CEDAR FALLS - After a flood, cleaning up is a long and hard process.

The best cleaner, by far, is elbow grease.

But even the finest elbow grease needs a little help - namely, know-how and the right cleaning products.

To assist area families who may still have flood cleanup concerns, local family and consumer sciences professionals will be on hand from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Aug. 16 at the Cedar Falls Fareway store to give flood cleanup tips and product samples donated by the National Soap and Detergent Association.

Shortly after the record flooding in May, Luann Alemao attended the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences national conference in Milwaukee. There, she attended a workshop, "Cleaning 101," led by Nancy Bock of the NSDA.

"I began to think that with her cleaning and product knowledge and my background in (family and consumer sciences) education, there must be a way that we could partner to help Iowa flood victims," Alemao said.

The women joined heads to create a pilot project that starts here and will be used in other affected cities.

"The Soap and Detergent Association is committed to enhancing public health and well-being in all that we say and do," said Bock. "The floods in Iowa have left many families with unsanitary conditions. We are proud to partner with family and consumer sciences professionals in Cedar Falls to put cleaning products and information in the hands of families in need."

The SDA will provide surface cleaners and laundry product samples to families affected by the flooding.

Excited about the possibilities, Alemao recruited Cynthia Kenyon, president of the Iowa Association of Family and Consumer Sciences and a consumer science teacher at Peet Junior High School.

The Family & Consumer Sciences discipline was founded 100 years ago by Ellen Swallow Richards, the most prominent female American chemist of the 19th century. She was a pioneer in sanitary engineering and a founder of home economics in the United States.

Richards' goal was to apply scientific principles to domestic topics - such as good nutrition, pure foods, proper clothing, physical fitness, sanitation and efficient practices - to allow women more time for pursuits other than cooking and cleaning. Growing out of several summer conferences held at Lake Placid, N.Y., the American Home Economics Association was formed in 1908 with Richards as its first president.

"The FCS profession was originally called 'domestic sciences'," said Kenyon. "The name was later changed to 'home economics' in the 1950s and later changed to family and consumer sciences in the 1990s."

"We've been talking about science and cleanliness in the homes for the past 100 years," Kenyon said. "As a profession, we continue to change with the times to meet the needs of our families. (Alemao's) efforts to help area flood victims with cleaning issues is a good example of what family and consumer science professionals can do to help families today."

Contact Sue Willett at

newsroom@wcfcourier.com.