DEAR HELOISE: Take an old, washed jelly jar, poke holes in the lid and put several tablespoons of vinegar in it. Set it on the counter, and it will soon fill up with those tiny gnats or "no-see-ums" that plague a lot of us in the kitchen, especially during hot weather!
-- Lia D., West Fork
DEAR READERS: Composting was a topic in a previous column. During research, the question arose about adding old cotton T-shirts and other materials.
Here is what Heloise Central found: You can toss them into the compost pile if you want to. Only natural fibers -- cotton, silk or the like -- are OK. Do cut or tear up the material so it will break down faster.
DEAR HELOISE: I have a concrete birdbath that is too heavy to empty for cleaning. I solved that problem by using my leaf blower on "high" to just blow the water out. It worked very well.
-- Renate S., Warren, Ohio
DEAR READER: Renate, good idea, and a little fun, too. Once the water is all out, give it a quick cleaning so that yucky slime does not build up.
A safe, effective and nontoxic cleaner? Good old baking soda. Sprinkle a few handfuls in the bowl and add a little water to make a paste. Scrub with a stiff brush, and rinse well with the garden hose. Change out the water a couple of times per week; scrub once a month.
Baking soda is one of my favorite helpers around the house. Two tablespoons of baking soda and 1 cup of water in the microwave for two to three minutes on high will loosen food particles and greasy grime.
DEAR HELOISE: Our road is a busy two-lane one, and a lot of bicyclers use it. Today I saw a rider with a helmet and gloves on, but she was riding facing oncoming traffic when she should have been riding with the flow.
Also, she sort of came to a "rolling stop" at the red light, looked both ways but then just pedaled through. Wrong again. Please follow traffic laws, riders.
-- Elizabeth M., via email
DEAR READERS: Here's a cute idea to refresh a fabric lampshade: paint it. Use a much-diluted solution of paint to water, about 10 parts water to 1 part paint. Put in a spray bottle and spray away. Let dry between coats.
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 09/03/2015