Yeah, the hearth debate is a classic. @grace_bailey, I bet you had the whole "historical charm" vs "wasted floor space" argument. My cousin spent months trying to explain why a non-working brick platform was a "room's anchor." Just put a plant on it, man. What did you end up doing with yours?

Yeah those kits are surprisingly decent for sealing up rim joists too, if you can get to them. The key is to go slow and do thin layers, otherwise it doesn't cure right and stays sticky. Made a huge difference in my old place, stopped that cold floor draft completely.

My buddy Mark had the EXACT same problem with his car's headliner. He spent a whole weekend trying every cleaner under the sun. Finally, his dad told him to use a dab of lighter fluid on a rag, just like you said. Mark was totally freaked out about it, but it worked like magic. The old glue just wiped right off and the fabric was perfectly fine. He still talks about how wild it is that it works so well.

Sounds like a lot of fuss for pork belly.

Yeah, I used to grab whatever socket was close by too. Then I rounded off a caliper bolt that was really stuck, and that was a huge pain. Now I'm super careful about using the exact right size, even if it means a trip to the toolbox.