Dear Heloise: I receive a big stack of notepads, 30-40 calendars, and stacks of greeting cards, including those that are blank inside to write notes. I take them to assisted living homes for their patients, as well as hospice organizations and domestic violence resale shops. I sort the cards depending on their greetings.
These people have restricted incomes and can’t afford to buy these items. If you want to donate money, a stamp on the envelopes is really appreciated.
— June F., in Arkansas
GLUE TRAPS
Dear Heloise: I love your column and really appreciate your advocacy for natural, nontoxic products, but I wish you wouldn’t suggest that people use glue or sticky traps. I think they are cruel, even for insects.
— A Reader, in Montana
Reader, I’ve never liked glue traps. Small pets, such as kittens, puppies and more, get stuck on them, too. Even if a mouse or rat is caught, you can often hear them crying for help, and I find it very distressing.
I don’t like glue traps, but when my neighbor had a problem with black widow spiders in her house, she used glue traps. With a 3-month-old baby at home, I can see her reason for using them.
— Heloise
BATHROOM CLEANING
Dear Heloise: My company does a lot of bath and kitchen remodeling, so I have some suggestions and answers to questions I get all the time from others:
To get rid of stuck-on decals, use hot vinegar. First, soak a sponge in the hot vinegar and press it against the decal. You may also need a plastic scraper to help work the decal lose. Get the vinegar behind the decal and keep working at it. This also works for price tags and those plastic stick-on-the-wall hooks that won’t come off.
If you have fixtures that have a coating of soap film that just doesn’t seem to come off, dip an old rag or a washcloth in hot vinegar and wrap it around the faucet and handles. Leave it on for about 3 minutes. Afterward, you can usually wipe away the soapy film.
Keep a spray bottle of bleach and water (about 50 / 50 of each) in your shower. After using the shower, spray the mixture on the glass shower door. If you have a squeegee (and the time), simply start at the top of the glass shower door, then scrape off the mixture with downward strokes.
Sprinkle a little baking soda on the bathtub walls and the bottom of the tub. Use a soft sponge in circular motions to clean the bathtub. It’s cheaper and safer than any other product on the market.
Occasionally, pour some bleach in your toilet and let the germ-killing bleach work for you. It also keeps your bowl white and stain-free.
— Kurt D., in San Francisco
HANGER HACK
Dear Heloise: I like to use plastic coated wire hangers for my casual knit shirts, but I had problems with shirts sliding off the hangers. So, I bent the top arms of the hangers down a little, about 3 inches from each end. This made the ends flatter, and now my shirts no longer fall off. A simple solution to a frequent aggravation!
— C.F., in Arkansas
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