HELPFUL HINTS

DEAR READERS: The clothes dryer is a modern convenience and time-saver. Here are some classic hints:

Select the heat setting carefully. Drying clothes for a longer period of time at a lower heat setting may be better for particular fabrics than higher temperatures for a shorter time period. Read and follow the clothing manufacturer’s recommendations for the garment.

Keep these garments out of the dryer: bras; anything embellished with sequins; swimsuits; hosiery; silk or wool clothing.

Don’t over-stuff the dryer. Clothes need to move about freely to get completely dry.

When transferring items from the washer to the dryer, shake out and loosen each item before tossing it into the dryer. The washer spins the clothes so fast that the clothes can get compressed.

There are dryer sheets available to cut static cling.

Empty and clean the lint filter regularly.

DEAR HELOISE: To move a coffee maker across the counter, I stick on four mini felt pads.

— A Reader, Springfield, Ill. DEAR READER: Great! Readers, have you looked at your kitchen counters lately? How do you like your kitchen to look? Do you like all your appliances out and easily accessible? Or do you like a clean and uncluttered look to your kitchen and to your counters?

Do you rearrange and change your kitchen to suit the season? Share your thoughts.

DEAR HELOISE: Big, fluffy bath towels are just not convenient for drying hair. What I did was buy a cheap bath towel for $3 or $4.

Cheap towels are smaller, thinner and perfect to wrap around wet hair, and they conveniently tuck in while you dry yourself off, put on facial products or whatever.

— Pam F., Florida

DEAR HELOISE: A friend of my granddaughter graduated college with a physicist degree. Back in high school, he was interested in oceanography.

I couldn’t find anything about these topics in my dictionary, so I called my best friend, the library. Yes, I love my county public library.

— A Reader, Ohio DEAR READER: Even with all the modern technology and the internet at our fingertips, it’s so nice to get personalized help from an actual person.