DEAR HELOISE: If you are going to stop your newspapers and mail for a vacation, use the "stop date" as the day before you leave. That way, you can be sure the stop order went through. I can't tell you how many times the stops did not occur on the day I had selected.
Love your column. This is the second hint I have sent to you. The first was published years ago!
-- Gayle P., via email
DEAR READER: Thanks for the good advice and for being a longtime reader. If possible, ask a neighbor or friend to drive by your home while you are gone and pick up any papers or fliers that are in the driveway. A few days of piled-up newspapers in a driveway is a clear indication to burglars that no one is home.
DEAR HELOISE: I read (and love) your column in our paper and am responding to the hint about keeping a bottle of water handy for rinsing the liquid-detergent bottle cap. My hint is to rinse the bottle cap in the water that is filling the washing machine. No extra water needed!
-- Irene in Lansing, Ill.
DEAR READER: Here is another hint I use: Just toss the cap (it's plastic) into the washer along with the laundry.
DEAR HELOISE: Many people use shredders at home to safely get rid of personal information. My attempts at using this material as mulch have not been very successful. Do you have hints for recycling this paper so it does not go into landfills?
-- Robert S., via email
DEAR READER: Sure do, and thank you for asking:
• As packing material when sending packages.
• In a cat-litter box (especially after a cat has had surgery or been declawed).
• Before mulching an area, layer with shredded paper and then wet thoroughly.
• Recycle shredded materials in the paper recycling bin along with newspapers.
DEAR HELOISE: My screen door leads to the patio and is opened and closed frequently. Sometimes I leave it open, but when I close it, because the screen is so fine, I run into it. I'm concerned this will loosen the screen from the frame. I put a 2-inch piece of tape, eye level, on the screen. Now no more worry about hurting the screen door.
-- Dorothy B.,
Paso Robles, Calif.
DEAR READER: Ouch! That can hurt you, too! I've used a pretty butterfly decal as a warning sign on our screen door.
DEAR HELOISE: I learned this hint about tying shoes from my neighbor: When you make the bow, just loop the second "rabbit ear" under twice, and the shoe will stay tied until you pull the ends to untie them. Your column I read today reminded me to share the simple things that make life easier.
-- Jo-Ann F. 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
Style on 05/26/2015