Ivy says: Since the weather is finally changing from hot to cold, now’s a good time to go through all your kids’ clothing and get rid of the stuff that doesn’t fit or just generally looks like crap. I use two methods to do this: at the source (drawers and closets) and during laundry time. …
Dear Home-Ec 101, I want to know how to get that “not great smell” out of my linens. I wash them and put them away and they smell great, when I get them out to use them there is no smell or an “old” smell to them. Should I wash down the walls & shelves …
Dear Home-Ec 101, I’m getting ready to go on vacation and I couldn’t find my swimsuit. Well, I finally found it, but the situation is not good. I found it wrapped in a towel in a backpack. The good news is, the backpack’s fine, but the swimsuit smells horribly funky. Can you help me make …
Dear Home Ec 101:So, uh, how bad is it if I add a little liquid dish detergent when I’m running out of laundry detergent? I swear my momma didn’t raise me this way.~Bubbling in Beaumont Heather says: Chances are if you have some laundry detergent to add to a load of laundry you probably have …
Heather says: Apparently we’re having an unofficial week of Laundry Lovin’, here at Home Ec 101. Have you ever looked at the care label on your shirt only to find it covered in mysterious hieroglyphics? Well never fear, I have the Rosetta Stone for decoding those pictograms. Now you can wash with confidence.
Dear Home Ec 101:It seems like all my colored T-shirts come out of the washer with a few faint stains on the front. It looks like I spilled a drop or two of water on me when I put them on. It’s on them all, no matter what load they went into or what they …
Ivy says: So much I wanted to write about, but alas, I’ve been spending all night dealing with a crayon in the dryer disaster. Anyway, my loss is your gain, since I’m sure you’ll remember this and make sure to apply the lesson I learned: always check the pockets of every item that goes in …
Dear Home-Ec 101, I bought some new jeans and they smell strongly of chemicals? Could you please tell me what that awful chemical smell is on some new jeans? Also, how can I get rid of that chemical smell? I tried adding 1 cup of vinegar to wash with laundry detergent 3 times, and they …
Dear Home-Ec 101, Ok, so I’ve noticed that I continue to get a build up of either laundry soap or fabric softener on inside top of my washer, the actual drum thing..I don’t know what its called. How do I keep that to a minimum… It seems like I need to wipe it down every …