Dear Heloise: My design professor in college often said that problems should be thought of as sources of creative ideas! His motto was: “Turn a defect into an effect!”

When I recently found bleach spots on a couple of my dark-colored tops, I diluted a little bleach (1:10 with water) and used a child’s watercolor brush to paint this solution on the fabric and make the offending spots into a decorative leaf shape. Or one could also use a cotton swab to “paint” with.

Just be sure to place something like a cookie sheet inside each garment first to to collect any drips and prevent from making more spots on the other side. Allow a few minutes for the bleach to react with the dye in the fabric. You can always apply more to lighten the design, if needed, or create shaded areas of color.

Submerge the garment in a sink full of water to stop the action of the bleach when your design looks right to your eye. I prefer simple leaf shapes, starbursts or flowers. Or I look in coloring books for other easy ideas. You might even win compliments on your creativity!

— Laura Allred, Retired Textile Designer, in Greensboro, North Carolina

EMERGENCY INFORMATION

Dear Heloise: To assist my family when I pass, I made a list of all my contacts, including friends, organizations, credit card companies, subscriptions, automatic payments, medical contacts, insurance contacts, licenses, library cards, etc. I included the account and contact number, plus the response rate. This list is on my computer and printed in a notebook, both of which I can grab if I have to flee from a fire or flood. It’s astounding how complex our lives have become.

— Nancy, in Houston

CURBING FOOD WASTE

Dear Heloise: I was dismayed to read recently that the United States discards nearly 60 million tons (120 billion pounds) of food each year, which is more than any other country. Since I have trouble reading expiration dates, I have adopted the practice of marking the expiration date (or “use by” date) with black marker on the label of the product as soon as I bring it home from the store. This way, I can easily rotate my food and use the oldest first.

Items I cannot use that haven’t yet expired get donated to my local food pantry. I also encourage people to familiarize themselves with the “best by” date versus the “use by” dates. Many canned items are good several years after the printed date on the can. (Google has an excellent source of this information by product.)

— Sam S., in St. Louis

GRAB BAR HINT

Dear Heloise: I have grab bars in my shower, and I learned you can wrap them with strips that are used to grip the shower floor. This will keep your hands from slipping, especially if they’re soapy.

— M.B., Temple, Texas

Send a money-saving or time-saving hint to Heloise@Heloise.com. I can’t answer your letter personally but will use the best hints received in my column.