HELPFUL HINTS
DEAR HELOISE: I read the hint from a reader in your column about ways to use cardboard wine carriers from grocery stores. (Heloise here: The reader uses them to store glassware.) My local stores are happy to have them and the nice wine bags returned. — Robin Rodriquez,
Huntsville, Texas DEAR READER: Robin, thank you for writing. You and many readers suggested the same hint, to take them back to the stores. However, you should call first, because there may be a health-code issue about using these for another customer. However, if the stores recycle them, it’s a win-win all around.
DEAR HELOISE: We bought standing coat hangers (Heloise here: Not a wire coat hanger that stands by itself, but a “coat hanger,” usually wood or metal, that stands upright and is used to hang coats on. A fun play on words that sometimes does get confusing!) and put them in the bedrooms. They are great for hanging sweats, pajamas, robes, etc., rather than piling them on the bed or floor.
Also, I have two hampers, one for whites/off-whites and one for colors. This makes doing laundry a snap versus separating on laundry day. — Melissa B., Harrisburg, Pa.
DEAR READER: Hey, Melissa, I, too, have a “coat hanger,” but it’s in my closet. I use it to hang my sweaters. I first fold the sweater in half lengthwise, then drape it over a clothes hanger like it’s a shawl. The arm area goes around the hook part, and the rest is hung over the hanger. No creases from being folded and put in a drawer or on a shelf.
DEAR HELOISE: Our newspaper is delivered in a clear plastic sleeve. I store my neck scarves by folding them in half and rolling them to fit the bag. I can find the scarf I am looking for, and when they are removed from the bag, they are not wrinkled. Sunday papers are much larger, so those bags work great for larger knit scarves.
— Joyce A., California
DEAR HELOISE: I still love to use bar soap. I keep it from dissolving in the soap dish by using a flat-sided nail brush with the brush bristle side up. I set the soap on top, and it stays dry. The added benefit is that there is always a little soap on the bristles when I clean my nails.
— Amy Griffiths, Ohio