Almanac for Homemakers

Guard Shoes and Other Leather from Mildew  "To remove mildew from shoes and other leather goods, wipe a cloth wrung out in dilute alcohol (1 cup denatured or rubbing alcohol to 1 cup water). Dry in a current of air." We have talked about mildew before in this March Post and again in this May Post. So if you remember or just read those posts, we know that mildew is a type of fungus. It's mold. It grows great in areas that have low or no air flow. Spaces that hold humidity. Spaces like your closets. Our Almanac suggests using "Wax Dressing". Using this special wax can prevent moisture and mold from ruining your leather goods. You should read the labels to make sure it is the correct wax for clothing. Here is my favorite part of this book from the 70's. The Almanac suggests using wax dressing that contains fungicide such as hexachlorophene or paranitrophenol. Now, with my research, I have found that hexachlorophene is...

Carry Finger-Washing Supplies in the Car "Before you set out on an extended car trip or vacation this summer, stock the car with supplies for washing sticky fingers." Is it just a little comforting that we have been dealing with kids being sticky since the dawn of man? I find it reassuring that my experience raising children are similar world wide and across the timelines. If you are one of those who say "I never let my kid eat in the car" , this post isn't for you. In fact, you can just close out this blog and go enjoy your Instagram filtered life. For the rest of us real people let's sit and talk about how to survive our gross sticky kids. Our Almanac suggests some old school tactics for tackling dirty hands. 1. Put a little grease-cutting lemon juice with some tap water in a squeeze bottle. Y'all This is great if you want to find out if your kid has a small paper cut. This just hurts thinking about it. 2. C...

Cleaning Draperies and Blankets of Man - Made Fibers "There's a good reason for giving certain curtains, draperies, and blankets a thorough cleaning at this season. UGH I'm really sorry. This is never going to happen. I deliberately purchase items that do not need special washing. My family abuses everything in my house. The old saying of "This is why we can't have nice things" rings true within these walls. (My kid seriously just gave me a broken pen after I typed this) I have requested that my children do not receive toys on birthdays and Christmas because they lose parts or break the toy completely. One time my son was gifted a remote control car that, within 24 hours, he broke when he made a car wash for it in the sprinklers outside. The actual idea of me having a special rug in my home is laughable! I need items that are disposable if necessary. I have become accustomed to not having a special bond with ...

Spring Cleaning? It's "For the Birds" "If you shudder to think of spring and fall because they are housecleaning seasons, relax. It isn't necessary today to go through the trauma of tearing the house apart twice a year, or even once." Trauma. This is the perfect word for housecleaning. Our Almanac suggests that Spring Cleaning just ain't what it used to be. Let's take a look at history to find out what started our fixation on the ritualistic cleaning of spring. Nowruz Nowruz is the the Iranian New Year. Also known as the Persian New Year which falls on the first day of Spring. The practice of " khooneh tekouni" which translates to "shaking of the house" is practiced just before the New Year celebrations. Everything is the house is cleaned! Passover Before the celebration of Passover, Jewish people would rid their homes of every remnant of "chametz". Chametz is any food that was ...

Caring for and Using a Vacuum Cleaner "You can avoid many problems with a vacuum cleaner by knowing practical points about its care and building these points into your cleaning routine." Today's Almanac reading is about being smart with your vacuum cleaner. We had a small entry about this in the March Mix blog where I definitely said don't use your vacuum to clean out your fireplace. So let's go over a few more vacuum care tips. Before vacuuming your floor: Make sure you pick up any objects that could damage the vacuum. Pins, clips, or sharp objects. It might be tempting to vacuum up a lego that your kid has left on the floor for a week but maybe you shouldn't. Also, don't run your vacuum over the cord. You risk ruining the power cord and making a dangerous situation for yourself. Additionally, unless you have a wet vac, you should never try to vacuum up water or wet surfaces. Empty the container. You can overh...

How to Clean and Dress Fish "Most fish sold in markets are cleaned and dressed. But sometimes you will have to do this yourself." You know, I'm just going to get this out of the way now. NO Nope Not gonna happen This isn't a pleasant thing to do. I have done it. It is Stinky, Sticky, and Scaly. One wrong move and you ruined dinner. But here is how our Almanac suggests you prepare your fish: Scaling Here is a video showing how easy it is! You know, for guys complaining about glitter from lady crafts, fish scales are like the glitter of fishermen. You basically take your knife and carefully scrape from the tail to the head of the fish and scales just pop off. They fly everywhere. Cleaning Prepare to just gag now. Cut open the fish from the vent to the head and take out the insides. Then cut out all the fins. Filleting Here is a guid to what is described below. You basically cut down the backbone of the fis...

Tips on Making Care of Aluminum Cookware "Aluminum cookware designed for service and display is almost always made of polished bare aluminum or porcelain-finished aluminum." Polished Aluminum Wash in dishwasher or by hand with mild soaps Porcelain-Finished Aluminum Wash by hand or in dishwasher. Use almost any type of powder, soap, and even steel wool. Mirror Bright Aluminum Wash with mild soaps. Nylon pads can dull the finish. If you ever have an aluminum pot that becomes blackish on the inside from cooking, try cooking tomatoes or sauerkraut in the pot. Or add two tablespoons of cream of tartar to every quart of water in the pot and bring to a boil. Our Almanac also suggests you see care of aluminum by contacting the Aluminum Association. This association has tips and tricks on caring for popular aluminum. ... Aluminum has been in the news lately! If you haven't heard, the Trump administration had issued tariffs on al...

Taking Care of Your Formica Surfaces "So many homes have Formica laminates on kitchen counters and other surfaces that we want to pass along some good care information from a booklet put out by the Formica corporation." Formica Laminate was invented in 1912. You have probably seen it and abused it in kitchens where you live or have lived. I hate it. It is a flimsy plastic that stains and damages easy. You can get laminate in different styles other than off white. You can get all kinds of fake looks from wood to granite. Our Almanac has some tips on taking care of your liar liar pants on fire counters. 1. Don't use your counters as a cutting board. I didn't really think that this was a thing that had to be told to people but I recently saw a video of a woman cooking on a flat surface stove. ON the stove without a pot or pan. WTF people. 2. Heat up to 275 degrees Fahrenheit So basically boiling water should be ok if some ...

Getting Rid of Odors in the Kitchen "If an onion odor clings to dishes and pans after use, even after you have washed and dried them in the usual way, scour them well with table salt." Non stick pans coated with polytetrafluoroethylen, more commonly known as "Teflon", have been around since their invention in 1938. Ceramics, cast iron, stoneware, copper, and stainless steel are all common types of cooking surfaces. The best way to clean these guys is follow the care instructions! You may be able to use an abrasive method on your cast iron. It is common to use salt to clean a cast iron pan and keep it from rusting. I wouldn't use the same method on a stainless steel pan. ... Now the Almanac's title today is misleading. They actually do not have any suggestions for your overall kitchen or home odor problem. I'm not sure what odors you tackle at home but let me just guess you are a massive hoarder with junk everywh...