Dear Home-Ec 101,
A couple of months ago, blue stains started appearing in the armpits of my light colored shirts, and on the darker shirts, there were even darker, but more normal looking, stains after the shirts were washed. At first, I thought the issue was the natural deodorant I had started using, but even after I switched back to normal deodorant, but the stains kept appearing.… Keep reading...
Square One: It’s Different for Everyone
I was minding my own business at work yesterday when a dear friend texted me a link to a tweet, with the comment, “This kid needs Home-Ec 101.com.”
… Keep reading...My 20 year old cousin got his own apartment and it's going pretty well pic.twitter.com/SaPSogpo0r
Menu Planning When Going to the Store Is a Bad Idea
As I write this, many people are under shelter in place orders. While we are allowed to go to work for an essential job, to exercise (walk the dog), to go to the doctor/pharmacy, or to the store, our primary role in this pandemic is to stay home.… Keep reading...
Stocking the Emergency Pantry
This post was written in July of 2010. Ten years have passed and it’s more relevant than ever. I want to emphasize that I am not saying hoard all of the toilet paper. As you make your trips to the grocery store just set a little aside each time.… Keep reading...
Menu Monday Post Hurricane Dorian
It has been a very long week at our house. Hurricane Dorian and a newborn* worked together to ensure we are all very short on sleep and patience. While I’m glad that our state government orders evacuations in plenty of time, the wait can get very stressful.… Keep reading...
What Causes Spots on Clothing?
Dear Home-Ec 101,
I saw your email reply to someone asking why they were getting grease-like stains on their clothing after washing them. Your reply said it was from a liquid fabric softener. The problem is I don’t use fabric softener, and I get these grease like spots on my clothing quite regularly. … Keep reading...
Pillowcases and Oily Skin
Dear Home-Ec 101,
We’ve been married for nearly 25 years, and for about 7 or 8 years now, his pillowcase and [upper] part of the sheet reeks! I DON’T SEE how he can stand it. I’m not sure if it’s oil or sweat; he does have very oily skin.… Keep reading...
Overwhelmed by Mess
If you’re overwhelmed by the process of cleaning your home, quit worrying about finding the best option.
Stop trying to learn everything and start doing something.
We all know that in a perfect world we’d make our own ecologically sound cleaners -not all homemade cleaners are, you know-, always reach for a rag to clean, and never use gas or electric powered items when a manual would do.… Keep reading...
How to Menu Plan When You’ve Done It a Long Time and You’re Tired of Making All of the Decisions
Personal update at the end, skip to it if you prefer.
Home Ec 101 has been around a long time, almost 12 years. I have shared many weekly meal plans, but the ones on the site are by no means the only ones I’ve made.… Keep reading...
Menu Monday Week 44 – Another Week In the Books
I hope you guys are all doing well. So, my boss repeats an old saying about no plan survives first contact with the enemy. (A quick Google shows that this is from a Prussian military leader, Helmuth van Moltke). This pretty much sums up last week. … Keep reading...
Menu Monday Week 43 – Starting Again
I hope you are all doing well or as well as you can. Last week was one of those eye-opening reminders of how I should stop, take a breath and focus on the basics before trying to do everything (that will never happen, but to be honest, I don’t learn).… Keep reading...
Why Does Light Fabric Turn Yellow and What Can I Do About It?
Hello,
I have a set of embroidered, cream-colored Christmas towels that are only used for decoration. They have never been washed and reside in my linen closet. I recently took them out of the closet, and they have yellowed in certain places.… Keep reading...
How To Remove Dried Dog Poop (Feces) From Fake Wood Flooring
Dear Home-Ec 101,
My dog had a runny tummy and couldn’t make it outside during the night. Unfortunately, I overlooked the accident until it had hardened. How can I clean it up without damaging the floor (it’s a rental place, the floor looks like wood but isn’t – I don’t think its linoleum).… Keep reading...
How Can I Remove a Hard Water Stain on Enameled Cast Iron?
This question is from the comments on How to Clean Stained Enameled Cast Iron
Q: I just used my Tramontina dutch oven for the first time to attempt to cook some peas. Steam from the simmering beans condensed and ran down the outside of the pot and left what looks like hard water stains.… Keep reading...
How to Dry a Damp Mattress
Dear Home-Ec101,
We have had our pillow top mattress for two years.
I tried a new spot cleaning vacuum on the surface, however, the mattress only absorbed the mixture of water and chemical cleaner. Consequently, the vacuum was unable to suck up any moisture.… Keep reading...