Easily clean your lamp shades

DEAR READERS >>

Are your lampshades dusty? If so, you should wipe and clean them often to remove the dust or debris. Dust them gently with a new, soft paintbrush or a clean, soft cloth. And dust the light bulb, too. You will see much more light!

DEAR HELOISE >> I think what people are nostalgic for when hanging out their laundry to dry is the fresh smell of the air, not actually having clean clothes. In my neighborhood, clothes that were hung outside would get dirtier, when before they were washed after 15 minutes.

— Lynne P. Doti, Ph.D.

DEAR READERS >> To keep the door hinges of your vehicle from squeaking, lubricate them with petroleum jelly. And for door locks that seem to stick, apply some graphite lubricant on the lock before calling in a lockrepair service. That just might clean up the problem.

DEAR HELOISE >> I love to bake, but I hate it when my baking soda or baking powder clumps up into hard balls. I finally took a neighbor's advice to stir them into the sugar before adding either one. Apparently, the gritty texture of the sugar breaks down the lumps much easier than the flour.

— J.W., in Illinois

DEAR READERS >> If your plastic shower curtain gets wrinkled, toss it into the dryer with some towels for several minutes. Remove it from the dryer right away and hang it up ASAP. You can keep it soft and flexible by adding a few drops of mineral oil to the rinse water.

DEAR HELOISE >> I have a nasty habit of drowning my plants with too much water. I recently received a beautiful arrangement of succulents in a lovely, large bowl as a birthday gift, but I don't want to kill them. So I asked a nursery about watering them, and they suggested I use a turkey baster and add only a few drops of water per plant (about 3 to 4 drops) about once a week.

They recommended I make Friday after work my watering day so that I can keep up a schedule.

— F.P., in Michigan

DEAR HELOISE >> This is 2-year-old Chanel, our recent “foster failure.”

As a volunteer for a local Humane Society, we agreed to foster her during the COVID-19 pandemic. Within a week, we knew that we would have to adopt her! She is really sweet and loves to snooze on top of the recliner.

She also has a “brother” named Jazz, our 10-year-old Maine Coon mix. He is a rescue as well; we've had him for five years. He also loves snoozing on the top of our couch when he's not busy chasing Chanel around the house.

DEAR READERS >> To see Chanel and our other Pet Pals, go to Heloise.com and click on “Pet of the Week.”

Do you have a furry friend to share with our readers? Send a photo and a brief description to Heloise@Heloise.com.