You asked the same question last January.... http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/furniture/msg011830081774.html Here is a link that might be useful: Hollister chair

I have one pair of Lucy pants. They are very well made and I like that they have a pocket with a zipper. However, they are totally dorky looking. These are yoga style pants, so they are not tight and the length is below the knee. The problem is that they looks like someone took a long pair of pants and simply chopped them off below the knee. They are completely straight, no flair. I only wear them around the house. However, I do think the quality is very good. I just looked at their site and I think they are the Everyday Capri. See how they are completely straight and baggy? Here is a link that might be useful: lucy capri

Donate everything. Some people buy things at Goodwill for the fabric for crafts, or for the buttons if they sew, with no intention of wearing the item 'as is'. That 'ol Prom dress with the yellowed underarm stains still has yards of nice velvet or satin, in the skirt that can be used to sew a little girl's dress or to make pillows or even a valance. The beading from that 80's cocktail dress can be removed and used in another sewing project. People who work jobs where their clothing and shoes get ruined, buy stuff that may look shot to you with its "pilling" and fading", but is perfectly servicable for wearing while laying asphalt or working in sewer tunnels or working with caustic chemicals in a factory. I am not being snarky about this. It is true. I know people with jobs like this and they are not even going to buy new cheap stuff at Target that is going to be ruined in three days. They don't even care much if it doesn't fit 'just right' or is faded or missing a button. They only wear the stuff a couple of weeks and a few washings, until it gets a hole burned in it from a caustic spill or splattered with tar or stinks so bad of sewer gas that washing it doesn't help anymore. I used to toss t-shirts and socks but I read that thrift shops make money from selling these types of items to rag vendors. They can still make money off of rags. A lot of people shop for vintage items, and believe it or not, what youngsters consider "vintage" is what some of us still have hanging in our closets or attics. The 70's are cool again and the 80's are bound to come back. A lot of people shop Goodwill for items to be made into Halloween costumes. That wacky orange jumpsuit that you can't figure out why you bought it in the first place except that you were going through your 'Solid Gold Dancer' phase, will make a nice Halloween costume for some college kid. That ugly bridesmaid dress you had to wear for your sisters wedding, can be refashioned into a lovely Princess costume for a little girl for Halloween. Theater groups also shop at Goodwill for costume type items. Believe it or not some people collect vintage undergarments, not just Victorian items like you see decorating in Victoria or Southern Living magazines. So even grandma's old girdles can be donated. As far as donating items that are 'out of style' I don't believe in such a thing as 'out' of style. One reason I shop Goodwill is because I do not like the new styles being featured in the stores. A middle aged woman can't wear micro minis or baggy pants that hang so low that the butt crack shows. And when was the last time you saw casual skirts at mid calf length in the stores? You can't even find skirts, much less the longer ones. I have been recently shopping for a dress to wear to a summer wedding, and all I see in the stores this season, is a lot of 'baby doll' styles with high waistlines that make one look like one is wearing a maternity top without any pants. I found a simple sheath dress for $3 at Goodwill that looks mature. It still had the tags on it!! Brand new. Donate everything, and let the buyers decide if it is 'good enough'.

Sponges are horribly filthy- they hold bacteria even if you put them in the micro/dishwasher. I thought so too! But then I read a USDA report on putting sponges in the dishwasher with a hot dry cycle, and it said that it sterilized the sponge. I didn't believe it. So I let a sponge get stinky, brought home agar plates and sterile swabs from work (I teach physics and my lab is right next to the bio lab) and I streaked a plate. I put the sponge in the dishwasher with the heated drying cycle, and then streaked another plate. The first one was covered with colonies as you'd expect; the second was clean. Nothing was growing. It looked untouched. I had to change my tune. The dishwasher does a good job when you use the heated drying cycle. In fact, here's the USDA paper's conclusion: "Thus microwave heating and dishwashing with a drying cycle proved to be the most effective methods for inactivating bacteria, yeasts and molds on sponges. These simple and convenient treatments can help ensure that contaminated sponges don't spread foodborne pathogens around household kitchens of today's busy families." Here is a link that might be useful: The entire article