Dear Home Ec 101, If I have brand new sheets, should I wash them first before putting them on my bed? Signed, Short Sheeted in Shelbyville Heather says: Yes, wash the sheets. Many new fabrics are treated with pesticides prior to packaging, especially if they are shipped from overseas or are expected to be stored …
Dear Home Ec 101, I have two boys and a husband, and their pillows usually only last a year. I get the heebie-jeebies when I start noticing stains. I think they occasionally drool in their sleep, have sweaty heads, and the preschooler is prone to midnight nose bleeds….ew. (My pillow is pristine, of course.) When …
Dear Home Ec 101, I own a Kitchen Aid Professional 6 Qt. Stand Mixer. It is a nickel color. I accidently placed the burnished aluminum paddle/beater attachment in the dishwasher to wash (it can only be hand washed in warm soapy water). It also went through a rinse of white vinegar. Eeeeek!! When I removed …
Dear Home Ec 101, Is there a trick to not supergluing the lid onto the superglue tube? They have a tendency to turn into a one-time-use product! Signed, ~Stuck on You Heather says: There actually is a very simple solution for this problem. Coat the threads of the cap with petroleum jelly. Super glue is …
Dear Home Ec 101, If a baked recipe calls for instant coffee, can you substitute the instant for regular brewed coffee and keep the same consistency and taste of the baked item? If so, what would be the ratio for the substitution? I want to make something that calls for instant coffee but was floored …
Dear Home Ec 101, Settle a debate, please. Whose house is harder to clean a small home-owner’s or a large home-owner’s? Signed, ~Just itching for whining rights Heather says: If we assume, and yes, I do know what happens when we assume that both homes have the same dirt level then it basically comes out …
Dear Home Ec 101, While my parents were visiting over the Christmas holiday, I made a pot roast for us all to share. We had lots of leftovers and my mother emptied them from the hot crock pot into a tupperware container and left it sitting on the kitchen counter. I saw it sitting there, …
Dear Home Ec 101, How should I deal with all the whiskery bits left behind after my husband shaves? Signed, ~Mrs. Claws Heather says: In celebration of the season, we’d like to present our advice in song. Sing to Up On The Rooftop Manly whiskers in my sink well thank goodness, they don’t stink Clean …
Dear Home Ec 101, How do you iron a really big (rectangular) table cloth without wrinkling the part you just ironed when it hits the floor? Can one person do it alone or do you need two people: one to iron, one to hold the tablecloth straight? ~Wrinkled in Wrights Beach Ivy says: Ironing is …
Dear Home Ec 101, A friend and I were talking earlier today. She is a big fan of doubling casseroles and freezing half for later. I was telling her that I don’t because I usually freeze my meat before cooking it and you can’t refreeze meat. She said that as long as you cook it …