Magic Markings

Dear Household Goddesses, My nearly 2 year old daughter is many things. She is a clever, fearless, climbing artist who uses the world as her canvas. As hard as we try to keep any and all writing instruments away from her,  she seems to have a sixth sense when it comes to finding stray pens …

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The battle of the build-up

Dear Home-Ec 101, Ok, so I’ve noticed that I continue to get a build up of either laundry soap or fabric softener on inside top of my washer, the actual drum thing..I don’t know what its called. How do I keep that to a minimum… It seems like I need to wipe it down every …

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Maiden voyage

Dear Home-Ec 101, I clean houses part time to bring in some additional income. . My newest client has severe allergies, no strong chemicals can be used in her home. Currently I’m using soap and water or a vinegar mix for most of the jobs, but her tub and shower combo are quite grungy, (not …

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Mildew: not tasty like Mountain Dew

Dear women-in-the-know, I’ve spent my summer at a summer camp and have gotten my money’s worth out of my double stroller. It has endured bugs, kids with dirty diapers, and lugged pounds worth of stuff, but it has also contracted mildew. I’ve heard to use tilex and hose it off. Is there a natural way …

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Funky shower smells and other fun stuff

Dear Home-Ec 101, I have this nasty smell in my bathroom. It is very hard for me to describe, but I’m OCD and it is driving me nuts. I think I have it pinpointed to the shower stall. I have totally scrubbed it however, I’m very anal about cleaning so it was already clean. I …

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Pantry Basics

Dear Home Ec 101: My son will be moving into an apartment and setting up a kitchen for the first time. I’m pretty confident about what kind of hardware (pots, pans, plates, etc) to buy, but what would be a good basic list of staples (salt, pepper, sugar, cannola oil) to set him up with. …

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How to Remove Ink from Countertops

Dear Home Ec 101:The other day, I set a wet a receipt on the bathroom counter to dry. (The cat has gotten a bunch of things wet.) It was one of those older fashioned ones with purple ink. The next morning, I discovered I’d put it ink side down and now had a nice copy of the receipt …

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Meatloaf: Back to Basics

Dear Home Ec 101 Ladies, I was talking to my sweetie yesterday about my inability to make a meatloaf. I have tried everything. I once bought a pan with holes in the bottom that would drain the grease into another pan – this was to make my meatloaf grease free but delicious. It was nasty. …

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How do you get your chicken so tender?

Dear Home Ec 101: Okay, I’m new to cooking. Why do I need to pound the chicken breasts with a mallet or rolling pin? Like, why do I need to pound them at all? ~Are you really telling me to beat my meat? Heather says: I sure am. Meat is nothing more than muscle. I …

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No, I never have smelled mothballs

Hello ladies, Recently I bought a nice tote bag at an airport shop while travelling. As soon as I got it onto the plane, I realized it reeeeeeeeeeeeeeks of mothballs. How does one get rid of this smell; a smell that permeates everything it contacts? I tried Febreeze, I tried leaving it ouside overnight…still stinky. …

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