Today’s topic has several meanings. First, know your literal, next-door neighbors. Know their names and phone numbers. Yes, this means you might have to introduce yourself after having lived in your neighborhood or apartment complex for several years. (If your neighbors are a little weird, maybe use a Google Voice number so you don’t have … Read more
Two things before we start this basic how to evacuate safely discussion. Please note that this is a beginner look at emergency preparedness. It’s for those who are just beginning to think about how they or they and their families will handle an emergency and isn’t the place to show off how awesomely prepared you … Read more
I live in a part of the country where our usual emergency preparedness includes being ready for hurricanes from June until the end of November, small tornadoes in the spring, and extremely rare earthquakes. 2020, of course, threw in plague and civil unrest. Your home may have other risks, including some that you didn’t expect—looking … Read more
Hi Home-Ec 101I had a candle burning under the edge of my cabinet, and it got hot enough to burn it. Some of it is light, and some a pretty dark burn. I have attached pictures. I tried baking soda and water, didn’t work. The furniture markers and crayons did not work. I’ve read about a super fine 0000 steel … Read more
Dear Home-Ec 101,My furniture has become very sticky after years of polishing it. Sticky to the point of having to give it a little pull to lift it off the furniture. Googling for a solution, I have used a mixture of water and vinegar. It helped a little but not much. What next?Signed,Sticky in Stockton … Read more
Dear Home-Ec 101, Not Me and I Didn’t Do It struck again. Do they ever visit your house? This time Not Me threw a ball in the kitchen and I Didn’t Do It Either batted it with the broom handle into the microwave or the broom handle itself hit the microwave. I didn’t get the … Read more
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 advice for getting rid of fruit flies. (I didn’t) Generally, … Read more
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 … Read more
I’ve been paying a lot of attention to the information being spread with regard to how to prepare for a disaster, like a hurricane. Bad Advice I’ve Seen Circulating Hotels must take your pets in due to a law passed after Hurricane Katrina. No. This is patently false. Hotels and motels are private businesses and not … Read more
Dear Home-Ec 101, I have a fairly new ice machine at the beach, a house we use roughly every other weekend. Lately, the ice machine does not seem to be cold enough to keep the ice it makes frozen. I have vacuumed the coils, ran a “Clean cycle” with the cleanser, turned it off and … Read more