DEAR HELOISE: I love your hint for rolling clothes to fit more into a suitcase. Here is my travel hint: When traveling to a destination, I do not roll my clothes; I fold them as usual. When I am traveling home, I then roll the clothes and magically have a lot of extra room in my suitcase.
I don't overpack on the way out, and the important reason to my children is that when coming home, I can pack souvenirs in my suitcase. This way, I don't have to carry another bag home just for souvenirs.
-- Madison O., via email
DEAR READER: Love it, and I'm sure your children do, too. It is amazing how the suitcase seems to grow on the way home. It all fit a few days ago, and I have not even bought anything.
DEAR HELOISE: Whenever I receive a package or buy something, I save the packing foam. I break it up into small pieces and use it in the bottom of potted plants. It helps the water drain easier, I don't have to find or buy rocks to put at the bottom, and I am recycling.
-- Glen B. in Massachusetts
DEAR HELOISE: I got white candle wax on my new black jacket. What is the easiest and safest way to remove the wax? Oh, I wash this at home -- it's not dry-clean-only material.
-- Claire I., via email
DEAR READER: Gently scrape or flick off the wax with a plastic credit card or your fingernail. Then use paper towels and place them on each side of the garment, covering the stain. Turn your iron on a low to medium setting, then press a few seconds. Check the paper towels to see if the wax is coming up. Move the paper towels as needed to see that the wax is being transferred to the paper towel.
If any stain remains, you can try to treat the area with a mixture of 1 tablespoon of mild, white, hand dishwashing liquid and 1 teaspoon of ammonia added to 1 cup of water. Use this on washable fabrics only. Dab from the back side of the jacket to push the stain through to the paper toweling you have placed down under the stain. Do this several times, then wash as directed on the care label. Got candle wax on a tablecloth? Use the same method.
DEAR HELOISE: Whenever I need to mash a banana for a recipe, I have a trick to make it easier: I squeeze it in my hand, then peel. The banana is already soft and ready to mash.
-- Lee T. 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
MovieStyle on 09/04/2015