Candleholder gets hot too
Dear Heloise: I have BURNED CANDLES for years and never had a problem until last week.
I had a candle in a glass container and wanted to finish burning it. It was sitting on a lace runner. The candle burned out, scorched the runner and also the wood beneath the runner.
It was not unattended, but I wasn’t watching it at all times.
A warning to others: Even though it is in a glass container, if it burns out, the glass can become hot enough to do damage.
You probably should blow them out before they burn to the bottom of the glass.
Another hint is if you tie a raffia bow around a candleholder, be sure the bow is well below the burn line of the candle.
I had one tied too high, and it burned the raffia. I was close by and caught it immediately. — Joan, via email
Joan, you are lucky it did not do major damage. My friends at the National Candle Association (I spoke to them a few years back and learned a lot from them) say DO NOT burn candles all the way down.
When there is approximately 1/2 inch of candle wax left in a container, it should be extinguished and not lit again. Don’t take a chance! — Heloise
LAUNDRY HANGER
Dear Heloise: I installed a spring-tension shower rod lengthwise and above the shower head over my bathtub.
Now I hang my drip-dry and hand-wash laundry on it to dry without water dripping down the side of the tub and onto the floor. — Diane V., Columbus, Ohio
Smart indeed. Here’s what I do, especially when on the road and doing a little hand laundry: Place the items on a coat hanger, and hang that on the shower head or inside the shower curtain. No drip, no mess. — Heloise
CONDIMENT CUPS
Dear Heloise: When my family eats at our favorite burger joint, we get our own condiments.
The little white paper cups are sometimes too small for how much ketchup, mayo, etc., we use.
Another table with teens had unraveled the top of the cups to make them flat and had more dipping area. Smart, huh? — Jenna D. in Pennsylvania
SHOULDER BUMPS
Dear Heloise: I love reading your column in the Orange County (Calif.) Register.
I had hung a loose-weave sweater (I know — don’t hang sweaters, but this one is a mess if I put it in the drawer).
Of course, the sweater had the dreaded hanger bumps at the shoulder area (Heloise here: when removed from the hanger).
I tried using my hair blow-dryer to remove the bumps, and it worked better than the iron! — Katrina S., Dana Point, Calif.
COVER UP
Dear Heloise: I cover the wood handles and the rubber tires of my wheelbarrow with a large barbecue-grill vinyl cover.
This keeps the handles from rotting and the wheels from decaying due to the elements. — Leon B., Holiday Island, Ark.
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.