I am not a domestic goddess

Just a quick post because internets, I need your help! If anyone has any help or advice with any of the following it would be much appreciated.

1) How to get the musty smell out of dresser drawers.

I have already tried leaving the drawers out in the sun, as well as crumbled newspaper, bars of soap, potpourri sachets, fabric softener sheets.

2) A good stain remover for pen and crayon.

3) Getting rid of static cling in clothes.

4) How to make sheets stay put on the bed.

5) How to get dingy linens white.

6) How to remove and clean your iron after burning - fusible web, interfacing, synthetic fabrics.

Has anyone tried:  7) Bare essentials foundation or 8) Pro-active? If P Diddy uses it, it has to work, right?

9) I've been looking for a jello pudding cake recipe from the 80s. It uses jello chocolate pudding as the frosting and the handle of a wooden spoon is used to poke holes into a sheet cake which are then filled with frosting. I can't remember if you just use the pudding straight or if it was altered to make it more frosting-ish. I think there was a similar recipe that used the colored jello.

10) And lastly the dryer mystery. Every once in a while I'll pull a load of clothing out of the dryer and the clothing will be dotted and stained with small black ink looking spots. Not a lot of dots maybe one dot on every second piece of clothing. The stains don't come out and I can't figure out what's causing it. I always make sure all the pockets are emptied so I'm wondering if something in the dryer is leaking or causing it.

Comments

[KatieJ]

I use Bare escentuals powder foundation (in medium beige) I hate liquid foundation so only use powder-this is the best one I've tried and I've had comments that my skin looks really good and I don't have naturally good skin. It covers redness and doesn't make my skin sensitive. I would really recommend it! (and althought it's expensive, a large pot lasts for ages) You will need a really good brush to use with it though and I'd recommend getting their brand of powder compact for your handbag as it's hard to touch up the powder when out and about.I bought mine off ebay as QVC were out of stock. I hope this helps?
KatieJ

[Sarah]

I think that I can help you with a few of your questions...

1) Try finding scented drawer liner paper. It's a bit difficult to come by, but a totally worth it luxury. Before you put the paper in really scrub out your drawers.

4)Sew a thick elastic across the corners of your fitted sheet.

5)HOT water

[Melissa]

I think the black spots from the dryer are oil from some place in the dryer. You might want to have that checked:( The tide pen works wonders but you can also try rubbing alcohol and cotton ball. Put the alcohol on the cotton ball but make sure to put something behind where you are blotting because the ink will go to the other side. Dab and plot don't rub. Dingy linens use dawn soap but rise well with water before putting in the wash or it will be really suddys and I have also used vinegar to get out some stains. If the marks (ink and crayon) are on other things try the mr. clean eraser. Good luck

[Laurence]

I second what Katie said. I have an old French chest of drawers. I put scented liners which I change every 6 months. You can find some Crabtree and Evelyn ones on ebay. Good luck!

[Michelle]

Here's my attempt to help:
1. Try a ton of baking soda, just pour it all on to cover the bottom, and rub it on the sides. Use a whole huge box if you need to. Leave it for a while (days). The baking soda should absorb the smell, then just toss the stuff and brush out. If you can tell it's getting lighter, but the smell is still there, just be patient and keep changing out the baking soda. If that doesn't work, try coffee beans (if you like the smell of coffee!).

2. Martha Stewart has a stain removal chart on her site. I think ballpoint pen is one of the things she mentions.

9. I've seen that recipe! I'll search for it, and let you know if I'm able to find it (you may not hear from me for a couple of days... weeks...)

Sounds like you're busy!

[lla]

Let's see what I can help with -

I have tried ProActiv (although it was years ago) and it didn't do a darn thing for me. Although my dermatologist explained that I was a lucky* girl and had cystic acne (is that TMI???) - and most stuff won't work on that. Basically, major antibiotics and cortesone shots are the only remedy for that. If you've got cystic acne, save your money for the dermatologist and the hard core stuff. If you've not got the cystic type, give the ProActiv a try - Jessica Simpson and P-Diddy can't be all wrong, can they?

The other thing with which I can help is the cake. What you are looking for is called a "Poke Cake" - and the Jell-o gelatin type was very popular here in the South at church potlucks, etc. in the 80's. A little Googling turned up this recipe for the pudding kind:
http://www.recipelink.com/mf/2/12923

And lastly, I can't help you fix your dingy whites now - but in the future to prevent them from becoming dingy, avoid all liquid Clorox-type bleaches. My mother taught me that when you first use them, they make your clothes look great - but that most whites have some sort of protective finish on them. The bleach hastens the breakdown process - so soon the very thing that looked so promising is actually hastening the demise of your whites. I have no real scientific proof that this is true - but I do know that my husband's shirts stay looking much nicer much longer now that I've stopped. (When I feel I need to use something on the whites, I use OxyClean...)

*extreme sarcasm there....

[kirsty]

I bought Pro-Active for my teenaged son and, for as long as he used it, it worked pretty well! Now the inside of the bottles are blemish-free, but he's spotty again :) One warning though, it must have hydrogen peroxide or some other bleachy thing in it because he ruined several towels by wiping his face/hands on them unrinsed.

[jenni s-g]

I'm using the Bare Escentials *minerals* and LOVE it. Got my starter kit at Sephora. So easy and so worth it. Hate feeling like I've got goop caked all over my face, and my face hates it too. I have combo skin--oily T zone and dry cheeks. I use tea tree oil for blemishes, witch hazel for a toner (also good on bug bites--follow with aloe vera and the itch is instantly gone!), and my skin has NEVER been better. The BE makeup is great, too, because I can add more for a nighttime look or keep it really basic for a quick day-to-day look (and I have a pre-schooler, so A.M. routine has to be fastfastfast).

I've heard white vinegar is good for dingy whites, but haven't tried it yet. I've also heard that vinegar is also a good odor eater, but not sure how you'd apply it to wood. Activated charcoal is the best odor eater in the fridge, so maybe a sachet of it in the drawer? I just get mine from the aquarium section at pet stores.

[leah]

3) a couple rubs from those dryer sheets works wonders.
5) for dingy sheets they say you can boil them with lemons though i've never tried it...
6)i've used toothpaste and a toothbrush in a pinch but the stuff they sell for cleaning irons (comes in a tube) works the best.

[kirsten]

i've made several jell-o cakes, but not with pudding - with actual jello - but i think the concept is the same - you bake the cake, poke holes in it with a spoon, and pour the liquid, not solidified jell-o over the whole cake, then chill. top with cool whip. google it - i'm sure you'll find a recipe!

[Julie]

As for #1 -- I've heard, but haven't tried it myself yet -- that you wash out the drawers with a solution of vinegar and water. The vinegar is acidic and will kill any mold that is still growing in there, so it should work.

[Jan]

For the drawers, baking soda! You can just put an open box in a closed drawer for several days or as long as it takes. It's worked for me in small tins as well as walk-in closets!

[Catherine]

I clean my iron with salt - I spread some brown paper on the ironing board, heat up the iron (dry not steam) and sprinkle some salt on the paper then iron over it gently. The hot salt abrades any gunk off the soleplate, it may take a few minutes but always works for me.

[sally]

I use BE powder...I like it. My BF uses ProActiv and it cleared up her skin.

[rebecca]

I used to use Bare Escentuals. I loved the way it looked and felt (in the beginning anyway). I developed a rather nasty allergy to it after about 6 months. Weird break-outs and gross scaley eyelids. yuck. Don't go by me, though, my super-sensitive skin has a reaction to just about everything after awhile. I recently switched to BeneFit -- for a liquid foundation it feels surprisingly lightweight.

[Kate]

6) Iron cleaner that comes in a tube. Depending on whether you have a teflon coated iron or not, scrub with some steel wool and a lil toothpaste. If it is teflon coated, DON'T!

[Laura]

I've heard very good things about pro activ-- just be very careful not to use too much! A friend wanted to speed up the process and gave herself nasty rashes instead. Once she lessened it to the proper amount, it started to work nicely.

For pen marks, I use some rubbing alcohol.. works for most things, lifts it very quickly.

Keeping sheets on the bed-- there are these elastic clips you can get at places, here's a link for them: http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?order_num=-1&SKU=10220599&RN=404. Fairly inexpensive, especially if this is a big problem!

I use a recipe that's similar to your pudding frosting cake.. this may not help, but for mine, the pudding wasn't altered.

I hope this helps! :D

[Sharon G.]

1) Drawer liners....they work wonders. I have some yummy lavender and rosemary/lemon ones. Mmm.

3) Rub a dryer sheet on your clothes.

4) There's these garter belt thingies that you attach to the corner of your sheets to make them stay put...my mom has a set. I'm not sure where she got them, though, and google isn't bringing anything up.

8) Pro-active worked for me for two or three weeks, then it just dried out my face really bad, no matter how infrequently I used it. Arbonne's line was the only thing that helped without drying out my skin. Also, like someone else posted, proactive will stain your towels and pillowcases.

[persephone]

I used Pro-Activ, but I did not care for it at all. I have combination skin and adult acne (which supposedly is different in some way). I found the ProActiv to be too harsh generally on my skin, leaving raw red patches on my face. I've found Aveeno foaming face wash to work best for me. I exfoliate with St. Ive's medicated apricot scrub 3 or 4 times a week (only on the really oily parts of my face, and only 4 times when I've been involved in sweaty activities), and I use Clean & Clear moisturizer on my face. Took me a while to get used to the feeling cause I hate liquid foundation, but I really like it. St. Ive's also makes and oil-free moisturizer, which is great, too. Good luck!

[AmyDe]

1. Musty Drawers - paint the insides of them
2. off of what? Krud Kutter, Goof Off, Undo, etc. WD-40 - for ballpoint ink - aerosol hairspray.
3. Good dryer sheets - and static guard spray (stinky for a minute, but works)
5. Oxyclean - or lemon water and then leave them in the sun
6. There is a product at Micahels, Wal-Mart, etc. to get gunk off of irons.
7. I LOVE my bare escentuals make up. I live in Atlanta GA and the heat is killer - it has sunscreen and doesn't sweat off or run.

Also - try looking up Hints From Heloise

[Be Still]

I found two recipes on the "Jello" site for the cakes you were seeking.

Chocolate pudding poke cake: http://www.kraftfoods.com/jello/main.aspx?s=recipe&m=recipe/knet_recipe_display&wf=9&recipe_id=53933

Jello poke cake:
http://www.kraftfoods.com/jello/main.aspx?s=recipe&m=recipe/knet_recipe_display&wf=9&recipe_id=69006

I thought the Molten Chocolate Pudding Cake sounded yummy, so I included that link too!
http://www.kraftfoods.com/jello/main.aspx?s=recipe&m=recipe/knet_recipe_display&wf=9&recipe_id=69182

[Mel]

Looks like BeStill found what you were looking for. I have a cookbook called "The Magic of Jell-o" but it doesn't have the pudding cake recipe, just the regular Jell-o poured over white cake. And lots more. If you want any weird Jell-o recipes, they're probably in here.

[Amanda]

The only one I can help with is #6, stuff stuck on the iron. There's a product called Iron Off, you put a little on a scrap piece of fabric, heat your iron up really well (cotton setting), and then run the iron over the Iron Off stuff, kind of on the edge of the ironing board. Works for stuck on fusible, I don't know about the other stuff. I'd also heard about ironing salt, but haven't tried it. Also rubbing alcohol, again haven't tried it. Good luck!

[Lisa]

I bought a set of Proactiv. It dried me out a lot, but that was when I was living in Seattle so I had to stop. I found that the soap and toner not to be anything special, but the thing that worked for me was the Proactiv sulfur mask. It stinks but anything with sulfur in it works for me. You can use it as a spot treatment. I'm not sure if you can buy it separately, or if you have to get the whole set. Sephora also sells a jar of DDS Sulfur Therapeutic Mask with 10% Sulfur (it's strong) and a tube of Murad's Acne Spot Treatment with 3% Sulfur.

I haven't tried BE yet, (it's always out of stock at the Ala Moana Sephora) but have tried eye shadows from http://www.aromaleigh.com/.
I like them. They will also give free samples of eye shadows if you order other samples. They last a long time.

Recently I bought a moisturizer foundation from the Bobbi Brown counter at Neiman Marcus. I put it on thinly with a brush and it sort of dries up after dusting with powder. It's kind of fun painting my face in the morning.

[Cam]

You can find the garter belts for sheets marketed as "sheet suspenders" or "sheet straps". There are some available on Amazon and some really huge ones at Bed, Bath, and Beyond that cross under the whole mattress.

Have you tried scrubbing out the drawers vigorously, maybe with TSP? And you may want to wipe down the back of the cabinet, and check behind the dresser for mildew on the wall, just in case.

I pre-soak dingy white sheets in a washing soda solution.

As for the dryer mystery, it sounds a lot like the washer mystery I had a few years ago. The washer conked out and started spitting very small amounts of machine oil onto our clothes. Bummer.