HINTS FROM HELOISE
Dear Readers:
Tragically, falling dressers, furniture, TVs and appliances cause injuries every 17 minutes in the United States, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (cpsc.gov).
As you can imagine, many of these victims are young kids and toddlers climbing on the furniture. A number of these accidents result in death.
There are ways to prevent tip-overs. Here are some hints from the CPSC:
Flat-screen TVs ideally should be mounted to the wall. The manufacturer of the TV will include mounting instructions; the retailer also should provide professional installation. An older-style TV should only be in a unit designed to hold a TV, and not on top of a dresser. Dressers should be secured to the wall with brackets. Brand-new dressers typically are sold with a bracket or harness system for safety. Ask your sales associate for information on this.
Finally, keep tempting items (toys, snacks and remotes) off high furniture.
When the grandchildren are visiting, make sure you have baby gates up, your outlets are plugged, kitchen and bathroom cabinets are latched, and the dressers are secured to the wall. Heloise
Dear Heloise:
We travel full time in an RV, so keeping a paper shredder isn’t convenient. To destroy papers, I fill my sink with hot, soapy water and bleach. In go the papers, and I let them soak until they turn to mush.
I make big “spitballs” of the paper and toss them out with the rest of the garbage. They are beyond what anyone would be able to get information from. Jan H., via email