Vinegar foils frost
Dear Heloise: I live in an apartment and park my car outside. Someone told me you had a hint using VINEGAR to help prevent frost on the windows. Sounds iffy? — Rex W., Fort Wayne, Ind.
Well, yes, there is an old hint using vinegar that my mother (the original Heloise, 1919-1977) printed decades ago. It’s all over the Internet, and I find it funny that I can’t find where this has been tested. Everyone just keeps printing and reprinting the same hint.
I’ll print the old information here, with a caveat: I have not been able to test this. I live in San Antonio, and we don’t get much freezing weather.
Window Vinegar Treatment
Use household vinegar (2/3 cup white or apple cider) mixed with water (1/3 cup), and wipe or spray on the windshield the night before it’s supposed to freeze. I’d try regular household 5 percent acetic-acid vinegar rather than diluting it, since it’s not that strong anyway. Let me know! — Heloise
WIRELESS DOORBELL
Dear Heloise: I read your column daily in The Columbian in Vancouver, Wash. After my surgery, my husband couldn’t hear me from the bedroom if he was in another part of the house. A wireless doorbell (less than $20) solved the problem.
We put the “button” on my nightstand and the bell portion, which plugs into an outlet, in our hallway. He was able to hear the bell from the other rooms of our home. — Marcia H., Vancouver, Wash.
DAILY PLANNER
Dear Heloise: As an active retiree living in Florida’s The Villages, keeping a daily planner can get very busy. To solve this problem, I enter medical appointments in red, golf tee times in green and other appointments in black. This saves lots of time and confusion. Thank you for always starting my day on a happy note. — Rose M., The Villages, Fla.
Rose, thank you for reading the column and contributing a helpful hint. I don’t know if your color-coding was on purpose, but I chuckled at the red for medical and green for golf! Hope you will come hear me April 17, when I do my presentation at The Villages, and on April 14 at Jennifer’s in Fort Myers for a meet and greet plus a book signing. — Hugs, Heloise
TURNING PAGES
Dear Heloise: I often see people licking their thumb and finger while flipping through a newspaper, magazine or book, and I can’t help but think how unsanitary and unpalatable it is.
I put a few ice cubes in a small glass of water and keep it close at hand. The “sweat” moistens my fingers and keeps the paper fresh and sanitary for the next person to enjoy. — Jane A., Beavercreek, Ohio
WRAPPING PAPER
Dear Heloise: After the holidays, I roll the remaining wrapping paper and insert it in the cardboard core. It’s a much easier and neater way to store, and keeps it looking new for next year. — Ruth R., 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(at)Heloise.com. I can’t answer your letter personally but will use the best hints received in my column.