HINTS FROM HELOISE

PRACTICAL, DEPENDABLE TIPS FOR TODAY’S BUSY CONSUMERS

Dear Heloise: I just read one more hint about what to do with leftover slivers of hand soap. I have a suggestion: Just throw it away, since it’s worth maybe a dime? Get liquid hand soap instead. It is way more sanitary than those bars of soap that either harden and crack in the soap dish or get slimy and messy.

Liquid hand soap is easy to use, and you can use up the entire bottle. It really doesn’t cost more than the bars when you consider the convenience and sanitation factors. Also, I thought I would mention that using your bath towel more than once will not give you ringworm. It is a fungus that has to be present in the towels, on the body or on another surface where the fungus can survive.

— Nancy Sullivan, Via Email

Dear Heloise: My national pharmacy chain gives me a detailed receipt for every

prescription. If you look on the other side of this receipt, you’ll often find a section of blank sticky labels that are wonderful for labeling anything. I use them to identify the color name on a colored pencil that has to be used with an extender. One could also use them to blur out your name and address on mail.

— Priscilla Wigham, Via Email Dear Heloise: If I have to put my mug down as I open the door to my car, I usually place it on the hood of my car where I will see it before I drive off.

How many people have you heard complain about a lost mug they had placed on the roof of their car? Out of sight, out of mind.

— Irene, Simi Valley, California

Dear Heloise: After peeling

many hard-boiled eggs to make deviled eggs over the Easter holiday, I found out a new hint:

Sometimes when I peel a batch of cooled-off, boiled eggs, a couple eggs will have the peel stuck to them and mess up the outer look. If you take those eggs and put them in a bowl of water for a few minutes before finishing off the peeling, the water will get behind the membrane of the hard outer eggshell. It will make it easier to slip the shell off the egg. It’s the membrane that causes this sticking problem. — Rusti Stover, Houston

Dear Heloise: I thought those were nice hints on what to do with extra pieces of luggage.

May I add one more?

We use a small/medium suitcase as our emergency bag. We put extra clothes, food, stuff for our dog and, of course, emergency supplies. Now, in an emergency, all we have to do is grab it and wheel it to the car for a quick getaway. — Debra V., Bakersfield, California