Dear Home Ec 101, I have lived in three apartments in the past five years, and everyone has had smoking stove burners. At my first apartment, I thought maybe the burners just had some cleaner left on them from the last tenants, so I took them out and cleaned them thoroughly with water. That didn’t …
Heather says: Not too long ago on Facebook, I got a question about acrylic flooring that had become cloudy. First I want to note that acrylic is a broad chemical term that simply means made of polymers or resins. So acrylic flooring can come in many forms, but in general people either mean linoleum, laminate, …
Dear Home Ec 101, I burned a microfiber rag on my flat top range as I thought it was cool and was wiping it off. The regular ceramic stove top cleaners are not taking it off. How can I remove the melted microfiber from my stove? Signed,Stuck in Sturbridge Cleaning melted anything off of a …
Dear Home-Ec 101, Help! I’m a new mom cleaning baby bottles. I breastfeed my baby, and she takes breast milk in a bottle when I’m at work. I should know the answer to this question, as I’m a pharmacist and took years of chemistry. I’m so embarrassed! Hot, soapy water does not remove stubborn milk …
Bran says: This is a public service announcement from Home Ec 101. Let me ask you a quick question: When was the last time you washed your can opener?* Please allow me to introduce myself. I’m the dude who, when cooking in your kitchen, scrubs the can opener before I use it. And nearly every …
Dear Home Ec 101, I have a glass (or maybe ceramic?) range that came with our house. It was new in June when we moved in. I have never had one before and am puzzled by some strange markings which have appeared on it. I use a ceramic cooktop cleaner on it about every other …
How to clean produce after cross-contamination in the refrigerator.
Dear Home-Ec 101: I have an electric water kettle that I’ve used for years. Since it can’t go in the dishwasher or even really be hand washed other than just rinsing it out, I am always careful to empty any leftover water out before I store it. My parents came to visit in July and …
Dear Home-Ec 101, I was looking on your site for information on the best (and hopefully most efficient) way to scrub floors. I found posts on your site about linoleum and mopping, but the only thing I found on scrubbing was a sentence saying that scrubbing floors required significantly more water. I have tile floors …
Brian says: Whether you’re single or a happily married man with children, there are certain things that we need in our lives to keep us, well, grounded. For some, it’s the legendary and mythical “man cave”, for others it’s a fantasy sports team. For me, though, it’s the unchangeable list of ingredients and sundries that …