Cutting household bills
DEAR READERS: If it seems that every time you open a bill there’s another increase, it’s essential that you review your bills carefully to see if there is a way to reduce them.
Do call your electric, phone and cable companies to find out if there’s any way to lower your bill. Many companies offer cheaper plans that you might not know about. Often, we may be paying the bill for long-time services without realizing that new plans are available. Companies will negotiate with you rather than lose your business. — Heloise
CARPET INDENTATIONS
DEAR HELOISE: We were rearranging the furniture in our living room and I noticed that there were large indentations in the carpet where the furniture was. How can I remove them? — Sheila in New Jersey
DEAR SHEILA: This is common; here’s how to remove them: Put an ice cube in each dent and let it melt slowly. Allow the moisture to stay on overnight. Blot up any leftover wet spots. Then use your fingers or a spoon to pull up the carpet fibers that haven’t fluffed back up. Or you can fill a clean spray bottle with a bit of water. Spritz it on top of the indentations. Grab a hairdryer and blow warm air over the dampened spots. This heat helps wool and nylon carpets to rebound. — Heloise
TAR ON SHOES?
DEAR READERS: If you discover that you have black tar on the bottom and sides of rubber shoes, use these steps to get it all off: First, try to scrape off as much as you can with a disposable plastic knife (don’t damage the shoe area above the rubber.) Next, scrub the areas with a tad of dishwashing detergent (geared for removing oil) along with warm water. When the tar is gone, rinse completely. You may have to repeat several times to get it all off. — Heloise
SMELLY KITCHEN
DEAR READERS: If you have cooked fried food and it has left a stinky smell lingering in the air in your kitchen, here’s how to remove it: Turn on the exhaust fan and boil 1 cup of water with 1 to 2 tablespoons of vinegar in a pan on the stove (monitor closely so the pan does not boil dry). You can do this while cooking and after. To make things smell better, sprinkle powdered cinnamon in the pan.
Open doors or windows and turn on fans to help dissipate the odor. You also can use commercial products to help. — Heloise
WHAT FABRIC CARE LABELS/SYMBOLS MEAN
DEAR READERS: If you are not clear about what the care label in your garments mean, go to the American Cleaning Institute’s website (www.cleaninginstitute.org) to find an explanatory chart.
Care labels, which can have written instructions or symbols, indicate whether garments need to be dry-cleaned or can be washed. They also include information for washing, drying, bleaching, non-chlorine bleaching and ironing. According to the Federal Trade Commission, dry-clean only is a warning that the garment cannot be washed. Do read care labels before you purchase garments or launder them to get the best results. — Heloise