Taking a family trip?
Dear Readers: If you are traveling to visit family or friends, be aware of and follow COVID-19 protocols for your family’s safety. This might be the first time many of you have traveled since the pandemic began, so you might have to get back in the groove of traveling and staying together.
When you leave the hotel or motel to begin your day, use your cellphone to snap a picture of all family members and send it to each family member’s cellphone. If someone becomes separated or lost, the picture can be shown to guards or police, if necessary.
You can have everyone wear the same color T-shirt or baseball cap, so it will be easy to spot a family member who has wandered off. — Heloise
Run out of silver polish?
Dear Readers: If you are getting ready for a big family event and realized you don’t have any silver polish to clean your silverware or silver-plated items, here are two homestyle solutions that will work in a pinch. Give them a try.
1. If the silver is not badly tarnished, just wash it by squirting a good dishwashing liquid onto a sponge and then rubbing. Do not use any abrasive product. Rinse thoroughly under warm water and shine with a soft microfiber cloth.
2. To quick-clean large pieces (but NEVER on thin silver plate or antique pieces), lay a piece of aluminum foil on the bottom of the kitchen sink or a glass baking dish. Place the silver- ware on top and cover with very hot water and a couple teaspoons of baking soda. Let sit for several minutes. Rinse under warm water with a sponge and polish with a soft cloth. — Heloise
Walking your dog during winter
Dear Readers: As you know, many sidewalks and roads might be covered with salt or chemical deicers that could hurt or create cracks in your dog’s paws. Try to avoid slippery spots, and when you get home, do the following right away: Wipe off your dog’s paws to remove everything it might have walked through. And wet a microfiber cloth with warm water and wipe its fur clean, too. — Heloise
Removing window decals
Dear Readers: Often, we need to put a decal on our car windows for parking or school. But when the time comes to remove them, it can be tough. Here’s how to get them off.
Apply a couple coats of household vinegar or a petroleum prewash spray over the decal. Allow this to sit for several minutes. It should be loosened. Then use a scraper to get it all off. —
Pet pal
Dear Heloise: This is Atom, our cat, and his brother Ripley, our tree- ing walker coonhound. — Alan Almanzar
Readers, to see Atom and Ripley, go to www.heloise. com and click on “Pet of the Week.” — Heloise
Send a money-saving or timesaving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795001, San Antonio, TX 78279-5001, 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.