Helpful Hints

DEAR READERS: What would happen if you were injured or otherwise unable to come home? What would happen to your pets? There are business-size emergency-information cards you can buy, but why not make your own?

Include such info as "Pet(s) (name and species) is/are home alone. Please contact Jane D. (someone you have asked) to go check on my home and animals." Have a backup person and, of course, contact numbers. Give one to every family member.

DEAR HELOISE: My grandson got married last June, and I gave him a box of baking soda, your baking-soda pamphlet and two bottles of vinegar -- white and apple cider -- plus his wedding gift.

He loved this more than money! They both use them all the time.

-- Doris R., Warren, Ohio

DEAR READER: I'm thrilled to hear that they liked your gift, and use vinegar and baking soda around the house. This will be a gift they use the rest of their lives.

DEAR HELOISE: Here are some hints about manicuring:

• The cotton in pill bottles makes great remover pads for polish.

• Paint your nails even when they are too long. If you get chips on the end, you can shorten them. What is left is a perfect manicure.

• Go to the bathroom before you begin your manicure.

-- A Reader in Dallas

DEAR HELOISE: I have two places in my studio apartment that are devoted to food: my table and my kitchen counter. Unfortunately, I drip-drop little food remnants on the tile floor. Cleaning these spots can be very tough. I found the answer.

I cut a rubber yoga mat into two pieces. I put one under the counter and the other under my table. All I do is take the mats outside and hose them off.

-- A Bachelor (David) in Hawaii

DEAR READER: Pretty inventive and simple. Yes, preventive is much better than curative. If you want to get a little upscale, look for a rubber doormat or bathmat to add a little color to your decor. Still hoseable, too.

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

HomeStyle on 04/23/2016

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