King Features Syndicate
Dear Heloise: I can't take credit for this idea -- I'm just recognizing how clever it is. While visiting an elementary school, a housekeeping tech was removing scuff marks from the floor. The tool? A broom handle with a tennis ball stuck on one end. She told me she cuts two short cross-slits in one section of the ball and sticks it on the broom handle. She puts a slight drop of cleaner on it and scrubs with no bending -- scrubbing is easier using the handle for more leverage. -- Sheron Johnson, Oak Ridge North, Texas
Dear Heloise: My can-opener handle would not turn. Before I tossed it away, I sprayed a little bit of vegetable spray at the point where the handle meets the little gear. That did the trick. -- Vivian Morgan, Vine Grove, Ky.
Dear Heloise: Before heading out on a road trip, check the road construction or road conditions of your route by calling each state's construction conditions number (I found the numbers listed on the back of my road atlas). There are also Web sites you can access that will route your trip and tell you all the road construction on the way. -- A Reader, Via E-mail
Dear Heloise: Squirrels can't climb a bird feeder's metal pole if it is sprayed with silicone spray. It lasts quite a long time, and it's a lot neater than grease or lard, as the spray dries and is super-slick. -- Joe, Rogers, Ark.
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Dear Heloise: For anyone looking for an effective way to remove the yellow discoloration that occurs when wearing, here's the solution I use: Fill a bowl with warm water and drop in two denture-cleaning tablets (with mild denture bleach). Allow to fully dissolve. Soak hands in the bowl for five minutes, then use a soft toothbrush (or nailbrush) to gently scrub nails. Rinse and dry. Your nails will be restored to their natural, healthy color. -- S. Williams, West Orange, N.J.
Dear Heloise: I came up with an idea that has saved me tons of time and frustration with the old problem -- What do I fix for supper? I spent a couple of hours one afternoon going through all my favorite cookbooks and torn-out recipes and came up with 20 or so everyday dinners that my family likes. I put the names of the dishes on a chart along with their main ingredients and taped it to the inside of my pantry door. Now I can make my grocery list quickly and have any one of several different ideas to prepare. It's really changed my outlook. -- Nancy Lewerenz of Wylie, Texas:
Dear Heloise: My mother-in-law recently passed away. Our daughter is studying abroad this semester and was unable to come home for her grandma's funeral. I am drying the floral arrangements we were given and am making a sachet from the petals for my daughter. I am using some of my deceased mom's old damask napkins for the fabric of the sachet. That way, our daughter will have a remembrance from both of her grandmothers. -- Michele Mitteness Westlund, Brooklyn Park, Minn.
Send a money-saving or timesaving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, TX 78279-5000, or you can fax it to 210-HELOISE or e-mail it to Heloise@Heloise.com.
