Dear Heloise: When making money donations to groups, please be sure to include in big print not to sell your information to anyone in the group or organization.

I support three groups, and one sold my info. I now have 68 organizations requesting money, and I have to call each of them. Most have 800 numbers. I also send back forms with the phrase: “Please remove my address.” They are preprinted for up to four months in advance, so it’s a nightmare when I get my mail. Now no one gets anything!

— Tina, Spring Creek, Nevada

Tina, we get a large number of emails and letters from people who are fed up with organizations requesting donations. I know it’s hard to select only a few, but you might consider small charities where you live if you decide to make contributions again.

Personally, I take no solicitations by phone and none from overseas, nor do I contribute to people who knock on my door. I understand how frustrating it can get with so many people in need, but we have to draw a line in the sand.

— Heloise

Dear Heloise: Instead of using textured or rubber bathmats that become smelly and moldy (and have to be pried up from the shower floor when cleaning), I place a designated hand towel on the shower floor, spray it wet, then step into the shower. The nubby terry cloth prevents me from slipping.

After showering, I easily pick up the wet towel, wring it out, and place it on a towel bar to dry until I need it for my next shower. I wash this designated towel with my regular laundry load of towels.

This practice is particularly helpful and easy when staying at a hotel where no yucky or questionable bathmats are available. I read your column in the Clearfield Progress in Pennsylvania.

— Kathleen G., via email

Kathleen, this is a clever idea, but please remember that a towel can slip depending on how much you move around while showering. A rubber or plastic mat can and should be washed occasionally. Just toss it in with your items in the laundry, but don’t use bleach.

— Heloise

Dear Heloise: We have a large shredder at home. A great use of all the shredder paper is to place it in the large compost bin. I shred pretty much every piece of paper, including the brown craft paper that comes with shipments, junk mail, newspapers, etc. I’ve found that the worms make rich compost much quicker since I’ve started adding it.

As if making a lasagna, I layer the paper shreds, garden waste and kitchen scraps. This seems to work well, and I don’t need to stir the compost often. My garden has been producing so much better since I started this, and I don’t have to buy expensive compost.

— Robin W., via email

Robin, I’ve always been a huge advocate of composting to enrich the soil and help make a garden grow. I’ve used a shredder and found that those small pieces of paper can hold the moisture and help young roots establish themselves.

— Heloise

Send a great hint to Heloise@Heloise.com.