DEAR HELOISE: Here are a few tips for Christmas decorating:
Replace table lamps with small, lit Christmas trees.
Take photos of your decorating.
Store decorations in heavy-duty shopping bags. They are easier to take up and down attic stairs.
When following a recipe out of a cookbook, cover the page that does not have the recipe with a white sheet of paper. It will minimize the seconds needed to find your place.
- Denise in Houston
DEAR HELOISE: I’m a flight attendant, and on a recent flight, I worked first class. Before serving the meal, we passed out hot washcloths that passengers could use to freshen up. One passenger cleaned his hands and then wiped down the armrests and tray table. I thought this was a good hint.
In the future, I’ll make sure to pack antibacterial wipes for cleaning around my seat.
- Janet S., via email
DEAR HELOISE: My car battery has a lot of corrosion buildup on it. Do you have a hint on how to remove it?
- A Reader, via email
DEAR READER: Just mix a little baking soda and water to make a thick paste. Dab it on the battery terminals with an old toothbrush and scrub away. Do be careful, and protect your hands and eyes. Have a spill in your trunk that left it stinky? After cleaning, sprinkle with baking soda, rub in well and let sit a day or two, vacuum.
DEAR READERS: Here is a hint from Sharon, whom I met while doing a speech earlier this year. She has been in charge of several large functions and, having done it before, knew that she would be sending and receiving many emails. She set up a separate email account just for the function. That way, everything that came in and went out had to do with only the function. Before, she was bombarded with emails in her personal account and had to search through a ton of emails regarding the special event.
DEAR HELOISE: To keep window-shade cords or others detangled, take a clear soda straw and cut it lengthwise with a small pair of scissors. Push it onto the cord, resting it at the bottom of the cord. Keeps it clean and straight.
- Janice K. in San Antonio Send a money- or time-saving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, Texas 78279-5000; fax to (210) 435-6473; or email Heloise@Heloise.com
MovieStyle, Pages 38 on 12/13/2013