HINTS FROM HELOISE
DEAR
HELOISE:
If you have company over and need to cool some beverages in a hurry, here is a quick way to do so, and it’s so easy:
Just wet a paper towel, then wrap it around a bottle and place it in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes. When you take it out, the beverage will be cold!
—Robin R., Rapid City, South Dakota
DEAR HELOISE: My husband’s feet perspire, and it causes his shoes to take on a very unpleasant odor. I’ve purchased various powders and sprays, but they only mask the problem. Do you have a hint for this problem?
—Rita L., Glendale, Arizona
RITA, WELCOME TO THE club! My husband had the same problem until I started using tea bags. Get the cheapest brand you can find and place two unused tea bags in each shoe. While you don’t have to slip the shoes into a plastic grocery bag, I usually do because it just seems to speed things up. Twenty-four hours later, the shoes should be odor-free.
—Heloise
DEAR HELOISE: I am 90 years old and grateful for your hint column. My hairdresser gave me this hint: I had ink on my lightly colored slacks, and she said that hairspray would take the stain off. And it did!
Hairspray also takes off blood stains after the item gets sprayed and washed.
—L.H., in Indiana DEAR HELOISE: I know you have a formula for smelly, clogged drains, but I’ve forgotten what it is. Would you reprint it for me and others who have the same drain problem I have?
—Janice P., Greenville, North Carolina JANICE, TAKE 1 TABLESPOON of salt and 2 tablespoons of baking soda. Pour these down your sink drain. Let it sit overnight, and in the morning, run hot water at full blast from your faucet down the drain. This should help with the clogging.
To eliminate odors, pour 2 handfuls of baking soda down the drain and let it sit for 15 minutes. Follow with about 2 cups of white vinegar. It will fizz and foam up (children love this part), and it will help with any unwanted odors.
P.S. Never—and I mean never—pour grease down your drain, not even with hot water running. Use another container such as an empty can or bottle and take it out to the trash.
—Heloise DEAR HELOISE: I had more power cords than I’d like to mention around this house in nearly every drawer. It was messy and maddening! Finally, I came up with a solution:
I started to save all the toilet paper rolls and waited until I had about two dozen. I gave my grandkids felt pens, colored pencils, and toilet paper rolls, and I told them to draw on the rolls and make them look pretty. They loved it!
When they were done, I started to carefully wrap the cords around my hand, then placed one cord in each toilet paper roll. Then I placed each roll with a cord in the kitchen drawer with the ends up. As a result, I had spent a nice afternoon with my grandkids and cleared up our messy cord problem.
—Irene C., Purcell, Oklahoma
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