is how RoomKer began.
My name is Angela D. Schantz, and I write every post here. Because the questions reach me by symptom and not by room, this page is organized the same way. Find the sentence that sounds like your problem.
If something is stuck, stained or smelly
This is the largest and most urgent kind of question, and it lives mostly in Home Improvement and Living Room. It covers getting Silly Putty out of carpet, cleaning cat urine from a sofa, getting rid of a damp carpet smell, cleaning a fluffy rug, and using Pine-Sol safely on wood floors. I answer these first because they are usually asked in a panic.
If it will not hang, close or fit
A window, a door or a table that does not behave. Here you will find how to hang curtains on an arched window, how to fix blinds that will not go up, how tall a bedroom door usually is, what a standard dining room table height is, how to arrange pillows on a sofa, how to separate a kitchen from a living room, whether you can paint IKEA cabinets, and whether wall paint will work on furniture.
If you want to know what it is made of, or how long it will last
Some questions are really about a decision you are about to make. I write about how long sofas and carpet last, what subfloors are made of, what rubberwood is, which cabinet colors work with grey floors, which curtains go with blue walls, which green paint colors feel calm in a bedroom, and which plants can live in one.
If you are staring at a blank wall or a bare yard
This is where the idea galleries live. In the living room that means partition ideas, beach decor and photo frames. In the bedroom it means wallpaper textures, wall art and minimal IKEA Malm looks. Outside it means hot tubs that do not dominate a yard, porch swings that take two adults, screen rooms, durable pallet projects, deer fences, outdoor bin storage and Christmas balconies for renters who cannot drill.
The site also has a Bathroom category, and its posts follow the same rule as everything above: they start with the problem and then offer the fix.
Who is answering
I am not a contractor, flooring installer, cleaning professional or upholsterer. What I have is ten years of being my family’s first call, which means a lot of trial and a fair amount of error. I have installed one linoleum floor, painted one set of IKEA cabinets and rescued one sofa from one cat. For everything else, I read the manufacturer’s instructions before I tell you anything, and when a fix could damage a finish, I say so and tell you to test it on a hidden spot first.
If a fact or a measurement in one of my posts is wrong, please write to me. I will check it and fix the post.
Outside the group chat
I keep a bin under my sink of every cleaner I have ever tested, each one labeled with the surface it ruined. My family has a rule that the photo comes first and the question comes second, which has saved everyone a great deal of typing.
Before you scrub, drill or plug in
Everything on this site is general information from my own experience. It is not professional advice, and I am not a builder, electrician, plumber, flooring installer or cleaning professional. Please treat these points as the minimum.
- Cleaning products: test any cleaner on a hidden spot first and follow the label. Never mix cleaning products, especially bleach with ammonia or acids. Ventilate the room, wear gloves, and keep children and pets out of the room while surfaces are wet.
- Solvents and stain removers: some methods for removing sticky residue use rubbing alcohol or similar solvents, which are flammable. Keep them away from flames, heat and pilot lights, and use them sparingly in a ventilated space.
- Damp smells and water damage: a damp carpet smell means there is moisture somewhere. Deodorizing will not fix a leak, and lasting dampness can lead to mold. For a large or repeated water problem, call a water damage professional.
- Old floors and finishes: in a house built before 1978, assume paint may contain lead until a test says otherwise, and old vinyl or linoleum tiles and their adhesives may contain asbestos. Have them tested before you sand, cut or pull them up.
- Painting and refinishing: work in a ventilated room, wear a respirator when sanding, and follow the label on paint and primer. Test very old furniture finishes for lead before sanding them.
- Window cords: blind and curtain cords are a strangulation risk for young children. Keep them out of reach, and follow current child safety guidance.
- Hot tubs, swings and outdoor structures: a hot tub needs a properly rated electrical supply and a support that can carry its full weight, so hire a licensed electrician and a qualified installer. Keep children away from uncovered water. A porch swing must hang from a beam or joist rated for the load. Check permits, building codes and homeowner association rules before you build a screen room or fence, and call 811 before digging.
- Pallet wood: use only pallets stamped HT (heat treated), and avoid any marked MB or stained with unknown chemicals.
- Plants and pets: some houseplants are toxic to cats and dogs, so look each one up before bringing it home. Posts about plants and sleep or air quality are decor ideas, not health advice. Follow your local rules on wildlife when keeping deer or other animals out of a garden.
Affiliate disclosure. RoomKer is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for website owners to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. If you buy through one of my links I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. It does not change what I write or what I tell you to skip.
About Angela D. Schantz:
- Full name: Angela D. Schantz
- Role: Founder and writer, RoomKer
- Based in: Tacoma, Washington
- Email: [email protected]
- Pinterest: pinterest.com/roomker
- Contact page: roomker.com/contact
- Background: Ten years as her family’s go-to for stains, floors, curtains and cabinets, learned by trial and error at home. No formal trade or cleaning credentials.
- Focus: Home fixes and cleaning, curtains and windows, cabinets and furniture, room decor and outdoor spaces
- Writing since: 2025
The group chat is quieter now that the answers live here. My sister says that is not a compliment.
