Heather says: Commenter Keter raises some interesting points: Formaldehyde in clothing also makes it more flammable, and can cause contact dermatitis. Washing will remove the chemical treatment. Baking soda adsorbs (yes, that’s spelled right, it is a chemical process, no a physical one) some of it, but does not neutralize it. Try soaking the clothes …
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 …
Heather says: The current heatwave has done a number on my allergies and the grass pollen has wreaked havoc with my eyes. One way I cope is to use teabags as compresses. When I brew a batch of tea, I store the bags in the fridge. When the itching gets out of hand, they are …
Dear Home-Ec 101, It seems every time we take something apart for storage, we manage to lose any screws that go with the items. How do you manage not to lose the screws? Signed, Not all who wander are lost, but my screws are gone forever Ivy says: Screws are wily little buggers and will …
Dear Home Ec 101: Flash Freeze, does that involve liquid nitrogen? ~Slushy Dear Slushy: Well, for some industries, such as commercial fishing, it could. However, here at Home Ec 101, we are only equipped with the usual appliances and baking supplies. Flash freezing is simply a term used to mean freezing an item as quickly as …
Ivy says: It’s been awhile since Kathy T has graced us with her Stupid Questions. I’m glad they’re back! On with the questions. 1. I’m having a terrible time with my vacuum cleaner. It blows instead of sucking. I know this reads like a dirty back-of-the-video-store room, but it’s my carpet that’s the dirty boy. …
Typically, you should be vacuuming your refrigerator coils twice a year with your spring and fall cleaning. Vacuuming the refrigerator coils not only extends the life of your refrigerator, but it helps save electricity because a dusty fridge has to work harder. If you have pets, you should vacuum more often- the more pets, the …
Dear Home Ec 101: My son will be moving into an apartment and setting up a kitchen for the first time. I’m pretty confident about what kind of hardware (pots, pans, plates, etc) to buy, but what would be a good basic list of staples (salt, pepper, sugar, cannola oil) to set him up with. …
Ivy says: I’ve been stressed like you wouldn’t believe lately (well, it’s a step up from being depressed, anyway) so I decided to take a luxurious bath tonight. When I was at Kroger stressing over the cost of milk, I decided to take a look at all the “relaxing bath salts” stuff they had on …
Dear Home Ec 101 Ladies, I was talking to my sweetie yesterday about my inability to make a meatloaf. I have tried everything. I once bought a pan with holes in the bottom that would drain the grease into another pan – this was to make my meatloaf grease free but delicious. It was nasty. …