Dear Home-Ec 101, What washing machine is better, top or sideload? Signed, Wishy-Washy in Waseca Heather says: Isn’t it fun when someone answers your question with “It depends?” The front-load vs. top-loading washing machine debate has been going on for years, about ten in the US. High-efficiency front loading washing machines hit the mainstream back …
Dear Home-Ec 101, I have a dilemma. I find my bedroom becoming cluttered very quickly with clothes that are “too clean to wash” yet “not clean enough to put away”. I was a single mom for many years, going to school or working, sometimes more than one job, and as a result, I didn’t want …
Dear Home-Ec 101, I’m a brand new mom and I need to know if it is okay to wash clothes that have suffered through a diaper leak with the rest of the baby clothes. How do I make sure that poop (sorry!) doesn’t get all over the washer and the rest of our stuff without …
Dear Home-Ec 101,I was visiting my MIL recently, and she told me that they have hard water, so she had to put a lot of extra soap in the washer because otherwise, she didn’t get any bubbles, and it wouldn’t clean the laundry. This confuses me because I always thought you weren’t supposed to have …
Dear Home Ec 101,I found your article on How to Clean Up After a Toilet Overflow helpful, but I was wondering if you could tell me how to clean my daughter’s colorful bath mat?Thanks!My Cup Overflows With Gratitude Isn’t adulthood fun? The good news is that your bath mat is not a tablecloth. If you …
Dear Home-Ec 101, My problem is that I keep towels that we have used in a closet until I do laundry at the end of the week, and I wanted to know if there is anything I could put inside the closet to keep down the musky smell until laundry day? Signed, Musky in Muskogee Heather …
Where to find borax and washing soda in most US stores like Target and Walmart
Dear Home-Ec 101,I love your website, your tips have been extremely helpful to me. I have a question, though, whose answer I couldn’t find in your archives. Maybe you can help me out? I don’t have a washer at home, so I take most of my laundry to a laundromat. I’ve been washing my dishcloths …
Folding laundry is a giant pain in the rear, but it’s something that everyone (except those who pay for laundry service) has to do. I’ve taught all three of my children (currently 9, 7, and 5) how to fold a t-shirt quickly. If they can manage this simple shirt folding technique, you can, too. One …
Heather says: We have talked about fabric softener and dryer sheets ad nauseum on this site. We’ve talked about how fabric softeners can make your towels less absorbent. How some of you hate the smell of vinegar in the laundry. We know that dryer sheets have a few serious problems: Many are made from polyester …