DEAR HELOISE: I'm in the doghouse! I set a glass on my wife's nice furniture, and it left a ring. How do I get it off?
-- Jack M. in Texas
DEAR READER: Don't move into the doghouse just yet, Jack. Here is the updated Heloise Hint for removing rings on furniture: Start by getting non-gel toothpaste. Mix a small amount of the toothpaste with some baking soda. Rub this mixture into the ring, making sure you rub in the direction of the grain of the furniture. Be prepared, because this takes time and patience to work. Once the ring appears to have gone, take a damp cloth and wipe the furniture. Finish with a good polishing.
DEAR HELOISE: I use an old T-shirt to make a bird-cage cover to keep the seed hulls from being thrown out of the cage. Measure the height that you want to cover on your bird cage. On a flat surface, lay the shirt out, with the hems even. Measure the shirt from the bottom up and mark. Cut straight across the body of the shirt, through both layers. The bottom of the shirt will be the top of the cover. You can either thread a string through or just gather the material and tie. It is very easy to put on, adjust and tie.
-- A Reader, via email
DEAR HELOISE: I have been moving, so I am up to my earlobes in packing materials and tape. This morning, I got goo from the tape on my freshly manicured nails. I looked for the product that normally removes this sort of thing, but couldn't find it in my garage.
Then I read your answer to the mom who wanted to get gum out of her child's hair. Among other things, you suggested she use real mayonnaise. I figured, what the heck, why not try it? It worked beautifully. The goo came off my nails, didn't hurt the polish, and I didn't have to use chemicals.
-- Ilene B., via email
DEAR HELOISE: Our new house cleaner pushed our vacuum cleaner very rapidly over the carpeting and picked up less than half of the dirt and dust that I normally do with slow pushing. With fast pushing, the vacuum spends less time trying to suck up the dirt, so it picks up less. I highly recommend slow vacuuming to pick up the most dirt for cleaner carpets.
-- J.D. in Houston
DEAR HELOISE: I often watch my grandchildren. I don't keep any bibs at my house, so whenever we eat, I just wrap old dish towels around their necks (not tightly) and tie them in the back. Keeps their clothes clean and their mom happy.
-- A Grandma in Illinois
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
Weekend on 05/22/2014