Dear Home-Ec 101,My furniture has become very sticky after years of polishing it. Sticky to the point of having to give it a little pull to lift it off the furniture. Googling for a solution, I have used a mixture of water and vinegar. It helped a little but not much. What next?Signed,Sticky in Stockton I …
Dear Home-Ec101, So, I turned my back for just a few moments, while I had to help a client—remote work is such a blessing and a curse—and in that time my two-year-old took the full tube of diaper cream and smeared it all over one of the couches. Now, I’m about to get rid of …
Dear Home Ec 101, In 2006, we bought several pieces of microsuede furniture in a chocolate brown. Over time, the arms and headrests have become oily and dirty. The code on the label is “WS”. Can we remove the grime from our couch and recliner? How hard is it to clean microsuede without damaging the …
Dear Home-Ec101, My husband dripped peanut butter on our nubby weave couch and rubbed it in when he tried to clean it off. Can you tell me and your readers how to get messes like this out without further ruining the upholstery? Signed, Excuse the Mess, We Just Live Here I dream of the day when …
Since I have two young children, four teens, two dogs, and three parakeets, it’s just not the right season of life for me to buy brand new furniture. I buy secondhand and then try to take care of it – or cover it – until I get my money’s worth out of it. Here are …
Dear Home Ec 101, Can you tell me how to clean throw pillows? A friend made me a pillow cover for a throw pillow on my couch, but she sewed it shut over the pillow, so there is no way to remove the pillow to wash it. Are there any options as far as cleaning the …
Dear Home-Ec 101, I have a dispute to settle. My husband and I recently bought the most beautiful, rustic acacia wood dining table. However, a couple of days ago we noticed that it is starting to crack here and there. Yes, we are young and with a house full of Ikea furniture it did not …
Dear Home-Ec 101, My mother has wax build up on an antique secretary. It is a dark wood with a shiny surface. Over many years of waxing the wax has built up and in places the shine has dulled. Can you help? Signed, Smudged in Smyrna Heather says: Are you sure that it’s wax build …
Dear Home-Ec 101, I’m having some dining room table woes. The wood is super sensitive to heat. When it was given to me it had a couple of small white marks, but I just put a table cloth over it and called it good. Even with out the cloth they weren’t that bad. Well, at Thanksgiving I …
Hi Heather, I recently retrieved a table from my garage that was stored for about a year and it smells like there could be a mold or mildew issue. How do I clean the table to remove any traces and the odor of mold and mildew? Thanks! Must-ang Sally Heather says: If it were still …