Ask Happy Homemaker!

by compound complex 337 Replies latest jw friends

  • compound complex
    compound complex

    Dear Happy Homemaker,

    My kitchen stinks! Well, but it's a healthy odor. Cabbage, broccoli, brussels sprouts ...

    How do I get the smell out?

    Pepe le Pew

    Dear Pepe,

    It won't help much now, but next time try placing a slice of white bread atop the pot and see/smell what does/doesn't happen!

    Hope this helps!

    Happy Homemaker!

  • compound complex
    compound complex

    Dear Happy Homemaker,

    I'm having the washday blues. Sure, my whites come off the line spanking clean and fresh as a summer's breeze. But they appear to have little, random spots of rust. I bleach with both chlorine and sunshine, but these spots have got me twisted three sheets to the wind. What's a washerwoman to do!?!? I'm about to hit the bluing bottle ... Mrs. Stewart - WHERE ARE YOU?

    Whitey

    Dear Whitey,

    Don't let this little washday faux pas lead you to the bottle. The chlorine bleach is causing the suspect rust in your water to jump out into your linens and cause harmless yet, sadly and neverthelessly, unsightly spotting.

    Before washing, soak your sheets, pillow cases, etc. in an admixture of baking soda, lemon juice and H2O for thirty-plus moments in time. This is a mild bleach that will not harm hands nor olfactory sensibilities. Furthermore, the wear-and-tear caused by excessive chlorine bleaching will be vastly minimized.

    Hope this helps!

    Happy Homemaker!

  • calico
    calico

    dear happy homemaker

    IM DRUNK!!!!!!!!!

  • compound complex
    compound complex

    Dear Miss Kitty Calico,

    My ! Aren't we skedaddling about the board on little cat's feet tonight! Didn't I just see you over at "Lets do lunch!"? You surely are more fleeting of furtive foot (paw) than is moi.

    So you haven't opted for the healthful but disspirited ENSURE? Let's see now. Drinking pots of strong coffee only jangles the nervous system, though it was the typical elixir of instant sobriety in the old Hollywood flicks:

    "My God, Henry! You're drunk as a skunk. I better put on
    a pot of coffee and make sandwiches. Get into your pyjamas!"

    Well, no household tips here other than keep a moist towel and bucket handy. Lie low. And don't think about tomorrow. Oh, can you find the dog that bit you and get a snatch of his hair? It may help out in the morning ...

    Hope this helps!

    Happy Homemaker!

  • compound complex
    compound complex

    Dear Happy Homemaker,

    Isn't there a better way to mark hems than with chalk? I do lots of sewing for my friends and family and I always seem to be running out of marking chalk. Besides, it's gritty and messy and I hate it.

    Any alternatives?

    Mrs. Coudu

    Dear Mrs. Coudu,

    Try a sliver of bar soap; it marks nicely and washes right out. How's that for handy?

    There are many uses for bar soap. Don't discard those little leftover pieces.

    Hope this helps!

    Happy Homemaker!

  • AWAKE&WATCHING
    AWAKE&WATCHING

    ROFLOL - CoCo, you are too much, thanks for the laugh!

  • compound complex
    compound complex

    Dear AWAKE&WATCHING,

    To have brought a little sunshine into your otherwise humdrum life is certainly reward enough. May your water be rust-free and your house and life uncluttered.

    I'm sending you a case of complimentary laundry detergent and chlorine free bleach.

    I know where you live ....

    Hope this helps!

    Happy Homemaker!

  • compound complex
    compound complex

    Dear Happy Homemaker,

    I found a rather large and lovely ceramic vase at an estate sale that was too good a bargain to pass up. So it generally goes. But, of course, there has to be a reason it went so cheaply: it has a hairline crack running top-to-bottom. Or bottom-to-top, to be fair. Fortunately, it's not too noticeable.

    While it seems quite solid and not wholly compromised as to structural integrity, the vase could be weakened through use, couldn't it? I really want to use it for flowers from my garden, eschewing the typical dry or silk flower standard arrangements.

    Can I have it both ways?

    Flora

    Dear Flora,

    Line your vase with a few plastic bags (test them first for leaks, just to be sure), taking care not to fill them to the brim with too much water once inserted into the maw of you flower receptacle; surely there will be a degree of water displacement as you insert the stems of your prize beauties into the drink. I cannot imagine, however, that a bit of overflow should cause irreparable dommage.

    Hope this helps!

    Happy Homemaker!

  • compound complex
    compound complex

    Dear Happy Homemaker,

    I have been tempted to ask how to get a white heat mark out of a dark red wood table top ...

    What do you suggest?

    Thank you.

    Dagney

    Dear Dagney,

    Be tempted nor tried any longer! Do you have a hair dryer? What modern woman does not possess this miraculous beauty aid that turns lank, lusterless hair into the glorious tumble-down mane of Farrah-Fawcett? Do you own a steam iron? What with today's perma press fabrics, this may not be as likely a household commodity. No matter!

    Apply heat from hair dryer to the affected area of your table, gently and not with incaution as you proceed. If using a steam iron (borrow one!), lay a tea towel or tee shirt to table top firstly, then make applications of steam/heat. After white mark is removed, rub wood with regular olive oil and buff out. Extra virgin is like using supreme gasoline in your auto when regular would do. The ball is in your court.

    Save the Extra Virgin Olive Oil for the salad you'll be serving afterwards on your lovely, refurbished table!

    If the above doesn't work there are other methods ...

    I can get you a discount on beautiful antique lace table cloths!

    Hope this helps!

    Happy Homemaker!

  • compound complex
    compound complex

    POST SCRIPT: It has been suggested to fold tee shirt in half, providing a thicker layer through which the heat and steam might work. What has happened is that water was trapped beneath the table finish (when caution was cast aside and ignorance of potential and lamentable domestic tempests prevailed) and needs to be dried out. Proceed carefully.

    HH!

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