Water bucket will do when there’s no paper shredder

Dear Heloise: My shredder once broke in the middle of a job. But, a tip came from a friend, and now I use it all the time.

I fill a large household bucket with warm water, about half-full to accommodate the batch of papers. Try to have most of the paper covered. Sometimes I add a spritz of dishwashing detergent. Set it aside to soak well.

The next day, with household gloves on, I fish out a handful of sheets. At that point, the paper will easily rip into long and narrow strips. Then, I wring them out — some will break into small bunches. It’s really easy to do, and trying to undo this process won’t be successful, whether you have it wet or dry. I usually dump them with the large garbage bags that I use to throw out other trash.

I can get rid of a lot more paper that way than with the shredder. Unless you have the FBI waiting to decipher this stuff, this should work for you, since your garbage person won’t have the time or resources. — M.S., via email

GRABBER DOUBLE DUTY

Dear Heloise: At 94, I was having a hard time cleaning around my commode in my small bathroom. So, I got my “grabber” and an old washcloth from my cleaning box that I had soaked in hot, soapy water. I found that it was the perfect size to get in and around the tight spaces. The suction cups on the end of the grabber did an excellent job of holding onto the cloth. When I finished cleaning, I just sterilized the grabber with hydrogen peroxide, and it was ready for the next job. My daughter found this was helpful for her, too.

I read your column every day in the Temple Daily Telegram in Temple, Texas. I enjoy it very much. I look forward to your hints and great recipes. — Georgia Posvar, Temple, Texas

SMOKE DETECTORS

Dear Heloise: Replacing smoke detector batteries every year is an excellent idea. However, few people know that the smoke detector itself needs to be replaced every 10 years. Six years ago, we rented a condo in Santa Fe, and at about 11 p.m. all the detectors went off. As there was no smoke, we removed the batteries, but they continued to beep intermittently. We had to remove and disable each ourselves (try getting maintenance to come at 11 p.m.), and the detectors actually had a printed warning on them to replace after 10 years. — Rick Jaksha, via email

SOUND OFF ON NEWSPAPER SLEEVES

Dear Heloise: I’ve seen several letters in your column about using the sleeves from newspapers, but I wonder if anyone has given thought to where/how those sleeves have been handled before they hit the driveway? Do all these re-users think these sleeves are sterile? That they’ve never been touched by human hands, or the machine that may have been used to load the papers is spotlessly clean? Personally, I just toss mine. With pretty much everything folks have suggested using them for, I just use fresh bags. Just sayin’. — Dan Curran, Canyon Country, California

PET PAL

Dear Heloise: My pet is 20 months old. She’s smart and cute as can be. Daisy thinks everyone loves her. Our neighbor gives her treats and makes her sit or give out her paw. Daisy is a Maltese/shih Tzu and she doesn’t shed. — Jane and Robert, Florida

Readers, to see Daisy and our other Pet Pals, go to Heloise.com and click on “Pet of the Week.”

Do you have a furry friend to share with our readers? Send a photo and a brief description to Heloiseheloise.com. — Heloise