This week’s random pest question comes from Twitter: Calling @HeatherSolos and her @HomeEc101 knowledge: How do you get rid of fruit flies? Note: There’s no fruit in the house. Twitter If I had suspected my friend had fruit flies, I would have suggested the following. (I didn’t) Fruit Flies in the House Generally, when you […]
Bathroom
How to Clean Hardwood After a Toilet Overflow
Q: How do I clean up my hardwood floors after a toilet overflows. This question appeared as a comment on How to Clean Up After a Toilet Overflows The difference between cleaning up toilet water on your typical bathroom flooring e.g. vinyl or tile and cleaning up hardwood is the hardwood is porous. The advice […]
How to Clean Up After a Toilet Overflows
Dear Home Ec 101, So, twice this has happened lately thanks to little girls who don’t always flush when they’re supposed to. I have all the towels to mop up the water and um mess, from the toilet overflow itself. Then I have to wash the towels, floor, and toilet. And then I feel the need […]
Fighting Back Against That Lived-In Look
Hi Home-Ec 101, I admit, I am a terrible housekeeper, but I am trying to improve, and I long for a house I can be proud of. We have lived in our 1957 Cape Cod home for 8 years. It probably came with a certain amount of wear and tear, but our 3 kids, 2 […]
Cleaning The Bathroom: A Home-Ec 101 Guide
If guests are coming over the bathroom is the first room I head to with cleaning supplies. It definitely helps to give it some attention weekly, and once I met a woman that wiped hers down daily so she never had heavy cleaning in the bathroom. Whatever your choice is – or if it’s a […]
Cleaning Bedrooms And Closets: A Home-Ec 101 Guide
The designers and decorators often tell us that bedrooms are to be an oasis. A calm place where we can go to relax and sleep. I don’t know about yours, but mine tends to be where things get stashed during the dash that happens when someone is arriving in 10 minutes. I don’t mind that […]
Soap Scum and Acrylic Bathtubs
Dear Home-Ec 101, How do I remove built up soap scum from my acrylic tub? Signed, Scummed in Scuddy Heather says: Soap scum is a generic term for that funky film that is created by soap and hard water creating a loving bond with your tub or shower. It’s ugly and a pain in the […]
How to Clean a Bath Mat After a Toilet Overflow
Dear Home Ec 101, I found your article on How to Clean Up After a Toilet Overflow useful, but I was wondering if you could tell me how to clean my daughter’s colorful bath mat? Thanks! My Cup Overflows With Gratitude Heather says Isn’t adulthood fun? The good news is that your bath mat is […]
Hard Water Deposits in a Toilet Bowl
Dear Home-Ec 101, During the walk-through when we purchased our current home, we flushed our toilets, but did not raise the lids. After we moved in, to our horror, two of our toilets were gross! First problem, I am told that it is hard water deposits, so when toilet waste is flushed down, stuff catches […]
How to Fix Stained Acrylic Tubs and Shower Pans
Dear Home Ec 101 How do I get rid of the dirt and grime stains on the bottom of acrylic bathtubs? Same for the acrylic floors of most stand-up showers? I have tried cleaners and bleach to no avail. Thanks! Signed, Scratched in Screven Heather says: Surfaces such as acrylic, while fairly inexpensive when compared […]
How to Clean a Very Dirty Toilet
Dear Home Ec 101,How do I clean a really gross toilet? It has all that yellow and brown crud inside that just won’t come off. I heard that pumice stones scratch the porcelain and will only make it worse in the long run.Please HELP!Signed,Skeeved in Skaneateles Heather says: Since people searching for how to clean […]
How to Clean a Grimy Bathtub and Surround
Dear Home-Ec 101, I have a 25 year white tub surround that has accumulated a darkened tint due to left over scum even after cleaning it often enough for this very busy mom and full time art teacher. What is fast and quick and odorless, green, effective, etc. Seems that I am also very good […]
How to Scrub a Tile Floor
Dear Home-Ec 101, I was looking on your site for information on the best (and hopefully most efficient) way to scrub floors. I found posts on your site about linoleum and mopping, but the only thing I found on scrubbing was a sentence saying that scrubbing floors required significantly more water. I have tile floors […]
The Unappreciated Importance of Regular Toilet Cleaning
Dear Home Ec 101, I have a 9 month old baby girl and as she is becoming more mobile, it is becoming a lot more important to me to keep things really clean. She loves crawling into the bathroom and playing with those little plastic screw covers at the base of the toilet and as […]
How to Fix a Constantly Running Toilet
Dear Home-Ec 101, The toilet, in my bathroom is constantly making noise. It sounds like water is always running. Is there any way to turn that off? Signed, For the Love of Pete, Someone Jiggle the Handle Already! Heather says: There are a few things that can go wrong inside the tank of a toilet […]