Limit plastic use in your home

DEAR HELOISE » I want to lend a high five to all of your supporters on suggestions about cutting down plastic use.

Many years ago, I made a resolution to cut down on the amount of plastics that my household consumes. First, I started using reusable grocery/produce bags, and then this year, I began reusing other plastics I can't recycle. I buy toilet paper and paper towels in volume, so I gently open the bags that they come in.

I then use those bags to hold all of the clean wrap that comes with other products. This includes wrappers on toilet paper and paper towels, produce, newspapers covers and other plastic film wrappings that come with packages. You'd be amazed how much this is after some time. I then take the bag to my grocery store and put it in their bin to be recycled.

I also reuse all of the garden bags of fertilizer, soil and mulch. In the spring, I fold these bags up when establishing my gardens and then use them later in the year for weeds and leaves. I enjoy your column.

— Carrie, Seguin, Texas

DEAR HELOISE » I like a lot of light in my home environment. Unfortunately, my small bathroom window does not allow much light to enter. To solve the problem, I moved the window curtain up to hang above the window frame so that the bottom of the curtain covers the top of the window. This increased both the light and gave the perception of a larger window!

— Dale, Dayton, Ohio

DEAR READERS » Household vinegar is a great, nontoxic way to clean around your home, and it is also good for cleaning dirty windows.

To clean your windows, spray full-strength white vinegar onto the glass and let it sit for a bit. Then, use a plastic scrubber to remove the dirt and grime.

I have put together a six-page pamphlet called “Heloise's Fantabulous Vinegar Hints and More!” that holds many handy hints on how to inexpensively clean with vinegar. To order a copy, go to Heloise.com

or send $5 and a long, self-addressed, stamped envelope to: Heloise/Vinegar, P.O. Box 795001, San Antonio, TX, 78279-5001.

DEAR HELOISE » My dishwasher air valve started puking water, signifying that my effluent plumbing was backed up. I dismantled the pipes and found that a gummy, plastic-type goo had formed inside the pipe. I managed to extract the stuff and saw that it was the gel pack that dishwasher soap comes in. The gel melts in the hot water of the dishwasher, but as the effluent water cools in the waste pipe, the gel returns to a solid form and blocks the pipe.

You might want to caution your readers about using any form of gel, whether it be in packet form or liquid form, since I am sure that others have suffered the same outcome in their pipes as I did.

— Patrick Barry, Laguna

Hills

Write to Heloise at P.O. Box 795001, San Antonio, TX 78279-5000; Fax 210-HELOISE; or email Heloise@Heloise.com. " "