Dear Home-Ec 101, I’m making my husband a velveteen cloak for Halloween, and it’s already got cat hair all over it just from measuring and cutting the fabric. Can I throw it in the washing machine, or does it have to be dry cleaned? Signed, Hairy in Hailey Heather says: Do not throw your velveteen …
Dear Home-Ec 101, I live in NH and have hard water well water, which has been staining all of our light colored clothing and towels since we moved here 6 years ago. I figure I probably can’t get out the stains in our towels by now, but to prevent future stains, and to be able …
Dear Home-Ec 101, Are soap nuts ok to use in my high efficiency washing machine? Since HE washers don’t agitate like standard top loading washers, I was curious if the soap nuts would be effective. Signed, Curious in Cupertino Heather says: I have never used soap nuts, so my answer is based on the manufacturer’s …
Dear Home-Ec 101, My two-year-old daughter has a white skirt that she absolutely loves to wear. The last time I washed it, I noticed lots of large yellow spots all over the skirt. Since she’s two, there is no telling what those spots may be. I have tried using OxiClean, Dawn dish soap, and bleach, …
Dear Home-Ec 101, First off I just have to say I love ur site, as a 27 year-old, first time parent it has been a lifesaver. Really wish they would teach these things like they used to in schools. Once had a friend throw away a brand new pair of pants because they and their …
Dear Home-EC 101; I have a weird question for you. A few times lately, I’ve pulled whites out of my washer with yellow stains. Not on the neck or underarms like you might expect, but looking more like I washed a highlighter with everything. Streaks on hems or sleeves, where there were no stains before …
Dear Home-Ec 101, I / my husband / my kid didn’t check their pockets and now my dryer smells minty fresh, but is covered with with gum. How do I get the gum out of the dryer and off of the clothing? Signed, Several Home-Ec Readers this Week Heather says: Thankfully, removing gum from the dryer …
Dear Home-Ec 101, I have black underarm stains on many of my shirts. That’s right —BLACK. It started happening after we moved to the western NC mountains, where we have well water, but it’s only my shirts—not my husband’s. I’ve tried changing deodorants (though I suspect they all have the same active ingredients) with no …
Heather says: This may come as a surprise to some, but your clothes dryer is not a magic box that dries your clothes with sunshine and warm, fuzzy thoughts. Well there are some warm fuzzies, but not of the rainbow and unicorn variety. For the most part, and this excludes the new dryers that steam …
Heather says: You may have noticed there have been quite a few posts on laundry this past week. I thought I’d make your lives a little easier by rounding up all of the laundry and odor related posts into one spot. Sour Smelling Towels are a vexing problem. Learn how to remove that odor. How …