Heather says: I should probably give all readers a clear warning before continuing: I am a stressed out, hot mess of a person right now. This afternoon at 1 pm PST, I’m going on an internet show to pitch my startup SpinPicks. I am nervous as can be. The kids’ football season is in the …
Dear Home Ec 101, I am trying to get my house on the market to sell. Any cleaning/organizing advice? My house is atrocious! I hope you can call that comment a “Sunday Confessional”. I have a 20 month old baby, work full-time, and no one in the house cleans up after themselves. I can’t keep …
From a recent comment here on Home-Ec 101: I have one child that lives at home and a teenager that moves in and moves out lol, and also another child that is with me every other weekend. When I get my house clean, it stays that way for a couple of days then it’s dirty …
Dear Home Ec 101, I have a serious problem with the old lady, musty laundry smell. I keep my sleeping bag, electric blanket and my baby blanket in a chest at the foot of my bed. Since these are all seasonal items, they quickly get musty in my chest (which isn’t cedar). I’ve tried potpourri, …
Dear Home Ec 101,Here’s my dilemma. The house is clean, but there is a fusty, musty odor, like a large dog is secretly living in our house. We have an older, small house with the kitchen being basically open to everything. Sometimes I think it is cooking odors that are being trapped in the rest …
Dear Home-Ec 101: We just moved into an older house and I don’t think anyone has cleaned the windows in years. We had it pressure washed and used Windex but the windows still look covered in grime. Are there any other solutions I can use that will get off the tough dirt. Signed, Let The …
Ivy says: They say, “it’s going around” and it’s “going around and around” in my house, for sure. Winter is prime time for viruses to come on in the house and take up residence. It’s up to you to clean them away as best you can. Of course, you’re not going to be able to …
Ivy says: I have a longstanding agreement with my friends from both in town and out of town. You’re welcome to come see me anytime, whether it’s short notice or if you schedule weeks in advance. Just come on. I want to see you. I’m often tested on that, and people have come to my …
Ivy says: When I worked as a professional maid, sometimes the boss would come into a house we had just cleaned and would do what she called “the white glove test.” She’d wear a white pair of gloves and check areas we were supposed to have cleaned, and if so much as a smudge appeared …
Ivy says: Yesterday, my mom came over because she had a little time to kill before going to work. There wasn’t any time to clean up because she called me as she turned onto my street. Thanks, mom. “Ah, Ivy,” she said, “Your home is a bastion of cleanliness.” We both laughed because, to be …