This post is important enough to share yearly. The holidays are a difficult time of year, especially if you have recently suffered a loss or are in a transition period, like divorce. Please remember, if you ever do feel hopeless, help is available, whether it’s through IAmAlive.org, 1-800-SUICIDE, 211, or reaching out to a friend. …
You’ve had a busy summer that possibly included vacations / staycations, trips, relatives, camp, etc. There’s been lots of time out of the house, lots of excitement, and probably…lots of laundry. The air is getting cooler, the leaves are changing, the kids are back to school, and life in general is settling back down. What …
Dear Home-Ec 101,There is a musty / mildew smell in my home, but I’m having issues locating the source of the smell. As far as I can tell, it’s restricted to one bedroom. I’ve examined all of my clothing, removed the air conditioner, checked all of the furniture, and even the air ducts. I’m guessing it …
Vacuums are good for many things – carpet, hard floors, cars, refrigerator coils, vents, and more! You’ll want to have a good vacuum that doesn’t cost all of your savings but still does what you want it to do. It is one of those areas where the saying “You get what you pay for” definitely …
Hello – When our house was built, the builder sealed all the air vents leading from the HVAC systems out into the house with something resembling the sealer around the top of the baseboards. I have never lived in a house where I could not remove those vents, clean them and them put them back …
Hi Home-Ec101,I have been following your site for a while and am super excited about how well the chore chart is helping around my place; it has made a huge difference! Anyway, I have an odd question, I have an older car that was in storage for about three years, and in that time the …
Dear Home-Ec 101,I came across your blog via Stumbleupon… I thought you would be the right person to ask this question… In a lot of homemade cleaning products, people use vinegar as a component. I get only the synthetic vinegar here in India. I do get apple cider vinegar, but its far too expensive (Rs …
Dear Home-Ec 101,Really enjoying the website, and my house is getting cleaner every day thanks to all the tips and the chore schedule. Now my current issue is HOW to get my hubby and our long-term guest to at least KEEP it clean. What rules should everyone follow to keep the house clean for longer? …
I received a concerning email yesterday that made me realize it was time to send this post out again as a reminder. This is the first in our series on household chemicals. Over the past few years, I have gotten the impression that many people are using chlorine bleach in an unsafe manner. Chlorine bleach, aka …
The living room, or family room, often becomes a catch all place. At my house it’s where we love to crash, watch a movie, have a snack, play with toys/games, and more. I’ll confess that we let the dog on the couch in there too. A lot of use of the room means a lot …