How to preserve your most treasured memories
Dear Heloise: With spring cleaning and quarantining encouraging organizing the home, there’s one area many haven’t thought about: How to preserve your most treasured memories for generations to come. From ticket stubs to letters, the items we care about will tell stories for the future and represent our personal history. The National WWI Museum and Memorial’s exhibit Why Keep That? explores the journey of a donated item to a museum, and the museum wants people to know how and what to keep when cleaning their homes so their keepsakes can continue telling stories in years to come.
The museum has shared six tips below for preserving your keepsakes at home to properly preserve history so your items can tell stories for the future.
1. Handle with clean hands. Wash and avoid lotion before handling objects.
2. Store objects where the temperature and humidity are stable — avoid attics and basements.
3. Store objects in a dark location.
4. Use acid-free storage materials.
5. Avoid the use of tape, staples and lamination.
6. Digitize what you can! — Bruce Miller, via email
Bruce, this is excellent information to help us save and preserve important family history. — Heloise
More ID Card Hints
Dear Heloise: I like the “name tag” idea from Julia N. I carry with me a card on which I’ve written, “In case of emergency please call …” It has phone numbers for my hubby, sons, and sister, my insurance info, prescription drugs I’m taking, and a drug allergy. I handwrite it on a 3 by 5 card or type on the computer, then put laminating sheets (easy peel-and-stick) on both sides, and trim it to the size of a credit card. It’s in my wallet next to my driver’s license or in my pocket when I’m out for a walk. Hope I never need it, but it gives me and my loved ones peace of mind. Thanks for your great column! — Marty Motia, La Canada, California
Water-Saving Ideas
Dear Heloise: I read your column in the Sheridan Press. I have seen you post many hints about cleaning shower heads when they get nasty. Readers need to know that if the shower head is all gooped up, so is the pipe that feeds it. We made this discovery when we replaced a pipe in the wall. We now have fantastic water power in our shower. It was easy to do and not too expensive, either. Thanks for all that you do. Blessings from Wyoming. — Diane Campbell, via email
Watch Out For Wildlife
Dear Heloise: Could I add one subject to your thoughtful reminders about driving in wet spring weather? In many parts of the country, on the first warm, rainy night, large numbers of amphibians — frogs, toads and salamanders — leave the pools where they breed and lay their eggs, and many wind up crossing dark roads.
In some localities, volunteers venture out to roadsides to protect and assist them in crossing. Careful drivers can help save our natural insect-eaters (and their guardians).
This time of year also finds turtles, tortoises, ducklings, wild turkey poults and all kinds of newborn wild animals crossing our roads. If you can do it safely, please brake for wildlife! — Will in New Hampshire
Will, thank you for this reminder for our wonderful wildlife. It’s also important for drivers to slow down and pay attention to the animals crossing our roads. — 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.