HELPFUL HINTS

— DEAR HELOISE: I laughed when I read your Jan. 1 column about nonsmoking rooms.

Once upon a time, an ice storm in Little Rock disconnected our electricity. After three days, we were desperate for a bath! My husband and I went to one of the better facilities near the airport. We asked for a nonsmokingroom.

The room had a strong tobacco odor, a brown haze and a sign that stated “Smoking.” We called the front desk, and the clerksaid, “Turn the sign over.” The sign said “No Smoking.” That didn’t help much, but the bath was great!

  • G.N.H., Little Rock

DEAR READER: Well, that’s funny and not!

DEAR HELOISE: I just spilled red nail polish on my white carpet. What do I do?

  • A Reader, via e-mail

DEAR READER: This is not good, and at this point it is going to be difficult. Whether spilled nail polish, soda or a sports drink, red is one of the hardest colors to remove. Before you try, be sure you test it in an out-of-the-way area (such as a closet or corner of the room) so you don’t cause damage to the carpet.

Pour non-acetone nailpolish remover onto a cloth (not on the carpet) and blot the stain, continuously moving to clean parts of the cloth. Blot from the outside of the stain inward.

Next, make a cleaning solution by mixing 1 teaspoon of liquid dish soap and 1 cup of water. Apply using a clean cloth. Rinse the stain with water and blot dry. Repeat these steps as necessary to remove the stain, but it may be a lost cause.

DEAR HELOISE: When I get a cardboard shipping box that I want to reuse, I remove the shipping labels. Usually, just trying to peel the label will damage the box. I take the hair dryer, put it on high and heat the label. After a few seconds, the adhesive becomes soft, and the label peels off.

  • D.N., via e-mail

DEAR READER: This hint was tested several times at Heloise Central, and it works like magic! We removed three different types of labels/stickers from a cardboard box, and they just peeled right off. How cool! You can reuse a box and save money while being “green.” Please share more green hints anytime.

Send a money- or time-saving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, Texas 78279-5000; fax to (210) 435-6473; or e-mail Heloise@Heloise.com

Weekend, Pages 36 on 02/14/2013

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