LCD or LED?
Dear Heloise: Our children are going to buy us a large-screen TV, but I don’t know the difference between LCD and LED. Is there much? — Arnie K., Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Yes, there is, and you’ll love high-definition, or HD, televisions. Oh my, is the picture amazing. You will see every hair on a cat’s whiskers!
LCD, liquid-crystal display, uses fluorescent tubes to illuminate a nice, clear picture.
LED, light-emitting diode, replaces the fluorescent tubes with backlighting technology. This image is even sharper! The screen itself is very, very thin.
This type is different and usually hangs on a wall or sits on a special stand. — Heloise
P.S.: LED costs a lot more than LCD, but they both provide stunning pictures.
DIRTY CLOTHES
Dear Heloise: When my husband and I travel, I take two inexpensive, medium-size cloth or mesh dirty-clothes bags. One is colored, and the other is white. After the clothes are dirty, they are put in the appropriate bag. When we arrive home, they are sorted and ready for the laundry. — Tip From an Arkie, via email
Howdy, Arkie, I gather you are from Arkansas! Say hello to my friends in Little Rock — it’s been a while since I’ve been there. Invite me back! Good hint, and thanks for sharing. — Heloise
HALLOWEEN TRICK
Dear Heloise: I have a full-length screen storm door with a glass insert for winter, which is very common here in New York.
At Halloween, I pull out the screen so the trick-or-treaters don’t have to shuffle around at the top of my stoop. Some are actually startled when I hand the treat right through the door. — NYC Trickster, via email
NEWSPAPER BAGS
Dear Heloise: When I read about uses for plastic newspaper sleeves in your columns, I wonder if anyone knows that many carriers would love to get them back. They can recycle and reuse — they have to pay for them. Come on, folks, check with your carriers instead of trying to devise all these ways of using them up. I bag mine in a Sunday big one, and when full, I put it out where the carrier will see it. That is, if you have communicated with the carrier and he or she wants them. — G.R., via email
Very nice thought, and do check with the carrier. Some do pay for the bags and rubber bands, or the paper may provide them. The very thin plastic sleeves can cost as little as a penny per, or less, depending on the amount bought.
The only drawback is that if the bag has a hole or tear, it cannot be used. — Heloise
OLD TOMATO CAGES
Dear Heloise: I have a lot of broken and bent tomato cages. I save them to lie atop newly planted soil. This discourages cats and other animals from digging up their “bathroom” and disturbing the seeds. Once the plants emerge and grow a little, I remove the cages. — Jacqueline D., via email
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.