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,I have a rusty microwave and I’m worried. I know that there has always been some rust inside my microwave door, but recently I noticed it has become a lot of rust. I wiped it, shut the door & reopened it, and saw the rust dust was spreading. I only use my microwave … Read more
Heather says: This is another post in the series on household chemicals. Rubbing alcohol is frequently recommended by frugal and green bloggers for use as household cleaner, and needs to be used with care. Rubbing alcohol is a general term that most often refers to isopropanol, but can also refer to ethanol. It is very … Read more
Dear Home Ec 101, Why is it sometimes when I heat foods in the microwave the bowl is screaming hot and the food is still a block of ice? Signed, Scalded in Scranton* Heather says: Here on Home Ec 101 I’ve written previously about how microwaves work, if you missed it the first time, here’s … Read more
Heather says: While double checking my research I was stunned by how many frugal websites recommend a homemade cleaning agent with both bleach and vinegar in the recipe. NO. Never mix bleach and vinegar, bleach and ammonia, bleach and toilet bowl cleaners, or even different brands of toilet bowl cleaners (some are bleach based while … Read more