HELPFUL HINTS
DEAR HELOISE: After reading in the Orange County Register about many people who wrote in about their soap slivers, I thought I would give my two cents. I take a new bar, put the cavity side down into a saucer and add just enough water to cover the cavity. After 15-20 minutes, I drain the water, turn the bar over and put it in a soap dish or paper towel. Then I take the soap sliver, smoosh it into the new bar and set it aside to dry. I never have a bunch soap slivers.
— Dale K., Orange County, Calif.
DEAR HELOISE: My eyebrows tend to grow downward. I finally found a way to push them up and make them stay up. At night, I use petroleum jelly to push and keep them up, but during the day, I take a clean toothbrush and wet the bristles, then run it across a bar of soap. I brush my eyebrows upward, and because of the soap, they stay up all day. This gives my eyebrows a soft, feathery look at a very inexpensive price.
— N.S., Deltona, Fla.
DEAR READERS: Here’s how to clean votives when candles have melted. To remove the wax, put them into a container in the sink and soak them in very hot water.
To prevent this mess from happening again, before you put votives into the holders, add a bit of water to the bottom of each one, then put the votives in. The wax will not stick.
DEAR READERS: To prevent a big weekend laundry day, try to do one or more loads of clothing during the week. To organize everyone’s laundry, assign a different color basket to each family member. They can fill it with their clothing and take it to the laundry room.
To make sorting easier, use a number of other baskets and label each one — jeans, darks, lights, sheets, towels, etc. This will pare down sorting time.
DEAR HELOISE: You are going to love this! My friend recently gave her grandchildren small charcuterie boards. They are in middle school. She also gave them a knife that is safe for children to use. They are enjoying it and making all kinds of appetizers.
— C.B., in Texas
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