Hints from Heloise

Trash help

Dear Heloise: Those 13 inch by 13 inch blue and white shipping bags make good small trash-can liners. They have many bubbles that help them hold their shape, and this makes it easy to dump the refuse into plastic bags required by many trash collection agencies. They can be trimmed down to one’s desired height to match the height of the trash can. They can even be cut to provide one or two lifting tabs. — Bob Salter, North Carolina

Baking soda solution

Dear Readers: If your fingernails need to be cleaned, sprinkle a bit of baking soda onto a small nail brush and gently scrub your nails.

Baking soda also can be used for cleaning, deodorizing and cooking, so I’ve put together a six-page pamphlet “Heloise’s Baking Soda Hints and Recipes.” You can purchase this pamphlet by sending $5 and a long, self-addressed, stamped (78 cents) envelope to: Heloise/Baking Soda, P.O. Box 795001, San Antonio, TX 78279-5001.

FYI: To remove coffee and tea stains from your favorite coffee or tea cup, sprinkle baking soda on a damp sponge and scrub the stains away. — Heloise

Important dog tag info

Dear Heloise: As a longtime dog owner and rescue person, I am adamant that my dogs be tagged and chipped. Even the most cautious person can have a pet get lost. I also have tags with my info for any dogs who may stay with me temporarily, such as a friend’s dog or foster dogs. But the one tag each of my dogs wears says, “If injured,” and lists the name, address and phone of our vet, and also reads “or veterinary ER facility” so there is no delay if somehow one of ours gets out and is injured.

Our vet knows that if a dog comes in with that tag, they can just start treating the dog and do not have to wait for approval for anything but euthanasia. The ER vet will also have the benefit of having the rest of the tags with our info so they may contact us for instruction. All of their chips also include our vet info and the same instructions. Any dog with a medical condition (CHF, Addison’s disease, seizure disorder) should have tags stating their condition and the meds that they require. When I ordered the vet tags, the company I ordered from was so impressed, they sent me the tags for free and asked for permission to market them. Of course, I agreed. It’s all for the animals! — Cate M., Ohio

Paint tip

Dear Heloise: I saw this idea on the internet. When you paint a room, on the back of a switch-plate cover, use a felt-tip pen to write the date and the paint color and manufacturer. Then you’ll know when you painted and the color name. — Theresa S., via email

King Features Syndicate