Bagels Recipe

Heather says: Bagel purists avert your eyes. I believe I’ll refer to this recipe as Quick and Dirty Bagels.” They get the job done, are much better than frozen, and do not require a whole lot of work, but I would never put them up against a genuine NY bagel. This recipe was originally designed …

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I can see clearly now the spots are gone

Another good comment: I’ve always hated cleaning shower walls – they just seem so impossible to clean. And now we have a shower stall with clear doors that shows spots from our hard water in DAYS (even with squeegee-ing after every shower). And if I really want to get them off, I have to scrub …

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How Long Do I Have to Boil Water to Kill Germs?

Dear Home Ec 101: I live in Hurricane Country and there are often boiling water advisories after a storm. How long am I supposed to boil the water before it is safe to drink? ~Avoiding the Runs in Ravenel Dear Avoiding the Runs in Ravenel, Boil water advisories are more common than you may think. …

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Food Storage: Butter

Dear Home Ec 101: How long will butter last in the freezer? ~Freezing my Assets Heather says: It depends, at 0°F butter will last 6 – 9 months and still retain its quality.  I have frozen it for much longer with no noticeable change, but our deep freeze is only used for long term storage.  …

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Can I Use Dish Soap in the Clothes Washer?

can I use dish soap in the clothes washer

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 …

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Formaldehyde Revisited

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 …

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Eliminated or Hidden? Febreze vs Stink

From the comments: I’ve heard from a friend that the way Febreze works is by “gluing” the molecules causing the smell to the fabric. So you may not smell it anymore, but it is most definitely still there… doesn’t normally bother me, but it seems to bother some people heh. Assuming that what my friend …

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