HELPFUL HINTS

DEAR HELOISE: Today’s paper had your column about what you should keep in your car. I agree with everything except an aerosol to fix tires! I live in Texas, and there have actually been towns here that have reached 120 degrees in the shade, and where it almost always gets above 100 in the summer. I had a

thermometer in my car, and sitting in the sun in the summer it reached 150 regularly!

Do not put any aerosols in your car! A good spare tire is a great choice, and there might be a battery powered pump device that can handle our temperatures, but I would advise looking at the label. Do not keep anything in your car that can’t handle at least 150 degrees! Thank you for your time!

— Tanda Rasco, via email DEAR HELOISE: I have some more hints for reusing newspaper sleeves.

■ They are great to put in your glove compartment or luggage to use as travel trash bags.

■ Place food scraps in the sleeve and keep in the freezer until garbage day.

■ Use a sleeve when you need to fish out something that fell into the garbage disposal.

■ You can also use them when you clean anything gross, like the underneath side of the disposal rubber gasket. When you’re done just pull them off inside out and toss.

— Linda Webb, Roland DEAR READERS: Gym bag smelly? If you put your sweaty exercise clothes in it, this will happen. After you have exercised and before you put your clothes inside, sprinkle baking soda over the bottom of the bag to help absorb the odors.

Baking soda also can be used for cleaning, deodorizing and cooking. FYI: Need to freshen your carpet? Sprinkle baking soda over it and leave on for 30 minutes, then vacuum.

DEAR HELOISE: I occasionally used to forget that I had set the automatic ice cube maker to “on” on our later model refrigerator. It wouldn’t be until much later that I’d remember. As you can imagine, there would be overflow ice cubes throughout the freezer. So now I attach a refrigerator magnet to the front of the appliance, when ice cubes are “in progress,” and this serves as a noticeable reminder. Of course, it’s just as easy to set the timer on the stovetop or microwave oven. — Diane, Woodland Hills, Calif.