Breakfast the Most Important Meal of the Day

Dear Home Ec 101, I have an 8 am Philosphy class, but I find that a cup of coffee and the crust from last night’s pizza is never enough to power me through my demanding 12 credit minimum. Do you have any no-effort suggestions, Taster’s Choice is pretty taxing already. Signed, Anemic in Akron Heather …

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Friday Free-for-All

Heather says I had a couple of questions come in this week that I didn’t post. 1. I have a loveseat that got wet how do I fix it? I wrote back and found out that it isn’t leather, it’s sort of cloth, but I never got a definitive answer on how wet. Without being able …

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There’s A[n Unwelcome] Party In My Plants

Dear Home-Ec 101, I have a dilemma in that I looked up the tiny flies that are strolling around my plant soil. I found that they are called fungus flies and live on the decaying soil matter. I’ve sprayed the soil with Home Defense both bug spray and soapy water (nope), put a dish of …

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“Get the FACS”

Heather says I thought about writing a long-winded response to this. Instead, I’ll just share the comment I received (name removed) and share the mission statement of this site. Home Ec 101 is a site dedicated to teaching a broad range of life skills to adults in a conversational and entertaining manner. -Heather   Hi Heather, …

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Why Is Spring Cleaning a Thing Anyway?

Heather says: Why did Spring Cleaning become a tradition? In the past many homes were heated with wood fire or coal stoves, both of which produce soot that gets deposited on walls, windows, and flooring. Over the winter this soot and the mud and filth tracked in would build up. Spring cleaning meant opening the …

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How To Clean And Shine a Dull, Grimy Kitchen Table

Dear Home Ec 101, I love receiving your info! So much fun to read! Anyway, I really need help with the following: I bought a beautiful dining room table and chairs from a friend with children. Unfortunately, she has never instilled the clean-hands rule with them and the table is sticky and dulled with finger …

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What Are These Spots On My Khaki Shorts?

spots on khaki shorts

Dear Home-Ec 101, I have been puzzled by this mysterious pink / red stains on my khaki shorts for years. Whenever I get new khaki shorts, it will get these red / pink stains on them whenever I wash them. I don’t use bleach or fabric softener. I only use powdered detergent, cold/warm water and …

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Happy 8th Birthday Home-Ec 101

Heather says: Thank you all for being a part of Home-Ec 101 these past eight years. I was just looking over my calendar, this afternoon, when I realized it was March 1, 2007 when Ivy and I officially launched this site. The past eight years have been one hell of a ride. Thank you for being there …

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Well That Wasn’t Fun

Heather says Hi, it’s been a couple weeks, hasn’t it? Things started off with the best of intentions, but then my youngest decided to play Typhoid Mary (only she was sick, too) with a fun thing called Rotavirus. Parents of very young children probably know this term and are cringing. I took the kids to …

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