It seems like anybody should be able to do laundry. Throw in some soap with some clothes and let the washer do it’s work. Theoretically that’s all you have to do. However, you can make your clothes -and your washing machine- last longer and look better by knowing a few more things about laundry basics. … Read more
Dear Home-Ec 101, It seems lately my whites or mostly whites have been coming out dingy and faded. I don’t want to use bleach on them because a lot of them have colored sections as well. What can I do to keep the whites sparkling without taking effecting the rest of the color on these … Read more
Heather says: I received a concerning email, yesterday, that made me realize it was time to send this post out again as a reminder. This is the first in our series on household chemicals. Over the past few years, I have gotten the impression that many people are using chlorine bleach in an unsafe manner. Chlorine … Read more
Dear Home-Ec 101, So I found your article looking for some ideas for dealing with our hard water issues here in Florida. I’m in school for biomed engineering so I appreciated the explanations you gave. I have a question and thought with your background you might know the answer, or know which direction to point … Read more
Dear Home-Ec 101, I followed all of the advice in your how to deal with stubborn body odor in laundry article and my clothes still stink. There’s sort of a rotten egg odor and nothing I do gets rid of it. How do I get rid of this sulfur smell in my laundry? Signed, Sick of … Read more
Stephanie says: Let’s work to iron out the wrinkles. I love ironing. I do. Roll your eyes. Scoff. Mutter, “whatever, who loves ironing?” I do. There is something satisfying about taking a pile of clean clothes and one by one getting all the wrinkles out, then putting them away. I don’t iron every morning. Heavens … Read more
It’s great to have a house with a laundry room/area and really, those machines do a lot of work for our family. Why then, do so many people hate doing laundry? I, personally, am so glad I don’t have to use a pot of boiling water or a wringer to wash all of our clothes. … Read more
Dear Home-Ec 101, What washing machine is better, top or sideload? Signed, Wishy-Washy in Waseca Heather says: Isn’t it fun when someone answers your question with “It depends?” The front-load vs. top-loading washing machine debate has been going on for years, about ten in the US. High-efficiency front loading washing machines hit the mainstream back … Read more
Dear Home-Ec 101, I have a dilemma. I find my bedroom becoming cluttered very quickly with clothes that are “too clean to wash” yet “not clean enough to put away”. I was a single mom for many years, going to school or working, sometimes more than one job, and as a result, I didn’t want … Read more
Dear Home-Ec 101, I’m a brand new mom and I need to know if it is okay to wash clothes that have suffered through a diaper leak with the rest of the baby clothes. How do I make sure that poop (sorry!) doesn’t get all over the washer and the rest of our stuff without … Read more