Dear Heloise: Recently, someone else wrote to you regarding cemetery thefts, and they mentioned that the cemeteries used stainless steel vases. This thievery is so sad; people are so disrespectful and greedy. This letter was in the Orange County Register sometime in February 2025. Thank you for opening our eyes to this.

— N.K., via email

N.K., actually, they were brass vases that could be detached from the grave marker. It’s unfortunate that we’ve lost respect for the property of others.

— Heloise

UNSUBSCRIBING TO EMAILS

Dear Heloise: Recently, a reader complained about the nuisance steps of unsubscribing. I have a couple of emails that I’ve chosen to unsubscribe from, and they keep coming. Can something else be done?

— Donna B., via email

Donna, you will have to check with your carrier to see what they recommend. It seems each one has a slightly different way of blocking unwanted emails. However, you can keep sending unwanted mail to spam, and many will not come back to haunt you again in the future.

— Heloise

INTERIOR DECOR TRENDS

Dear Heloise: There was recently an article in our local paper detailing recent trends in housing decor, including the color of flooring. It said dark wood-grain flooring is very popular now. My husband and I purchased a house several years ago that has very dark brown wood-grain flooring in most of the house. My advice to others is to never purchase this color of flooring.

Everything shows up very clearly on it, including dust, little pieces of paper, cast-off skin cells, dandruff, etc. We don’t expect to live in this area for a long time, so we haven’t wanted to go to the expense of replacing it. But I do envy friends and neighbors who have other floor colors in their house. (A vacuum wouldn’t work well in our house, and I wouldn’t want one going all the time anyway.)

— Peggy, via email

Peggy, dark floors might be all the rage now, but we all know that in a year, it will be something new. By going against the grain of what others are doing to their homes, yours will stand out because it’s a true reflection of yourself.

— Heloise

USE IT UP, WEAR IT OUT

Dear Heloise: Thank you to your reader who suggested bottle caps for lotion bottles when the pump stops working. I took it up a notch — I tried a condiment cap that squirts! It works great and doesn’t have to sit upside down. Take that, manufacturers! I can now get all the lotion.

— Beverly, in Spokane, Washington

Beverly, I believe in the old “use it up and wear it out” philosophy, so it annoys me, too, when I can’t get all the lotion out of a bottle. And here’s a hint for you: I add a little water to shampoo and conditioner. My hairdresser suggested this hint because salons do it all the time. It sure stretches out the number of shampoos I get from one bottle.

— Heloise

Send a great hint to Heloise@Heloise.com.