Helpful Hints

DEAR READERS: Phone scammers are still at it, with new pitches. We have five different phone lines in our home, both business and private numbers. They start calling on line 1, then roll through the other phone numbers. It's what I call "They are dialing for dollars." Don't get suckered in.

They sound legitimate; they sound official or sincere. If you don't know who they are, hang up. Oh, yes, don't fall for the "Send us a prepaid credit card for X amount of dollars and we'll share the big prize with you." Really? I send you $20 and you send me thousands?

With the aging population, elders who live alone are prime targets. If you get a call, report the scam to the Federal Trade Commission at (877) 382-4357.

DEAR HELOISE: Regarding broken glass on the floor, a carpet installer told me this hint years ago: Pick up all easily visible pieces. Then turn off the light. Using a flashlight, scan the floor all over, and you'll be surprised at how many bits were not easily seen. Then use a damp paper towel or a strip of tape to pick them up.

--A Reader, Erie, Pa.

DEAR HELOISE: One of my lighted ceiling fans had been "buzzing" or rattling softly. It did not look out of balance, but was annoying. Today, a bulb burned out, and I found that there was a dried-out, hardened, wide rubber band around the glass shade, which was held in with three screws. The glass shade was loose.

I put on a new rubber band (one of those found on bunches of fresh broccoli), tightened the three screws, replaced the bulb, and there is no more buzzing. I think a previous homeowner had put the rubber band there. What a great hint he had to make a quiet fan.

-- Jo K., via email

DEAR READER: Jo, very smart indeed. We have a fan like yours, and it's a darn pain to keep the shade stable. I'm off to find rubber bands.

DEAR HELOISE: The lock broke on my hand pruners that I use for cutting flowers and herbs. It wasn't safe in the kitchen drawer. I cut 1/4 inch off the end of an old garden hose (it was just a stub left over) and slid it over the top, slender, pointed end of the closed pruners until snug.

When I use them, I remove the hose piece and immediately slip it over one of the handles until secure. The hose material is strong enough to last a long time.

-- Moesha F., Santa Ana, Calif.

DEAR HELOISE: Plastic touch bubble buttons on electronic appliances tend to wear out in just a couple of years. I ordered sticky 5-by-7-inch cellphone screen protectors and stuck them to the panels to cover the buttons. They won't wear out so fast this way (for example, on the range, microwave, washer and dryer, etc.).

-- D.H., via email

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 09/01/2015

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