DEAR HELOISE: I recently attended a safety meeting and was shown photos of a lawn mower accident. A man was wearing steel-toe safety shoes, and he accidentally caught his foot in a running lawn mower. The shoe was cut in half, but the steel toe protected the foot.
Steel-toe safety shoes are available at discount stores. They are inexpensive and come in tennis-shoe and work-boot styles. Wear them when mowing, along with safety glasses (not sunglasses). Your body is too important to risk an injury.
-- Ralph O.,
Sugar Land, Texas
DEAR READER: Great hint! So many people mow the lawn wearing sandals, flip-flops or even barefoot, which is dangerous. Thanks for reminding everyone: safety first.
DEAR HELOISE: We live in Texas, and the temperatures are high in the summer.
The armrests on our patio furniture get so hot in the sun that you cannot put your arm on them.
I bought several pool noodles and cut them to fit the length of the armrests. I cut through one side of the noodle, opened it up and slipped it over the armrest. My husband used a clear fishing line and tied them to the rests. Now we can sit outside and enjoy our chairs.
-- Deborah D., Texas
DEAR HELOISE: I recently received a flower arrangement in a lovely, but heavy, glass vase. To keep them as long and as fresh as possible, I change the water daily and move it to a cool area of the house at night.
To keep from spilling water or dropping the entire arrangement, I carry it to the sink and take a 2-foot-or-so length of heavy yarn or string and tie it around the flower stems (do not tie the string too tight, as you do not want to cut the flower stems) just above the top of the vase. Then I take the flowers out of the vase, dump out the old water, relocate the vase, refill with water and place the flowers back in it.
-- Fran in Pennsylvania
DEAR HELOISE: I use interdental brushes to clean my kitchen and bath spray-cleaner nozzles. The small tree-shaped brushes (that are normally used to clean between the teeth) easily remove the buildup in the spray nozzle.
-- Joe P., 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 08/23/2016