HELPFUL HINTS

DEAR HELOISE: If you want to extend the life of your cellphone battery, try these hints:

Be sure to charge the battery fully before first use.

Turn your phone off if you won’t be using it for several hours. Sounds like a no-brainer, but many people forget.

Do not let the battery fully discharge before recharging. Lithium batteries can be damaged by letting the battery charge get too low. A lithium battery is designed to be charged often, and the battery life can be prolonged with frequent chargings.

Your battery will last longer if you keep it out of extreme heat, like a hot car or direct sunlight. If your battery gets extremely hot while charging, it might be malfunctioning.

Use only a charger rated for your battery.

— Ron L., Albany, N.Y.

DEAR HELOISE: My daughter flew to Canada with her boss and co-workers to a job site. Upon arriving in Canada, my daughter was informed that she could not enter the country for 10 years following a DWI.

Her offense was eight years ago. She was so embarrassed. She was put on a plane home. It was a hard lesson learned, but she will never again drive after having a drink.

— A Reader, Texas DEAR READER: This is a valuable piece of information, and I hope my readers will remember that a DWI stays on your record a very long time. The police are cracking down on drunken drivers, so please, don’t drink and drive.

DEAR HELOISE: Eggshells are a great fertilizer for the garden. Break them up into small pieces and mix into the dirt.

— Lucille M., Indiana DEAR READER: I like to put all my eggshells in a plastic bag, then crush them up and use in a compost pile, or loosely break them up and scatter on the lawn for the birds.

DEAR HELOISE: I hated using hair spray because it would get into my ears. Now, I’ve found that if I place the hair spray can’s cap over my ear while I spray my hair, I can keep my ears free of the hair spray.

— Nanette D., Michigan DEAR READER: That’s a good idea. Another reader once told me that she had a spatula just for the purpose of covering her ears when she uses hair spray.

Send a money- or time-saving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795001, San Antonio,Texas 78279-5000; fax to (210) 435-6473; or email