Reena Nerbas

Dear Reena: What is the best way to organize winter clothing such as mitts, scarves and tuques?

Merle You are not alone. As a mother of four, I needed to tackle this issue before it got out of hand.

In our case, we built six wooden full-size lockers — one for each member of the family. This keeps our family organized.

If you do not have room for lockers or plastic or wooden cubbies, here are a few tips. Begin by removing out-of-season apparel and putting the items into large plastic bins.

Winter clothing can be placed in plastic containers and stored in an area such as a large wooden bench with an opening lid.

Mittens are safety-pinned together and any clothing that has not been used within a two-year time period is donated. Mittens, tuques and scarves can also be stored in jacket sleeves or hoods.

Tip: If you eat chips from a can, save the cans and store rolled-up scarves, mittens or toques inside. You’ll be organized before you know it.

Dear Reena: Do you have a solution to get lipstick out of cotton navy slacks that have gone through the dryer?

Elizabeth Tackle this dyed-grease stain with the help of hot water and Oxyclean. It might take more than one washing.

Other products that you can use are shaving cream, dandruff shampoo and rubbing alcohol — remember to test them first so you don’t risk discolouration.

You can also wash the slacks in washing soda. Don’t give up — wash the slacks several times and don’t put slacks into the dryer until the stain is gone.

Worst-case scenario: boil the pants in a product called Iron Out or use Rit dye remover according to the directions on the box.

Note that both of these products will lighten the fabric colour: Redye as desired.

Feedback from readers

Re: Sticky labels

Here are a couple of follow-up tips for removing sticky residue from decals: use a product called Goo Gone. Also, lemon essential oil works great. Daphne Extra hint: To peel garlic cloves, wet the clove and smash with flat side of knife. Peel slips right off.

Re: Sticky labels

I have great success with residue removal by using a paste of baking soda and coconut oil with a little bit of elbow grease. Jo

Re: Cleaning Drains

I am concerned about the writer’s suggestion of using 1/2 cup of table salt in sink and bathroom drains to reduce smell.

Remember that salt is not removed during the sewage-treatment process and, since salt is not part of our freshwater ecosystem, it is technically a pollutant.

It does not naturally dissipate, but remains in perpetuity. Having thousands of readers pouring cups of salt into their drains is a terrible environmental path to follow.

Ryan

Holiday air freshener: In a pot (or slow cooker) simmer apple cider, whole cinnamon sticks, whole cloves and a dash of nutmeg on the stove. Add a few drops of orange essential oil.