Keep your brown sugar fresh and soft

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 19/5/2020 (292 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Dear Reena,
In a recent issue of the paper, you shared a recipe for laundry stain remover. At the end you specified not to combine the recipe with any bleach products. My question is: Why not include bleach products? What is caused by this mixture? If I make my own soap, would not including bleach products stand true for this as well? Again, why?
Thanks, K.

Dear K.,
The problem with combining bleach with other products, especially ammonia ,is that it creates a toxic gas called chloramine which  can even be fatal. A woman once told me a story at a show I spoke at about how her daughter was planning to wash the floor. She saw a bucket filled with what she thought was water, so she added bleach. The water turned out to be ammonia and when she added the bleach, she ended up paralyzed for three days. Some chemicals are safe to combine, such as baking soda and vinegar.

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Readers share

Re: Keeping brown sugar soft
To keep brown sugar soft, we advise that we go back to the old method, which really works. Break a whole slice of bread (I use regular whole wheat)into four pieces and put them in with the hardened brown sugar in a large, covered container. The result is very soft, just like new brown sugar. Submitted by: Arlene and Fred

Re: Potluck labelling
Since I have been self-isolating, I have been going through articles you have written over the years. Yesterday I came across one in which someone asked how to label their dishes for a potluck. I have found that when I use my address labels, they stick to the dishes very well, even after being washed. If the food is in a slow cooker, I also label this. I hope you find this helpful. Submitted by: Brenda

Fantastic Tips of the Week

• You would not believe how often people come up to me at the end of one of my shows and share the following tip that they learnt from their grandmothers: When someone in your home is sick, cut an onion in half and put it on a plate beside their bed. The onion is said to draw out the bad germs in the room and turns black within a short period of time. If you can stand the smell of onions, why not give it a shot?
• When choosing healthy bread in the store, reach for whole grain not whole wheat. Whole wheat flour is put through a refining process that removes some of the nutritional value of the end product but whole grain flour does not go through that refining process and therefore has oodles more nutrition .

Note: Every user assumes all risks of injury or damage resulting from the implementation of any suggestions in this column. Test all products on an inconspicuous area first.

Reena Nerbas is a popular motivational presenter for large and small groups; check out her website: reena.ca. Ask a question or share a tip at reena.ca