Too many labels
Dear Readers: Here is this week’s SOUND OFF, about charitable contributions:
“Whenever I make a contribution to a charitable cause, I get a thank-you letter, plus a bunch of return-address labels. I now have enough labels to last me a lifetime. I don’t use many, as I only send cards to my children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. These companies are wasting money by sending these out. With computers and other sources, people don’t have use for all of these labels anymore. — Jane in Cabot, Ark.”
I’m with you, Jane! Yes, it’s a nice gesture, but they need to get up to date. How many of those can one person use? — Heloise
SEND A GREAT HINT TO:
Heloise
P.O. Box 795000
San Antonio, TX 78279-5000
Fax: 1-210-HELOISE
Email: Heloise@Heloise.com
FAST FACTS
Dear Readers: Here are other uses for old neckties:
n Hang and store hair clips or bobby pins on one.
n Store earrings on one.
n Cut down, restitch and use for a child.
n Wear as a colorful belt or sash.
n Use to tie plants with.
— Heloise
BAD SMELL
Dear Heloise: Due to weather, houseguests smoked inside the house, and the smell from that really got to me. Knowing the various things that baking soda can do, I poured it into three or four aluminum pie plates and spread them around the house. Voila! In a couple of days, the cigarette smell was gone. — Len in Gerrardstown, W.Va.
Len, you are right — baking soda does absorb bad odors and does so many other handy hints around the house! If you want to know all the things I use baking soda for, order my pamphlet Heloise’s Baking Soda Hints and Recipes. To receive one, send $5 and a long, self-addressed, stamped (70 cents) envelope to: Heloise/Baking Soda, P.O. Box 795001, San Antonio, TX 78279-5001. Baking soda also can be used to scrub the sink and even the bathtub! When wet, it won’t scratch, but it helps remove grime and gunk buildup. — Heloise
LOOSE TEA LEAVES
Dear Heloise: I enjoy loose tea but didn’t like the tea leaves at the bottom of my mug. I started putting a coffee filter into my mug before I add the loose tea and boiling water. When my tea is brewed, I simply remove the filter, and all of the tea leaves come with it. Easy cleanup! — Christine in Punxsutawney, Pa.
Another option is to put loose tea leaves in a teapot, stir and let steep for five minutes or so, then pour the tea into a cup or mug. — Heloise
REUSING GIFT WRAP
Dear Heloise: You offered a lot of good ideas in your column about reusing holiday gift wrap. It reminded me that when I was pregnant with my first child, someone at the baby shower suggested saving the gift wrap to line the drawers of the baby’s furniture. I still have that furniture 32 years later, and I smile whenever I open one of those drawers and see that gift wrap. — Debra G., Fairfax Station, Va.