HELPFUL HINTS

DEAR HELOISE: My mom, who passed in February at age 97, was an avid reader of yours through the years. If we had a stain, watermark or any other common problem, she OPINION had the answer! I recently read two ideas from readers. One was about a remote doorbell used for her elderly parent. I have an HELOISE even better suggestion. My mom always had her walker with her. We had a very large house, and her quarters were separate from ours. I purchased a remote doorbell with two receivers. One was in the kitchen, and one was in our bedroom. I attached the doorbell button to her walker with velcro, so if she ever needed me for any reason, the button was right within reach!

The second hint is in response to the lady who saves water from her shower while the water warms up. We have a dehumidifier in our basement that produces gallons of water every week. We dump water from the dehumidifier into a 33-gallon garbage can, and when it is time to water the plants outside, I have plenty to go around. I have also inserted a small pump into the bottom of the trash can and attached a hose. That works great, too, but my watering cans fit nicely into the large trash can when I need to fill or refill them.

— Carol G., Seneca Falls, N.Y.

DEAR HELOISE: I’ve seen many recent suggestions for “youngsters” just starting out. One very overlooked, but incredibly important, suggestion is to inform your kids to find out where their water meter is. They should also understand how it works and how to manually shut it off in case of a plumbing emergency.

For $15, they can purchase a “plumbers key” in any hardware store. It allows easy access to shut off the main water supply in your home, until a professional plumber can examine and do repairs. Also, if you plan an extended vacation, it’s a good idea to shut water off and possibly avoid a water disaster upon coming home! I’m a retired dentist and longtime landlord. I always educate my tenants to at least know this information. Love reading your column daily.

— Dr. Z, Little Rock

DEAR HELOISE: I enjoyed your info about the difficulty of swallowing pills, as well as all the others. However, I have a slightly different offering. Tell the person taking the pills: “Lift your eyes to the heavens and pray they go down.” Also, remember to say “thank you” to whatever higher power you prayed to. Think about it. — Gordon McAfee, M.D.,

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