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Back-to-School Backpack Rescue · Talking FACS

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  Welcome to Talking FACS, what you need to know about family,
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  food, finance, and fitness.
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  This nationally recognized, award-winning podcast is hosted by the University
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  of Kentucky Family and Consumer Sciences Extension Program.
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  Our educators share research knowledge with individuals, families,
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  and communities to improve quality of life.
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  Back to school season is right around the corner. And while it often brings
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  thoughts of new clothes, fresh notebooks, and shiny supplies,
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  not everything needs to be replaced.
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  In fact, that backpack your child used last year may have plenty of life left
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  in it, even if it's a little bit dirty.
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  Welcome to Talking FACS, where we share practical tips and research-based information
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  you can use in your everyday life.
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  I am your host, Mindy McCulley, Extension Specialist for Instructional Support
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  with the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service.
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  Today, we're talking about a simple, budget-friendly way to freshen up for the
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  school year, cleaning your backpack.
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  Joining me is Jeanne Badgett, Senior Extension Associate specializing in clothing,
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  textiles, and household equipment.
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  Jeanne is here to walk us through easy steps to get backpacks clean and ready
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  for another school year. Welcome, Jeanne.
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  Thanks, Mindy. I'm glad to be here. Well, let's start with something many people
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  might not realize. Just because that backpack looks worn or dirty,
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  it doesn't necessarily mean it needs to be thrown away, correct?
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  Right, right. Yes, yes. Now, to be fair, you know, backpacks can get really
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  dirty, especially when our students use them almost every day to carry around
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  all their stuff to all the places.
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  Backpacks get tossed on the ground. They're set down on sticky surfaces and
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  flung on the floor of the bus or car.
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  They can get pretty dirty and grimy. And because they're not something we would
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  normally consider putting in the washing machine, cleaning a backpack can be an afterthought.
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  So for those of us who may not realize that many school backpacks can be washed, guess what?
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  Lots of them can be washed, especially the popular canvas or nylon ones.
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  So like you said, Mindy, just because a backpack is dirty doesn't mean it should be thrown away.
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  If the backpack still fits and it's functional, let's give it a refresh.
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  You know, that's great news, especially for families who are trying to save
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  money during the back-to-school season because everything is more expensive now.
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  So before we jump into the cleaning process, what's the first thing people should do?
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  So this one is easy. Always check the care label to find out how the backpack should be cleaned.
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  There's usually a tag sewn into one of the seams inside of the backpack,
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  But if you can't find a care label, the next best thing to do is to go online
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  to the manufacturer's website, and most likely you'll find care instructions there.
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  Oh, that's helpful to know. So once we've checked that label or found the instructions, what's next?
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  Okay, so next step, you want to make sure the backpack is empty for sure.
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  So first unzip or unclip all the pockets and compartments, unhook the straps,
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  and remove anything that can be detached because it's better to wash those things separately.
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  But again, most importantly, check all those pockets, empty them,
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  and dispose of any trash or surprises you might find.
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  Oh, I am imagining melted crayons or topless markers, papers,
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  maybe even a forgotten snack or two. Can you tell I have...
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  Cleaned out my share of backpacks. Yes, yeah, finding surprises like those,
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  that's the best part of this whole process.
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  What about all the dirt and crumbs that tend to collect inside in the crevices?
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  Yeah, so an easy way and an easy and thorough way really to remove all the crumbs
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  and dirt that settles inside the backpack and gets stuck in all the seams and crevices
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  is to use a vacuum that has a crevice tool attachment.
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  And not everybody has that, so I understand. But if you do have a vacuum that
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  has a crevice tool, that would be really ideal because it can suck everything
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  up out of those seams inside the backpack.
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  Or another option, you can turn the backpack upside down over a trash can and
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  just give it a good shake.
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  Or even better yet is to shake the backpack outside where you don't have to
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  worry about all the dirt and crumbs going everywhere.
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  But just make sure if you do that, that you pick up any mist trash that might
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  fall on the ground, of course.
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  And then sometimes some of the dirt and crumbs can just be removed with a stiff
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  brush or wiped away with a dry cloth.
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  Oh, I have sometimes turned one completely inside out so that I could really get the gunK out.
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  Now, what do we do if there are stains? But for the stains, especially any on
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  the outside of the backpack, you want to treat those first before you actually turn it inside out.
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  But I'm glad you brought this up about the stains, Mindy, because that's the
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  next step is dealing with the stains.
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  So I do want to be sure to mention that here, this is where I will tell you,
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  you definitely want to know
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  the care instructions because some backpacks, they may be labeled as what's
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  called spot clean only, in which cases you'll need to be really careful how
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  you treat any stains. And this normally applies to,
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  leather backpacks or backpacks with leather bottoms, because leather shouldn't
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  really be wet or submerged in water.
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  So in those cases, for a leather backpack, please, please use a special leather
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  cleaner. And you can get that at most stores and follow the directions.
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  But stains on a canvas or a cloth type backpack, those can simply be treated
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  with any type of stain spray or stain remover pen, or even dabbing the stain
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  with a small amount of detergent.
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  But do always follow the directions on those products and treat the stains on
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  both the outside and the inside, as you mentioned, how you turn them inside out to get that gunk.
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  And don't forget to pay special attention to the straps of the backpack because
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  sometimes the straps get extra dirty because we're always touching them and
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  adjusting them and they may certainly benefit from a little extra care. Yes, definitely.
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  So let's talk about washing options.
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  When would someone choose washing machine versus hand washing?
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  Okay, well, so let's assuming the care instructions say it's okay to wash the
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  backpack in the machine. We'll start with that first.
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  That's the easiest thing to do is throw it in the washing machine.
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  But before you do that, leave all those zippers open and turn the bag inside out.
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  And normally I do say when we do laundry, we want to zip zippers like on our
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  clothing. But for backpacks, leave the zippers open so that way.
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  Things can get really clean inside there. So turn it inside out.
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  And it's a good idea to place the backpack in a large mesh laundry bag if you
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  have something like that or not.
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  If you don't, put it in a pillowcase and then not the top of the pillowcase
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  because this can prevent damage to the backpack and the washing machine too.
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  And then add a couple of clean towels to the wash load or at least towels that
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  aren't like super dirty.
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  So because this will help balance the load in the washer and then the agitation
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  will just help get the backpack cleaner than if it were washed by itself.
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  And most care instructions will say to add just about a tablespoon of a mild
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  laundry detergent and then you'll wash that in the washing machine on a gentle cycle in cool water.
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  And if it needs to be hand washed, what should we do then?
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  Yeah, so sure. This option is usually suggested if the backpack can be easily damaged in the washer.
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  And just like before, you'll want to leave those zippers open and turn the bag inside out.
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  But first, go ahead and fill your sink or a clean container that's big enough
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  to get the entire backpack wet.
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  Fill it with cool water and then add about a tablespoon of detergent to the
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  water and gently mix it with your hand until the detergent seems dissolved.
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  And then add the backpack into your sink or the tub and swish it around for
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  a good few minutes just to get that agitation and get that dirt loose and everything gone.
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  Pay attention to heavily soiled areas like those straps or if you have any lingering spots.
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  And then let it soak for a few more minutes. And once it seems that all the
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  spots are gone, just rinse the backpack thoroughly in clean water.
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  That may take a couple of rinses and emptying the sink or the bin out for a while.
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  And this is where hand washing can seem inconvenient because once you rinse
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  it, then you're stuck with this soaking wet backpack.
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  So a good thing is lift it out of the sink or the tub or container.
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  And then after a little bit of water kind of drips off, then gently roll the
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  wet backpack in a clean towel and that will absorb the excess water.
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  Yeah, just like you do with your favorite sweater that you don't want to put in the laundry, right?
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  Yeah, exactly, exactly. And what about drying then? Do we throw it in the dryer
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  or what's our option for that?
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  Yeah, that's a good question. So regardless of how you washed it,
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  whether you did it in the machine or hand wash, you definitely want to hang
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  the bag to let it air dry. So don't put it in the dryer.
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  So hang it up on a hanger or a hook to let it air dry. And this is just because
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  the dryer may damage it, the heat in the dryer and the tumbling.
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  So before you do hang it up, turn it right side out and leave all the pockets open.
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  And this will just allow the air to circulate. And it's good to put it in a
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  spot that has some air circulation. Like don't put it in a closet to air dry.
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  And then essentially, you just wait until the bag is fully dry.
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  That may take a day or two, honestly, depending on the environment it's dried
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  in. Then you could fill it with all the back-to-school supplies.
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  Yeah, so you don't want to choose the most humid day of the summer to be the
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  day that you wash that backpack because it will take it longer to dry, right?
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  Yeah, yeah. And some sources say you can set that backpack out in the sun,
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  but the only thing with that is it might damage the backpack or fade it.
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  So it's kind of best just not to do that. But it's, you know,
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  it's okay. Yeah, and if you don't care if you have a faded backpack,
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  then by all means stick it out in the sun, right?
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  Yeah, yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. I think these steps are pretty manageable
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  and are just a great way to extend the life of something families are already using.
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  Yeah, exactly. For sure. Because that's the thing with a backpack.
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  It's like you see a dirty backpack and you think, I can't wash that.
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  I just need to throw it away and get a new one. But that's not always the case.
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  Thanks, Jeanne. I can always count on you to share simple and effective tips,
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  no matter what the topic might be.
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  Oh, yeah. Well, you're welcome. And I'm always happy to be here.
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  As you prepare for the new school year, remember, you don't have to always buy new.
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  Sometimes a little time and care can make what you already have work just as well.
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  Cleaning a backpack is an easy way to save money, reduce waste,
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  and start the school year fresh.
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  For more practical tips and research-based information, reach out to your local
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  Cooperative Extension office.
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  Thanks for talking Family and Consumer Sciences with us today.
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