Eliminate air pollution in your home

As we know all too well, the air in our homes can get polluted from mold, mildew, dust, bacteria, cooking fumes, animal dander and insects. Take these three steps to help limit or eliminate indoor air pollution:

1. Control the humidity level in your house by keeping it between 30 and 50 percent. Dampness is a breeding ground for bacteria, mold, mildew and bugs, so try to keep everything as dry as possible. Ventilate the attic and crawl space.

2. Clean and dust your home often to get rid of animal dander, pollen and dust mites. Vacuum carpet and drapes frequently.

3. Every year have a professional check the air conditioning and heating systems to make certain they are in great working condition.

DEAR READERS: When you garden, you use lots of tools! Use this idea to contain all of them, rather than leaving them strewn around the garage or outside, where they can be a danger. Get a couple of large plastic garbage cans on wheels. Then put the long-handed tools inside and place S-hooks on the top edge of the garbage cans to store smaller tools. When you are ready to do your gardening work outside, just wheel the can with you. And, when done, put the tools back inside.

DEAR HELOISE: When you go hiking during the summer, your boots get lots of use and get dirty. If they are dirty or wet and muddy, they need to be cleaned. Take these steps to clean them:

■ If the boots are muddy and wet, let them dry completely.

■ To remove all the dried mud from the boots, use a dry, softbristled brush to brush it off. Then scrub the seams and hidden areas. Wipe off with water.

■ Air out the inside of the boots and use several used fabric softener sheets inside to help deodorize.

■ If the outside is leather, after cleaning, apply a leather conditioner.

DEAR READERS: If the awful odor of a skunk has gotten inside your vehicle, open all the doors and windows ASAP. This should help to lessen the smell. If this is not enough, here are other hints to remove it inside and outside of your car:

Spray an odor neutralizer on fabric upholstery. Scrub the carpet or rubber mats with hot, soapy water. To remove the odor on the outside of the car, take it to a carwash. Then mix hydrogen peroxide and water together and pour into a spray bottle. Spritz the tires or underside of the car. Wipe up drips of the peroxide mixture right away because it can bleach some surfaces.

▶ To share a hint, write to P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, TX 78279-5000.