My spouse, it’s not me, no never me, has a bad habit of leaving his dirty plastic containers in the back of his car. I have to tell you, they are FUNKY. How do I remove the bad odor?

Signed,

Smelly in Smyrna

Heather says:

I feel your pain.

First let’s talk prevention. What I have done is convinced my husband that the first rinse out is HIS problem. I was pretty sensitive to smells during all three of my pregnancies; after losing my lunch a couple of times I flat out refused to be the one to crack the seal. Once he was hit with the funk a few times he began rinsing out the containers at work. With few exceptions -road crews being one I can think of- most people have access to running water on the job. Ask your spouse to rinse out the container before packing it to take home.

Once a plastic container has a bad smell, the cure is simple and Tupperware fans swear by it. First, wash it thoroughly in the hottest soapy water you can stand this will help get rid of any oils that may be part of the problem. Dry the container well, then crumple some newspaper, place it inside and close the lid tightly. Let the sealed container sit for a day or two, then discard the newspaper and give it a sniff. If the odor is gone, wonderful just wash it before reusing it. Otherwise, wash it with a diluted bleach solution and repeat the newspaper trick.

If you have it on hand, activated charcoal may work better than plain old newspaper. I never have it on hand, so I don’t really see it as an option.

Good luck!

This actually goes nicely with yesterday’s dust or vacuum question. I am in the market for a new vacuum, and would love feedback on what everyone has and likes. I know you have a Dyson and love it, but not sure if my budget is Dyson or not.  I read Consumer Reports, and they seemed to favor the Hoovers.  Mine just lost it suck, and just bites.

Signed,

Vacuous in Vermont

Heather says:
I do love my Dyson Animal, but I did not buy it brand new. We purchased a factory refurbished model for around half the retail price. It’s hard to believe -mostly because I refuse to acknowledge that time is moving this quickly- that the vacuum is five years old. We recently replaced the hose, as it developed a split, but that was due to abuse on my part. I have a habit of stretching the hose to its limit to reach the top of the stairs. It’s not a heavy vacuum, I’m just lazy and don’t always want to drag it upstairs if I’m just doing the main floor. Compared to our previous vacuum, an elderly Windtunnel (I don’t remember who makes those, offhand.) It was amazing. I still kind of enjoy watching the dust cup fill. Somehow it seems as though I’m accomplishing something.

Now I’m opening the floor to the Home Ec 101 readers.

Do you have a vacuum you love?

Did you recently get rid of one you hated? What bothered you about it?

Don’t forget to include the make and model to help our reader make an informed decision.

Settle this for me, please. My mother says you dust after you vacuum, my mother-in-law says you dust then vacuum. I’d rather knit sweaters for my cat from the dust bunnies, but could you settle the debate?

Signed,

Dust in the Wind

Heather says:

<sidestep>To be truthful I usually don’t dust and vacuum on the same day. </sidestep>

Both ladies have valid points and unless you are cleaning in front of them and then I must ask, why? It’s not anything that needs to be stressed out over.

Your mother’s theory is based on the idea that vacuuming stirs up dust, which hangs out in the air for a little while, has a cocktail, then settles on your coffee table. Your mother-in-law’s theory is that dusting drops dust on the carpet, so we should remove that or it will sink down into the fibers and party with the cat dander -apparently I believe dust has a social life better than my own.

Here’s what it comes down to. You and any other household members whether they are on two legs or four are dust creating machines. Just sitting there reading this post you’re shedding skin which adds to household dust. Throw in pollen, dirt, pet hair, and you’ve got a mess that gets blown around anytime anyone turns on a fan, walks through a room, or opens a door. It’s not practical to eliminate

If your vacuum is spewing out a lot of dust, it’s time to change the bag and start saving your pennies for a vacuum with a HEPA filter. If that is your situation, vacuum then dust.

If you have central air / heat make sure the filter is being changed on a regular basis.

Don’t dust with a dry rag, this just pushes dust around. A slightly damp rag works really well. Notice I said slightly damp, this means you squeeze the water out, if you’re dripping across the floor you’re doing it wrong.

My vacuum has a good filter, so for most of my dusting, I just use the fuzzy attachment, for the record, I hate dusting only slightly less than I hate polishing furniture. This is part of the reason I live a fairly knick-knack free existence.  Well there’s that and my inability to decorate, but publicly we’ll stick with my first reason.

Have a household question? Send it to Helpme@Home-Ec101.com

Kathy says:
My oldest daughter was recently shoved out of the nest. She left kicking and screaming – very unhappy because I made her move into a college dorm room rather than have her face a daily commute. I mean come on! She got a full ride scholarship so why not enjoy it on campus? Besides, as anyone who has attended college anywhere in the U.S. know, parking is a son-of-a-gun!

But the real knife in her back was when we told her that she was losing the big room upstairs. Her little sister who started high school at the same time she started college was moving on up. One baby girl was elated, the other baby girl was highly peeved. The challenge was sifting through the piles and piles and tubs and tubs of stuff she left behind. Here are my tips on how to make a move like this:

1. Tell the kid moving out that whatever they leave behind needs to be presorted OR there’s no guarantee that their stuff won’t go into permanent storage … possibly never to be found again.

2. You’ll be both delighted and horrified by what you find. The delight was when I discovered one daughter was highly organized at some point in her life. The horror was knowing that all those labeled hangers were empty so somewhere a fail occurred!

3. Crusty cat barf found behind the TV does come clean with Scrubbing Bubbles.

4. Big plastic garbage bags work almost as well as the $10 storage bins. Don’t be afraid to pile clothes you plan to donate to Goodwill or Salvation Army in trash bags. But you might want to put a masking tape label on them to be sure you don’t accidentally haul them to the curb.

5. Hidden among all the posters hanging on the wall may be little surprises

– pictures of you as a young Mommy holding your little precious – that could incite tears.

6. If you have allergies, the paper towels you’re already using are just as good as regular tissues!

7. When personal belongings have been packed and/or changed, you may discover that PAINT is the only solution to covering white board markers that strayed from the white board and stained the wall. Or is it? Look carefully and you’ll see where – in a crunch with company coming and no white paint – I taped plain white paper on the wall to cover the stains. That’s just how I roll, people. If you don’t have a solution to save yourself from embarrassment, invent one!

8. Finally, when you think you’re done you may be wrong. After the room was all put together, baseboards cleaned, cat barf eradicated, curtains, sheets & blankets washed, spider webs cleaned, and you *think* you’re done… you might discover you forgot to clean behind the door.

I still haven’t done it, either. I’ll get it done before our next round of company arrives!

To read more from Kathy visit her at Shak and Jill.

If you’re interested in contributing a guest post send an email to Heather@Home-Ec101.com.

Dr. Alice says:
“Cleanliness is next to godliness” is a well-known saying, but my recent experiences have changed my mind: It would be more accurate to say that cleanliness is next to survival. Granted, many readers might not go quite that far, but my recent experience as a caregiver to a chemo patient has been a little extreme. It has been valuable, though. I have learned just how important food hygiene and household cleanliness can be when you live with someone whose immune system is not functional. As a physician I thought I knew everything there was to know about the importance of handwashing, food hygiene and protecting against infection… turns out I was wrong. I thought I’d share a few of my experiences with you in this article.

Let’s talk about food hygiene for those with a compromised immune system. Temperature and food storage are key issues for someone who is sick – you don’t want to run the risk of food poisoning or parasites – but some of these precautions would be valuable for anyone with a contagious illness in the family. Food must be thoroughly cooked, fruits and vegetables must be scrubbed (including bananas, even though you peel them!), prewashed greens must be rewashed before they are eaten. Chopping boards are disinfected daily. We are using a lot of paper plates, towels and napkins as cloth napkins are a no-no and dishtowels are frowned upon. We do have regular dishware and use that, but all tableware and utensils must go through the dishwasher on “sanitize.” Anything which is refrigerated goes right back into the fridge as soon as we are done with it; nothing sits out on the counter. Meat is a tricky issue. Chemo and transplant patients can eat meat, poultry or fish but there are many precautions attached. You must keep meat separated from fruits and vegetables at all times: in the grocery store it should be in a separate part of the cart (or you can put it in a handbasket, which you then put in the cart). At the register it has to be bagged separately from everything else. In the refrigerator meat goes on the lowest shelf to prevent juices from dripping down and possibly contaminating other food on lower shelves. And it is always cooked until well done, not rare.

Microwaved foods should be well stirred to make sure there are no cold spots where food might be incompletely cooked. If keeping food warm it should be held at a temperature of at least 140 degrees (below this point there is a risk of bacteria reproducing in the food).

There are some food precautions I wouldn’t have thought of: miso and other fermented foods aren’t allowed for immunosuppressed patients. Whole-grain or seeded crackers and breads are also off limits, only white bread, saltines and water crackers. Presliced meats and cheeses (i.e., deli) aren’t allowed due to possible contamination from the slicer blade, and you can’t have roasted nuts in the shell, although loose roasted nuts are okay.

Tap water is safe in most large cities, although bottled water is encouraged. There have been some concerns about city water supplies in Los Angeles, and probably other cities as well, being contaminated with low-levels of  a parasite* which at these levels does not affect healthy people but can cause diarrhea in someone who is immunosuppressed. It’s very difficult to get rid of this bug, as chlorine does not seem to affect it and it can pass through water filters such as Brita.  So if you have a member of the household who is at risk for infection, bottled water may be a safer option.
Living quarters and general hygiene are also areas of focus. We have bottles of hand sanitizer everywhere as well as foaming antibacterial soap. I daily spray all surfaces in the kitchen, bathrooms and other areas with a 10:1 solution of water and Clorox.  Bedsheets are washed twice weekly, pillowcases and towels every other day. The telephone and TV remotes, door handles, light switches are all points of communal contact and possible danger zones; these have to be sprayed and wiped daily. We can’t have flowers or plants in the room, and even artificial flower arrangements may be suspect if there is moss on them (it can harbor fungus).

It’s okay to go outside – in fact, the medical center staff encourages patients to exercise – but avoiding crowds is important. We have seen a few people wearing masks in the medical center but they are intended more for someone who has a cough or is already sick than as protection for someone who has no symptoms.

When it comes to cleanliness vigilance is key, I have learned that details are important. When I first read the caregiver handouts I was reminded of nothing so much as Howard Hughes on a really obsessive day. But MRSA and other drug-resistant bacteria infections are becoming almost a universal problem; you don’t need to be ill or weakened to get them. Being a caregiver to my immunosuppressed relative has alerted me to the importance of being more cautious in my daily life, as well. With cold and flu season just ahead, I think I will be emphasizing infection prevention to my patients a lot more this year. I’m hoping that after reading this, you will be encouraged to do the same.

*Heather says:

I’m all too familiar with that parasite and you certainly don’t have to be immunosuppressed to catch it.  My entire family contracted it in 2006 at a water park and we have a nickname for that infamous summer. We’ll just say it doesn’t pass the family friendly test.

Dr. Alice lives, works and blogs in Los Angeles. In her spare time she writes and collects cookbooks and craft ideas.
Be sure to visit her at Feet First.

If you are interested in contributing a guest post, please email Heather@Home-Ec101.com.

Remember last week’s Put Your Crap Away? It’s about as close to a magic pill as a person can find.

If you work outside the home, it won’t be as intensive a process. Get ready to go a few minutes early. Then just before you leave, take a walk through the main living area. You see that magazine lying in the middle of the floor? You’re done with it. Put it in the recycling. That newspaper? Same idea. The throw on the couch, the cereal bowl on the coffe table? Straighten and put away. If you don’t, tonight or tomorrow those items will attract friends. In the case of the paper clutter, it’s just easier to add to the pile. The cereal bowl invites friends of a different sort.

Is it perfect? No, but it won’t be as difficult to face in the evening. Go to work, have as good a day as possible.

Those of us who stay or work from home need to do the same thing, but it must be repeated after each meal. Why? Because the more chaos already in a room, the easier it is to be lazy. Suck it up and put it away. It doesn’t matter if the rest of the house is a wreck. Get into the habit of picking up after yourself throughout the day. If you have children, it takes more effort -but seriously, what doesn’t when there are mulitple children involved?- As soon as they are steady on their feet, it’s time for them to put their cups, bowls, and plates in or by the sink. It’s not cruel to expect a person to clean up after themselves.  Yes, I know it’s a pain in your butt, it’s just another one of those less fun parenting moments.

It will get easier.

I wish I'd been able to have input on the placement of the air return. Seriously.

Builders and contractors don’t always use common sense when planning the layout of a home’s heating and cooling duct work. Sometimes the grille, or vent cover, is right in the middle of a wall. Even though I frequently run the soft brush attachment over the grille and occasionally spray it off with the hose, our vent cover was gross. After giving it some thought, I realized this was due to pollen. Each year, despite common sense, we throw the windows wide open and invite the fresh air in. There is something wonderful about airing out a home, those first warm days.  Unfortunately riding on the breeze comes pollen in all its sticky, tacky glory. Over time, dust clings to pollen and forms an unholy bond. I know this, because I have tried scrubbing the grille with soapy water and brush with less than stellar results.

Two days ago I was hit by inspiration.

Somewhere in the recesses of the cleaning supply cabinet was a can of fume-free oven cleaner. Why we have this, I’m not really sure*.

I think the oven cleaner may have arrived when a friend passed along what the movers wouldn’t pack. We have a self-cleaning oven, I can’t imagine what would possess me to buy a can.  The oven cleaner caught my eye and I decided, what the heck it’s this or buying spray paint. I removed the grille and took it to the bathroom -it was raining. After chasing the kids out of my make-up and out of the room, I sprayed down the entire grille, turned on the exhaust fan, and walked away. Ten minutes later I used the shower to rinse off the oven cleaner. To my delight, the grille looks brand new.

Is this a great cleaning tip for everyone? Not necessarily, as I hope most of you don’t have air returns smack in the middle of your living room. If your air return is in the ceiling, it’s less likely to have the pollen problem. It’ll still get dusty, but a quick wipe with a damp rag or the soft brush of a vacuum cleaner should be sufficient.

Have you ever stumbled on a strange solution to a cleaning problem?

*Am I the only one who has mysterious items show up in their home? Today we found a child’s shoe that does not belong to any of our children.

How does one remove dried milk from wood? Every low surface in my kitchen (chair legs, table legs, cabinets) is full of dried milk spots from spills that always go farther and cover more area than you can initially see. No matter how I try to clean them, I get the same result: it looks clean while it’s still wet and I think I’ve won, but as soon as it dries, the spots are still all there!

Signed,

Sobbing Suze in Toddler Town

Heather says:
Chin up, chicky the solution isn’t that difficult. Grab a bucket, or two if you’re lazy like me and hate getting up and down from the floor. If you take the two bucket approach, you might as well grab two rags. Fill the first bucket with a healthy dollop of dish soap like something like old fashioned Dawn the plain, dark blue, nothing fancy added dish detergent. Add just an inch or two of water.  Now, swish and swish the water until you have a lot of frothy suds.

In your other bucket just use clear water.

Wet the first rag with just the soapy bubbles, don’t dip it down into the water.  The world won’t end if you do, but try to get it as soapy, with the foam as possible. Now scrub off the milk spots and use a little elbow grease while you are at it. Next take your second rag, dip it in the plain water, wring it out, and wipe off the soap. Be sure to rinse this rag frequently.

When the chair legs are dry, give them a polish. I’m not huge on recommending brands, but I am a fan of the Method Wood for Good. I mean seriously, I don’t even like perfumes and it smells fantastic. I’m sure those with nut allergies are about to send well punctuated and tactful e-mails describing my insensitivity. Y’all get a pass, you don’t have to like the scent, save your ire for when I sing the praises of peanut butter.

Send your domestic mysteries to helpme@home-ec101.com.
We won’t always be nice or even prompt, but we will eventually answer.

As I’ve said here about 50 million times, Mr. Ivy is a restaurant manager. One of the common themes in our conversations is how other people manage the restaurant and how it meshes (or doesn’t mesh) with his own management style. Within your own household, you and your significant other will have different management styles as well. So let’s look at a few types of management styles and what works best together.

The Micromanager: The micromanager is the sort of person who is on top of everything. I know a woman who you could ask anytime, any place, how many cans of peaches she had in her pantry and she could tell you exactly how many she had and exactly where they were. Heather’s a good example of a micromanager. She sets you to a task and keeps on top of whether or not you’ve done the task. Micromanagers are best paired with idealists.

The Idealist: The idealist is good at figuring out better ways to do things. Idealists tend to be scattered, however, and sometimes fall down on the actualizing part. When paired with a micromanager, who plows through and gets tons of things done, they can accomplish miracles. I’m a perfect example of an idealist. I come up with ways to organize things, or a new method of laundry doing. I just don’t always get the actual work of it done. With the help of my minions children and Mr. Ivy though, I do get a lot done.

The Steady One: The steady one has a set routine. They don’t work particularly fast, they don’t work particularly slowly. When a decision needs to be made, they may deliberate far too long when an answer needs to come right away. But they are like clockwork with getting things done and making sure others do their fair share as well. They are best paired with firemen.

The Fireman: Yeah, I’d like to be paired with a fireman, too. Oh, wait. Not that sort of fireman. Like real firemen, these people spend a lot of time lounging around until an emergency happens. When the emergency (aka surprise mother-in-law visit) happens, they spring into action. They make quick decisions which means they are paired well with the steady one.

And finally:

The Slacker: Identified by piles of junk in the closet, cupboard, or just out in plain sight. The slacker can usually be turned around and made to work hard, but it takes a real taskmaster to do it. Best paired with: Nobody

So, Home Eccers- I must ask you, what is your management style? What’s your partner’s style?

We recently adopted another stray cat, and while two of the other three cats have adjusted fine, my oldest has not. He decided instead of getting chased around by the new guy, he would instead take up residence on the top floor of the house (where he was always most happy anyway, sunning in the windows, etc.). However, I didn’t realize it until it was too late that he was not going downstairs to use one of the two litterboxes. One day I went upstairs to go to bed and realized that sometime in the past two days, he had relived his bladder all over the bed! (My husband and I fall asleep on the couch a lot and hadn’t slept upstairs the previous two nights, or we would have noticed it sooner.)

I immediately stripped the mattress and washed the sheets and comforter several times, and the smell is gone from those items. I soaked up as much of the urine as I could with paper towels and sponges, and then headed to PetSmart to buy some Nature’s Miracle cleaner. I followed the directions and completely soaked the spots where the urine was, and then three days later repeated the process with a different Nature’s Miracle product (one targeted specifically for urine).

But here’s my new problem: It’s been a week, and while my husband swears he can’t smell the urine anymore, I still get whiffs of something–whether it’s urine or just the cleaner, I’m not sure. But it smells funky, and I don’t know what to do! I was hoping HE101 might be able to suggest something else I could do to make my mattress smell fresh again. It’s a pillow-top mattress so I can’t flip it, and we just don’t have the money right now to go out and buy a whole new one yet.

Thanks!!!

Stinky in Stanton

Ivy says:

Ah, man, I’ve had a cat that peed on my bed. It’s not a good thing at all. First suggestion for the cat: make sure you have a litterbox upstairs for him. And make sure you have the magic number of litterboxes as well. Now, let’s deal with the bed.

Cat pee is really hard to get out of things. The Nature’s Miracle works well, but I agree with you that it leaves a faint smell of…I dunno. Something that’s not good. What I have found that works is to take a box of baking soda and sprinkle it heavily over your bed. Let it sit like that for at least an hour or two. Then vacuum it up. There are all sorts of ways to get that smell out, but I feel like this is the way of the least work, mess, and cost.