How to conquer digital disorder
Dear Heloise: I have a ton of digital photos, but sorting through them has gotten so time-consuming. Any suggestions on how to make this task easier?— Irene, Allendale, N.J.
Irene, when you download the photos you want to keep, change the name to, “Mary & John,” for example, or whatever the photo pertains to, and then make new folders for the various groups. You could make a folder for “friends,” “family,” “pets,” etc., but also include the year. For example, “Fluffy-2017” or “Christmas-2016.”
Be sure to delete the photos that are unwanted or flawed, and you might consider storing some on a flash drive. This method is especially nice for vacation or holiday pictures.—Heloise
KEEP THE DATA Dear Heloise: When we bought our town house 45 years ago, I decided to keep accurate records for capital gains information when we sell. Please warn your readers that if they ever think they will have need of purchase data, copy the receipt while it’s new. That ink fades quickly.—Patty S., Irvine, Calif.
A DIRTY KEYBOARD Dear Heloise: I’m 68, but new to the world of computers. My keyboard is dirty, but I have no idea how to properly clean it. I know I can’t just run it under the faucet, but how do I get out the dirt and dust?—Douglas T., Bellevue, Wash.
Douglas, you’re right—you can’t run the keyboard under the faucet— it’s an easy task to get it clean. First, unplug the keyboard and gently shake it upside down over a wastebasket to get out dust and lint. Use the brush attachment on your vacuum to get more dirt off. Use a damp (NOT soaking wet) cloth to gently wipe down your keyboard. You might try a cup of water with a capful of vinegar to dampen the cloth. Don’t overwet.—Heloise
WATER REPELLENT Dear Heloise: Whenever I buy a new mattress, I always spray it with a water-repellent spray. Although I also use a mattress pad, this still protects the mattress from liquid spills and helps keep out dust.—Loretta L., Kingston, R.I.
FIND THE LEASH Dear Heloise: We could never find the dog’s leash when we wanted to take him for a walk, so we designated one drawer in the kitchen for his leash, a flashlight (for night walks) and a dog brush. My brother put a hook by his back door and always hangs the dog leash on the hook.—Marty N., Moline, Ill.