HELPFUL HINTS

DEAR HELOISE: When my husband and I travel, I take two inexpensive, medium-size cloth or mesh dirty-clothes bags. One is colored, and the other is white. After the clothes are dirty, they are put in the appropriate bag. When we arrive home, they are sorted and ready for the laundry. — Tip From an Arkie,

via email DEAR READER: Howdy, Arkie, I gather you are from Arkansas! Say hello to my friends in Little Rock — it’s been a while since I’ve been there. Good hint, and thanks for sharing.

DEAR HELOISE: Our children are going to buy us a large-screen TV, but I don’t know the difference between LCD and LED. Is there much?

— Arnie K., Fort Lauderdale, Fla. DEAR READER: LCD, liquid-crystal display, uses fluorescent tubes to illuminate a nice, clear picture.

LED, light-emitting diode, replaces the fluorescent tubes with backlighting technology. This image is even sharper. The screen itself is very, very thin. This type is different and usually hangs on a wall or sits on a special stand.

P.S.: LED costs a lot more than LCD, but they both provide stunning pictures.

DEAR HELOISE: I have a full-length screen storm door with a glass insert for winter. At Halloween, I pull out the screen so the trick-or-treaters don’t have to shuffle around at the top of my stoop. Some are startled when I hand the treat through the door. — NYC Trickster, via email

DEAR HELOISE: When I read about uses for plastic newspaper sleeves in your columns, I wonder if anyone knows that many carriers would love to get them back. They can recycle and reuse — they have to pay for them. I bag mine in a Sunday big one, and when full, I put it out where the carrier will see it. That is, if you have communicated with the carrier and he or she wants them.

— G.R., via email DEAR READER: Very nice thought, and do check with the carrier. Some do pay for the bags and rubber bands, or the paper may provide them. The very thin plastic sleeves can cost as little as a penny per, or less, depending on the amount bought.

The only drawback is that if the bag has a hole or tear, it cannot be used.