Dear Home Ec 101, I live in an apartment, and my kitchen is open to the living room like in most apartments. The house always has a remnant cooking smell even when I keep all the doors and windows open. My carpet, couch and everything smell. It is a little embarrassing when i have company. …
Dear Home Ec 101, I accidentally spilled some candle wax on my favorite pair of jeans. What should I do to get it out? Signed, Waxy Buildup Ivy says: This is actually a fairly simple fix. First, scrape off any excess with a butter knife. Then all you need to do is take a warm iron …
Dear Home Ec 101, Hi. I have a dilemma with my dishes. Whenever I cook or use a strong smelling condiment, my dishes always pick up the smell I can never get the odor out. A small dab of bleach in the water was suggested but after trying this my stepson told me the dishes …
Dear Home Ec 101,I admit I wanted one of those – a bagless vacuum cleaner! What an amazing idea! No thought was given to what I was going to do with the container full of dust and debris. I’ve figured out that dumping out the junk is fairly easy – although many people including myself …
Dear Home-Ec 101, I got this set of cast iron pans last year for my birthday and I know that you have to do something with them before you can use them. I “googled” it but I find soooo many different things I don’t even know where to start. I figured you ladies would be …
Dear Home Ec 101, No matter what I do, the hardwater spots on my shower and tub keep coming back? What am I doing wrong? Signed, Speckled in Spencerton Heather says: Well there are a couple of options. You could invest in a water softener or be super diligent and use a squeegee after every …
Dear Home Ec 101, How do you get stuck on hairspray off walls and a cheap linoleum bathroom floor? Signed, Tacky in Texas Heather says: Oh it’s the dreaded hairspray overspray! The answer is deceptively simple. You’ll need hot water and elbow grease. Use an old rag and water as hot as you can stand …
Ivy says: Last night, there were several dishes left over after starting the dishwasher. This happens with some frequency, we use a heck of a lot of dishes in our house. Normally, I would just rinse them and set them in the sink to run the dishwasher this morning, but it occurred to me that …
Dear Home Ec 101, Where I live we have to pay for trash disposal. The trash disposal company we use gives us great big trash cans that most of us around here call dumpsters. Today, I was so embarassed when I got this note from the trash disposal guys: “Could you please clean out your …
Ivy says: I cleaned out my fridge yesterday, right on schedule. Some commenters asked for before and after pictures, and I’m glad to oblige! I’ll give you some tips on how I clean out my refrigerator as well. The first thing I do is fill a bucket with lukewarm water and either a cleaning product …