HELPFUL HINTS

DEAR READERS: Here’s an easy way to melt semi-sweet chocolate chips, to use as frosting for a cake or as decorations on cookies.

Keep the chips in the bag they come in, place the bag into a bowl of hot water and knead until the chips are melted. Then, just cut a small hole across one corner of the bag and drizzle the chocolate right from the bag onto the cookies or cake. No mess to clean up.

DEAR HELOISE: I’m an 81-year-old man who reads your column daily. My wife and I have been married for over 61 years. We have Caller ID on our phone, and if we don’t recognize the name or number, we let the call go to voicemail. If we get a message that we need to respond to, we respond. We don’t have to worry about scams this way.

It seems to me that a lot of older people could avoid problems with scamming by doing the same thing. We also have cellphones where we can be reached by family and friends.

— Bill in Arkansas

DEAR HELOISE: I’m losing my vision and cannot tell the difference between shampoo and conditioner when I rinse in the shower. So I put a large rubber band, like the ones that come on vegetables, around the shampoo bottle; now I don’t accidentally use the wrong one.

I also have arthritis and had trouble opening bottles and jars. I found that a metal nutcracker works great to open small bottle tops. A plumber’s wrench that has a hard handle with an adjustable rubber strap is perfect for opening large jar lids.

— Jill T., Vancouver, Wash.

DEAR HELOISE: People who wear diamond rings should be aware of the damage they can cause while doing household chores. When cleaning any type of glass or mirror, care should be taken to not scratch the surface. The same holds true for filters in dryers. New filters are expensive, so people wearing rings should be careful when removing lint. — P.A. Almquist, Marshall, Texas

DEAR READER: You’re right. It’s a good idea to remove your diamond rings and any other jewelry when you are cleaning or doing other household tasks — indoor and outdoors.