Entries Tagged as 'Ms. Fix-it'

Dingy Dishes

October 23rd, 2007 7 Comments

Dear Home Ec 101:

My dishwasher just isn’t doing as great a job anymore. I haven’t changed anything: same soap, I scrape the plates, I still use a rinsing agent. What could be going on?

Signed,

My Dishwasher is a Dud

Heather says:

Did you know your dishwasher requires regular maintenance to provide consistently clean dishes?

  • Check the trap for food particles. If food scraps have crusted onto the trap, remove it, soak it, and scrub it. Make it a point to regularly check and clean the trap.
  • Examine the spray arm. Are the holes clogged with mineral deposits? Soak the arm in diluted vinegar and use a pipe cleaner aka chenille stem to clean out any gunk.
  • Take a good look at the racks, are they clean or has the paint worn off in places? You can purchase dishwasher repair kits that contain vinyl paint and those tips that always seem to pop off the prongs.
  • Occasionally, once a month or so, run the dishwasher through a full cycle with 2 cups of vinegar. Start the dishwasher, wait until it has filled, and add the vinegar.
  • Alternately you can run a cycle with citric acid or lemonade kool-aid packets, the kind that does not already contain sugar
  • Finally be sure your hot water heater is set to the temperature recommended by the dishwasher manufacturer. If you have lost your manual try Googling the model; many manufacturers now have manuals available online.

Send your domestic questions to helpme@home-ec101.com

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Don’t lose your screws!

July 31st, 2007 1 Comment

Dear Home-Ec 101,

It seems every time we take something apart for storage, we manage to lose any screws that go with the items. How do you manage not to lose the screws?

Signed,

Not all who wander are lost, but my screws are gone forever

retrochick.JPGIvy says:

Screws are wily little buggers and will get up and leave whenever possible, I’m convinced.I think they are going somewhere with the socks that keep vanishing from my wash. You have to corral those suckers whenever you take things apart.

I take them and put them in a plastic ziplock bag and tape the bag to the item that needs screws. My pal Ginger tells me she uses the jewelry sized bags, which probably works even better, but I don’t own any jewelry, or jewelry sized bags, so I just work with what I’ve got.

Heather told me you can do the same thing with manuals for appliances. I think that’s a nifty trick. I generally file mine in a filing cabinet, but if I wasn’t such a lover of filing, I would definitely tape manuals to the backs of my appliances.

And remember, when you’re screwing things, it’s righty tighty, lefty loosey!

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Simple, yet vital

July 24th, 2007 4 Comments

Dear Home Ec 101:

This is embarassing, but I can never remember which way to tighten a bolt.

~A nut with more than a few loose screws

Heather says:

Don’t be ashamed.  If you have never been shown, how could you know?  There is a simple rhyme to keep things straight:

Lefty loosey, righty tighty. 

Whether using a screw driver or wrench, you will always turn the handle toward your left hand, counter-clockwise, to loosen a screw or bolt.  To tighten, simple turn toward your right hand in the clockwise direction.

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Remodeling: truly living life on the edge!

May 1st, 2007 6 Comments

finger-up.JPGIvy says:

Those of you who have ever remodeled your home can totally relate to the title of this post. It’s living life on the edge of sanity, a strange half-life where you have entire useless rooms that you have to keep the kids out of and attempt to find time to work on the rooms.

The worst remodeling is one that affects your kitchen. Even if you are the sort of person who eats take-out for every meal (and believe me, yo, if I could afford to, I would be that sort of person), having the kitchen be out of commission is  still the worst. When I was a kid my parents remodeled our kitchen and we ate out for breakfast, lunch and dinner for two solid weeks. By the time it was all over, I was actually looking forward to some of Mystery Lady X’s burnt offerings.

Today, we put down laminate flooring in our living room, dining area, and hall. It’s nearly finished, but I don’t think we are going to be able to work on the floor tomorrow, so it appears that we are going to have two more days of the disruption. Normally, our kitchen would not be affected, but all the furniture from the dining area had to go into the kitchen, as the other areas of the house were filled with living room furniture.

So, what do you do, how to deal with this? First of all, this is a good time to pull out some crock pot recipes. I also have this fab steamer, which is super handy for steaming rice and chicken at the same time. Clean-up is a snap, and  you don’t have to deal with the oven at all.

Take the kids out of the house if at all possible to get work finished when they are not underfoot. While Mr. Ivy worked on the floors,  I took Nate shopping and to the playground. Nate had a far better day than he would have if I had stayed behind to help.

Recruit friends to help whenever possible. Mr. Ivy has friends who work for beer and burgers. The price is absolutely right! Don’t work your friends to death, though, and remember, the day will come when they need help from you as well. Be sure to reciprocate.

The biggest thing is to keep your humor about the situation. I know, this is sometimes easier said than done, but find the amusing moments in the situation, like when Nate let the cats out of the room they had been shut into, and they came dashing out only to find they couldn’t get any traction on the new wood flooring!

construction-002.jpg

Nate wanted to have his picture taken to prove he was a good helper. I obliged. 

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Smelling like smoke?

April 18th, 2007 2 Comments

Dear Home Ec 101:

Have you any idea how to get the smell of smoke and sweat out of car upholstery without making the entire vehicle reek of Febreze? Too much Febreze gives me a massive headache, although I’d almost prefer that over the reek of man sweat in my new (to me) car.

~Longing to be Smokeless in Smyrna

Heather Says:

Something tells me you’re a newly converted non-smoker, congratulations! Three things will help rid your car of its stank. The best part is none of these methods will be covering up the problem with a chemical odor.

1) Shampoo the carpet and upholstery. You can typically rent a RugDoctor type machine from most supermarkets and hardware stores. I would do this on a day where it’s unlikely to rain. The windows should be left down for at least a few hours to allow the carpets to dry and avoid any potential for a mildew.

2) Place a bowl of vinegar in the car over night. Vinegar is great at removing problem odors, although I might recommend driving with the windows cracked so you don’t arrive at work smelling like you’ve been dyeing Easter eggs.

3 ) Leave the windows down as often as possible. Fresh air is will help dissipate any lingering odors.

Enjoy your new (to you) car!

(photo credit clarita)

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