Dear Heloise: I’ve read many ideas for handling scam phone calls, but I have yet to see the one that has worked so well for me: If I receive a call from a number I don’t recognize, I pick up the phone, then hang up.

This serves two purposes: First, I don’t waste time talking, and second, I don’t waste time listening. My philosophy is that if it is a legitimate phone call, the person will call back. This has only happened two times in the past several months.

Keep up the good work! I enjoy your columns immensely.

— K.A., in Diamond Bar

AVOID SAVING MASCARA

Dear Heloise: I have worked for a cosmetics company for over 10 years and have taken a factory tour of our manufacturing facility. The staff who help manufacture and distribute our mascaras has highly cautioned us against saving mascaras. The inside of the typical tube is moist and dark, which makes it prone to fungus. They advised us not to save mascara and to never open the tube. You could get a nasty eye infection!

— Barbara Knapton, via email

REUSING SCATTER RUGS

Dear Heloise: Once a scatter rug has seen better days, I don’t throw it out. I’ve taken old ones (about 3 by 4 feet) and folded them in half once, then in half again, and used them as a kneeling pad while gardening. They are so soft on the knees and usually bigger than the foam kneeling pads sold at the garden centers.

— Michelle Balk, via email

TRASH HINT

Dear Heloise: I am a senior who lives alone and doesn’t generate enough food scraps to discard them often. Our city wants us to put these scraps in our green barrel, not in the regular trash. So, I keep a plastic bag in the freezer and keep my scraps frozen until I empty the bag once a week on trash day.

— Shirley, in Bakersfield

FOOD STORAGE

Dear Heloise: I like storing leftovers in glass containers rather than plastic. I have discovered that for small amounts of leftovers, the covers on the 11- to 12-ounce coffee cans snap on perfectly to my 6-ounce custard cups after the coffee has been used up. There are probably other grocery items that have lids of the same size that would work as well.

My cappuccino also has the same lid, so now I have a supply.

— L., in Florida

ARE YOU GOING TO A FOREIGN COUNTRY?

Dear Readers: If you are leaving the United States, be sure to scan a copy of your passport, itinerary, driver’s license and credit cards. Keep these on your computer and/or your phone, then email them to yourself. If you email them to yourself, you’ll be able to access them from anywhere.

However, before you leave the U.S., you should probably remove this information from your phone or computer in case it gets lost or stolen on a trip. If you have it in an email (and have a password-protected computer or phone), you should be OK.

— Heloise

Send a great hint to Heloise@Heloise.com.