Household Odors: A Home-Ec 101 Guide

Scientists say that people can smell at least one trillion distinct scents, scent cells are renewed every 30 to 60 days, and women have a better sense of smell than men. Combine all those things together with a house full of people and there is potential for A LOT of odors. On top of all that …

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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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The Laundry Room: A Home-Ec 101 Guide

It’s great to have a house with a laundry room. These machines do a lot of work for our family. Why, then, do so many people hate doing laundry? I am so glad I don’t have to use a pot of boiling water or a wringer to wash all of our clothes or worse, have …

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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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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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Spring Cleaning: Home-Ec 101 Guide

The snow is finally melting and the smell of spring is in the air. The urge to open the windows and clean the house has come upon me. If I try hard enough I can squash it, but it is actually a good thing so I guess I won’t. Here are some articles with tips, tricks, …

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Keeping The Kitchen Clean: A Home-Ec 101 Guide

It’s said to be the heart of the home. The kitchen is certainly the most used area with a lot of traffic. It’s also the source of a lot of work, but there is a certain satisfaction in making it clean and shiny. Here are some articles that might help you; click the title of …

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How Long Will it Take to Clean My House?

Dear Home Ec 101,How long will it take to clean my house?Signed,Curious in Corpus Christi Heather says: Well Curious, what is your favorite color? Blue? Ok. I’ve plugged that variable into the top-secret Home-Ec 101 House Cleaning Algorithm, and I’ve determined it will take you exactly 18.36 hours to clean your house thoroughly. Oh. Wait. That doesn’t make …

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