Med bottles have other uses
Dear Readers: Recently, we asked you to send in your hints on all the ways you reuse those small, brown, plastic PRESCRIPTION BOTTLES. Here are some of the many ways you reuse and recycle these bottles:
n Rosanna D. in Kentucky wrote: “Use for travel storage of used diabetic fingerstick pins and test strips. Once home, seal the bottle for trash disposal.”
n Mary G., via email, said: “After collecting and drying seeds from my garden, I store them in empty prescription bottles. Just be sure the seeds are completely dry, or they will mildew.”
n Charlotte F., via email, said: “As a Cub Scout den leader, I taught my Scouts to use empty prescription bottles to keep matches dry. In a separate bottle, store tinder (cotton fibers and other dry plant material) for kindling fires (under strict supervision only, of course).”
n Marty B. in Arkansas wrote: “My hunting buddies and I use these bottles to store cotton balls saturated with deer scent. Take the lid off and place on the ground. When finished hunting, put the lid back on.”
— Heloise
SCREEN CLEANING
Dear Heloise: Do you have a hint on how to clean an LED screen? — Julie M., via email
Yes, and here is the Heloise information: Wipe the screen gently with a microfiber cloth. There are cleaners made specifically for these screens, but you do not want to use any harsh liquid cleaners. A little splash of tap water on the cloth will help if the screen is really dirty. — Heloise
BOXED BREAD
Dear Heloise: Our daughter and her family travel a lot with our grandson’s wakeboarding team.
She is like everyone else who hates to have their loaf of bread squashed, so by accident she found a way to keep it intact.
After emptying a 12-pack of canned drinks, she decided to try to see if her bread would fit at the end of the drink box, and it did! Now, wherever we go, we use this idea to keep our bread from getting mashed. — Mary S. in Louisiana
ATTRACTING TISSUE
Dear Heloise: If you put a microfiber cloth in your clothes dryer with every load, it will pick up tissues left in a pocket.
The microfiber cloth will come out of the dryer with the entire tissue on it. I keep a microfiber cloth on top of my dryer just for this purpose. It picks up threads as well. — A Reader, via email
PAINT PROTECTION
Dear Heloise: I save plastic bags and use them when spray painting. Just slip one over your hand before you spray, and you don’t have to worry about getting paint all over your hand. — Olive in New Mexico
Send a money-saving or timesaving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, TX 78279-5000, or you can fax it to 1-210-HELOISE or email it to Heloise@Heloise.com. I can’t answer your letter personally but will use the best hints received in my column.