DEAR HELOISE : I know you’re a big fan of vinegar, but is it safe to clean my toilet? I have a septic system.
— Glenna in Indiana
DEAR READER : Absolutely! Vinegar is safe and milder than caustic cleaners designed for the toilet, and those commercial cleaning agents can eat away the good bacteria in your septic system.
To safely and inexpensively clean your toilet bowls, pour a generous glug of vinegar, followed by a heavy sprinkling of baking soda, into the bowl. While the mixture is bubbling up, scrub the bowl (get under the rim, too). Let it soak for 30 minutes and flush. That’s it - clean bowl. Just another reason to keep lots of vinegar at home for cleaning many, many surfaces! For really stubborn toilet bowl stains, use undiluted vinegar directly on the stain and scrub with a brush.
DEAR HELOISE : Each of my bathrooms has three wall switches; one for the lights, one for the exhaust fan and one for the heater.
To aid guests, I color coded two of the switches. Using a dab of nail polish on the switch handle, I marked the fan switch blue and the heater switch red. Now there’s no confusion.
— Tom C.,
Richardson, Texas
DEAR HELOISE : Here’s a hint for artists. For an easy palette cleanup, I use a medium-size, white plastic cutting board with a handle at one end as a paint palette.
I slide a gallon-size zipper-top bag over the cutting board and distribute the paints on the bag. When I take a break from painting, I cover the paints with a sheet of plastic wrap. This will keep the paints from drying out for a few hours, sometimes even a few days, until I can get back to that painting.
When I’m finished with that palette, I slide the plastic bag off into the trash. No more palette scraping!
— Bobbie M., via email
DEAR HELOISE : A used dryer sheet makes a good scrubber for the sink and countertops. It has a “nubby” texture that cleans well but doesn’t scratch.
— Helen in Georgia
DEAR READER : This is a great idea! Used dryer sheets have all kinds of uses: dusting electronics and your car’s interior, freshening musty smells in all kinds of places and removing pet hair from clothes and furniture. Use your imagination!
Send a money- or time-saving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795001, San Antonio, Texas 78279-5000; fax to (210) 435-6473; or email
Heloise@Heloise.com