Do holiday cleaning a little quicker

DEAR READERS: Even with smaller gatherings during this holiday season, here are some Heloise Hints to help spiff up your home faster.

1. Gather all cleaning supplies, put them into a basket and carry into the area you want to clean.

2. When you go into a room, stand in the center and look around to see exactly what needs to be cleaned. Often, just top cleaning of the surfaces will be OK.

3. During this stressful time, don’t worry about cleaning under furniture or in cabinets, nobody will notice dust bunnies.

4. Having your home perfectly clean may not to be your top priority this year.

— Heloise

HOME FIRE EXTINGUISHERS ESSENTIAL

DEAR READERS: During the holidays, make certain that you have a couple of small home fire extinguishers that are in good condition. Even with smaller get-togethers, you still want to be ready in case of a small fire.

Place one in the kitchen to deal with a small grease or oil fire. Place another fire extinguisher in the living room area, especially if you have a fireplace. Keep an extra one or two, just in case. — Heloise

HOW TO KNOW WHEN THE TURKEY IS DONE

DEAR READERS: If this is your first time cooking a turkey, here’s some help. Read the directions first and follow them. Look at your turkey to see if it has a pop-up temperature button. If it does not, here’s what you can do to find out if it’s cooked properly.

1. Take a knife and stick it pretty far into the turkey thigh.

2. If the juice comes out completely clear, the turkey is likely done.

3. However, always use a thermometer to be sure that it reaches 180 F. The turkey should be done then. Allow it to rest for 20 minutes or so before carving. That will seal in the juices.

— Heloise

CARING FOR CHINA, CRYSTAL

DEAR READERS: This is the time when we bring out all our treasured family china and good crystal. Handle them with great care. Here’s how to wash and store it.

If you hand-wash china or crystal, place a soft terry towel down in the sink before you put them in. This will help to prevent breaking or chipping. Wear rubber gloves when washing delicate china and crystal, so they do not slip out of your hands.

After drying, when you are putting china back into storage, place paper plates, coffee filters or rubber mesh between each plate to protect the surfaces. — Heloise

DUCT TAPE AS DECORATION

DEAR READERS: You can find colorful or animal-print duct tape (try to buy it when they area on sale).

Have your children cut it into shapes or slivers and use to decorate packages. They can be really creative with duct tape on big gift packages. — Heloise

Send amoney-saving or timesaving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, SanAntonio, TX78279-5000, or you can fax it to 1-210-HELOISE or email it to Heloise@Heloise. com. I can’t answer your letter personally but will use the best hints received inmy column.