HINTS FROM HELOISE

DEAR HELOISE:

(our favorite columnist): OK, Heloise, you are the final word on this, and you will settle our ongoing disagreement!

Eggshells down the garbage disposal, or into the trash? Buying everyone a latte is hinging on your answer!

— The California Girls OH MY — this is a debate! There’s a latte riding on my answer. This problem is not all it’s cracked up to be, however.

Eggshells have a gooey membrane that can wrap itself around the blades of the disposal. Eggshells should go in the compost pile, and not in the garbage disposal. If you don’t compost, the trash is the best place for eggshells.

Want a quick way to freshen up that garbage disposal? Put ¢ cup baking soda and ¢ cup vinegar down the drain. Wait 15 minutes for it to stop bubbling, then flush with cold water.

I’ve collected my favorite baking soda hints into a handy pamphlet. If you’d like to receive one, send a stamped (70 cents), self-addressed, business-size envelope, along with $5, to: Heloise/Baking Soda, P.O. Box 795001, San Antonio, TX 78279-5001. Or you can order a copy online at www.Heloise.com. By the way, potato peels are another thing that should not go in the disposal — when wet, they can be as hard as cement! — Heloise

DEAR HELOISE: When our son was ready for kindergarten, I invited several moms with boys the same age for an afternoon to play and get acquainted.

They had a great time, and the fear of not knowing anyone was over!

To this day (even though they are 40-plus), they still are all good friends.

— Marilynn M., Delphos, Ohio DEAR HELOISE: My daughter shared with me an idea for helping her children be organized.

She purchases a matching notebook and file for each school subject in a different color. At the end of class, each student can file the papers in the right-colored file before going to the next class.

At home, they don’t have to search through jumbled papers!

— Ann Marie D., Bakersfield, Calif.

DEAR HELOISE: I don’t like wet bath towels, washcloths, etc., left lying in the bathroom, nor do I like them stuffed in the laundry basket in the laundry room to mildew and get stinky before I can wash them. I keep two clippie hangers in each bathroom. When the user is finished, the towel is hung in the shower tub area to dry. Then the towel can be put in the laundry basket. Most department stores will give you hangers with clips.

— Carla N., via email DEAR HELOISE: I use the extra rinse cycle on the washer, and therefore don’t need fabric softener or dryer sheets. My ironing time is cut down, too.

— Yvonne L., Mansfield, Ohio YOU ALSO CAN try also using less detergent. The less you put in, the less has to be rinsed out.

— Heloise Copyright 2017

King Features Syndicate Inc.