The holidays mean decking your halls and your body with your seasonal best. For guys and gals that often translates into wearing silk. While the luxurious material makes for elegant evening wear, silk can also be a pain to clean when it gets soiled or stained. Fortunately, there are ways you can preserve the look of your holiday best by following a few simple tips: Time: Timing is critical when it comes to cleaning silk. If you notice a spill on your silk tie or shirt, don’t wait until you get home to treat it. Immediately blot at the stain … Continue reading →

Thanksgiving guests are gone, but the beginning of December ushers in a new round of house cleaning chores, especially if you are hosting Christmas at your chalet. While most homeowners dread the drudgery of getting their house in order for additional guests, cleaning can be fun if you incorporate the following suggestions: Rock Out: Turn up the volume on your favorite music and get cleaning. Or, put on some classical or Christmas music and sway in time to the beat as you dust, mop or scrub sinks. Feel the Burn: Instead of looking at house cleaning as a chore, look … Continue reading →

I don’t drink coffee. Ever. In fact, I don’t consume any caffeinated or carbonated beverages, which is why when the holidays roll around and guests are scheduled to arrive, I end up scrambling around. One of my first tasks is to dig out the coffeemaker. My second task is to clean the coffee pot. Typically, it’s an easy chore, but it can be a pain depending on how well the pot was cleaned before it was shoved back into the closet. My college roommate worked at IHOP when we were in school and she taught me a useful trick for … Continue reading →

Nothing ushers in the holiday season quite like scented candles. With a young child around the house, I’m not a huge fan of candles, but during the holidays I have been known to light gingerbread, evergreen, and spiced cranberry-scented candles to enhance our family celebrations. The downside to having your house smell like a Christmas tree farm is dealing with unexpected wax stains. Fortunately, cleaning candle wax is not a huge undertaking, provided you follow these tips: FABRIC Removing candle wax from cotton is fairly simple. While you should consult the care label before laundering, in most cases you can … Continue reading →

It doesn’t take much to pour some Drano down a clogged sink, but what do you do about the putrid residual stink that smells up the room when you are done? Believe it or not you can’t find many pleasant-smelling drain cleaners on the market toady, which is why most people resort to dumping the Drano, and then following up with a concoction of homemade remedies, such as: Baking Soda and Vinegar: This tried and true recipe is one of the easiest and cheapest to make. All you need is a small box of baking soda and a bottle of … Continue reading →

It’s boot season in my neck of the woods. This week’s lows are supposed to fall into the single digits and snow is on the way. That means my young daughter will be reaching for her fur-lined suede boots to wear to visit Santa. They are definitely not suitable for heavy snow, but I allow her to wear them when the weather permits. She plans to wear them to our Santa outing and while they are quite fashionable, especially for a first grader, they are also extremely susceptible to stains; namely food and protein-based stains that my kid attracts like … Continue reading →