Be aware, prepared for kitchen dangers in your home
DEAR READERS:
What’s the most dangerous room in your home? The kitchen! More accidents occur there than in the living room, bathroom or garage, which is not surprising, with hot stoves and food, kitchen knives, household cleaning chemicals, waxed floors and stepping stools.
This is a good time to take stock of the potential hazards of the most popular room in the house and see how you can safeguard against them, particularly if you have children.
Always store a first-aid kit in the kitchen and post a list of emergency numbers, including your local poison control center, where everyone can see and access them. — Heloise
JOB JAR DEAR READERS:
Try this idea to make sure all family members do their household chores, which may not be an easy task. Set up this Job Jar system. At the beginning of the day or week, fill a jar with slips of paper containing a chore that needs to be done in the house.
Every day at breakfast, family members draw a slip so each person knows what chore she or he has to complete that day or week. And you can text reminders on your cellphone! Also establish a Reward Jar to recognize jobs that are well done. — Heloise
MUSCLES ACHING AFTER YARD WORK?
DEAR READERS:
If you have worked hard in the garden or yard all day, and your muscles are feeling strained, try this Heloise Hint to help relax those tired arms and legs.
Take a warm shower, then stop up the drain and let the tub fill up. Add a couple drops of an essential oil like eucalyptus to the water and take deep breaths. Turn on your favorite music, too!
CREATING A PHOTO WALL
DEAR READERS:
If you have lots of old photos piled in boxes, why not take them out and display them to share family memories? You can display them chronologically or grouped by holiday or birthday events on a long empty wall. Here’s how to do it.
Decide on the history you want to share. Frame the photos and lay them on the floor to get an idea of how they will look before you hang them on the wall. After they are on the wall, secure an attractive long curtain rod above the photos. Attach ribbons to the rod and connect triangularly to the side of each photo. It will look like the ribbons are holding up the photos. — Heloise
CANDLE WAX ON THE CARPET? DEAR READERS:
If candle wax has dripped on the carpet, take these steps to safely remove it.
Place ice cubes in a metal pan. Put the pan directly on top of the wax and leave it on until the wax is frozen. With a small hammer, hit the wax to break it up. Pick up the pieces. Then apply a drycleaning solvent on a clean cloth to remove any leftover residue. — Heloise
OTHER USES FOR SPAGHETTI DEAR READERS:
If you have several pieces of leftover uncooked spaghetti, you can use them in handy ways around your home. It can serve as an emergency match for a candle or fireplace. Use one to test if a cake is done. Or, when you are frosting a multilayer cake, it can hold the layers in place. — Heloise
Send a money-saving or timesaving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, TX 78279-5000, or you can fax it to 1-210-HELOISE or email it to Heloise@Heloise.com. I can’t answer your letter personally but will use the best hints received in my column.