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Canwest News Service
Reena Nerbas of householdsolutions.orgcalls upon her seemingly endless arsenal of tips and tricks to defeat the difficulties of domestic life.
Q I had a delicious peanut butter oatmeal bar today. A piece fell off and I didn't see it so I spent about half of the day (at work) sitting on it, which caused a little grease mark on my 100% cotton, light coloured pants. What is the best way to remove this stain?
A If possible, sprinkle the area with either cornstarch or baby powder. Doing this will absorb grease. Before washing your pants, cover the area with dish soap and water. Dish soap is designed as a grease cutter and does wonders on grease stains. Either spray the pants with spot remover or simply wash as usual. Check the stain before tossing the pants into the dryer because the heat of the dryer will set any remaining marks. Repeat if necessary.
Q I notice many of your responses to people focus on stains and smells. I'm hoping you might have a suggestion for how to "dry clean" clothes at home?
A Begin by removing all stains with dish soap and water or vinegar and water (test on an inconspicuous area first). Next, purchase a home dry cleaning kit for use in a standard dryer. One such product is Dryel. This kit is easy to use: you place your clothing item in the dry cleaning bag along with a specially formulated "cleaning sheet" and let it run in your dryer, usually for about half an hour. Next, hang or lay the item flat (in a ventilated area) so that residual chemical odours have a chance to dispel. Follow all instructions on the package.
