HELPFUL HINTS

DEAR HELOISE: As line-drying laundry has been a recently recurring topic in your column, I’ll add my 2 cents. During the winter months, I dry laundry indoors using a large, collapsible wooden rack in combination with a large clothespin wheel. While these items felt pricey at first, they eventually paid for themselves many times over in energy savings.

My young children can easily hang laundry on them, and the moisture from the drying clothes helps humidify the indoor air.

— A Reader,

in Virginia DEAR HELOISE: I’ve read your column daily for over 40 years here in San Antonio. One of your readers was asking about hints for leftover wallpaper. I recently made a window shade for a half-circle window. I cut a long strip of wallpaper to fit the size of window. Then I made a simple fan, like we would make as kids. Just fold the long strip of paper on the edge of the long side, making a fold across (about 2 inches wide). Flip it over, then do the same on the other side. Once it’s all folded, fan it out, and ta-da!

— M.A., San Antonio DEAR HELOISE: The best bookmark I have ever used consists of several layers of a sticky note. You can stick it anywhere on the page. It will not fall out. If you use the larger ones, then you can take short notes on it, like when reading a Dickens novel. If the sticky note gets weak, just discard the bottom one for a fresh adhesive. You can place it right at the point you stopped reading, too.

— Jim Bonaparte,

via email DEAR HELOISE: Recently, I read a hint about straining out grease or fat to keep it from going down the drain. I have found that I can place a paper towel on top of a soup or stew, and it will absorb the fat. It may take more than one pass with the paper towel to get it all.

Another success story: I acquired toenail fungus on a trip outside of the country. Rather than take an oral medication through my whole body just to treat a small spot on one toe, I used a cotton swab dipped in bleach and dabbed a little on the infected area. No more problem! I mentioned it to my doctor, and he recommended that I dilute the bleach with water and do it daily for several days. — Dan Logan, via email

Send a money- or time-saving hint to Heloise@Heloise.com