HELPFUL HINTS

DEAR HELOISE: I have a suggestion for storing a wedding gown: Have it put in a shadow box. My cousin did mine, and it’s on display.

— Sue G., Harrison

DEAR READERS: Today’s Sound Off is about the use of Ms. in place of Miss or Mrs.:

DEAR HELOISE: One thing that irks me is that many pieces of mail are addressed to “Ms.” instead of “Mrs.” They don’t know me. I could be “Miss,” “Mrs.” or “Mr.,” but not “Ms.” When they came out with “Ms.,” it was for divorced women, and I have never been divorced. It may seem trivial to some, but I don’t like it.

— Shirley W., Maine The title of Ms. is out of respect and politeness. The titles Mrs., Miss and even Ms. were derived from the word mistress, which for centuries applied to all adult women, married or not. Until the 19th century, most women lacked a prefix before their names. They were often addressed as “so-and-so’s wife,” or simply by their name. Having a title indicated a higher social standing. While Ms. is more commonly used today for women whose status is not known, it never indicated a divorced woman, but rather all women.

DEAR READERS: Most households have cotton swabs, so here are a few uses:

Use them to clean a computer keyboard.

Wet one end and use it to seal envelopes.

Got furniture with fancy carvings? Use furniture polish sprayed on the cotton to clean and shine the fancy wood.

Keep handy to wipe away smeared mascara or nail polish around the nails.

DEAR HELOISE: When our three daughters had their bridal showers, my mother, my sister and I bought a gift certificate to have their dresses dry-cleaned and preserved as our gift. We researched and found a reputable dry cleaner who did this kind of work.

Each daughter was delighted to receive such a lasting gift. It can be expensive to preserve a gown, so it’s nice to include several people in the gift, if need be.

— Connie F., Summerfield, Fla.

DEAR HELOISE: I went to an estate sale and bought five old metal forks for $1. I use them to uproot weeds. It’s one of the most useful and inexpensive tools in my garden.

— Tina P., Shawnee, Okla.