HELOISE Tips help remove broken bulb

Dear Heloise: How do you remove a broken light bulb stuck in the light socket? Karen, via e-mail
There are several things you can use to help remove the remnants of that broken light bulb.
First and foremost, though, disconnect the power source to that light socket, whether it's unplugging it or flipping a circuit breaker off.
You can then try using a wad of newspaper by first putting a heavy-duty glove on, then taking the newspaper and gently pressing it into the socket. Carefully turn it to the left until the broken light bulb comes out.
If all else fails, use a pair of pliers to "grip" the remnants so they can be removed.
If this is a recurring problem with this socket, put a light coat of petroleum jelly on the outer metal base of the new light bulb. The next time you change the bulb, it should be easy to remove. This is really helpful for outside light sockets. Heloise
Dear Heloise: When my family goes on a car trip that involves staying in a different place each night, I pack our things in small duffel bags. I pack one bag with all the family's grooming items, and that bag goes into our motel room each night.
I pack several other duffel bags, each with three days' worth of clothing for each person. Then each evening we take one of the bags in with us. After using it for three days, it's full of laundry and goes into the trunk. Three duffel bags take care of nine nights, and then it's time to stop at a self-service laundry.
This is a lot easier than hauling large, bulky suitcases in and out of motels each night. Margaret McGinty, Bark River, Mich.
Dear Heloise: To keep groceries (in those wobbly plastic bags) from rolling all over the trunk, I bought a plastic shower-curtain rod. I put it in the trunk about a foot from the back of the car and only 2 inches high (any higher allows small items to slide under the rod). I might add that I've found that the type of rod that twists to expand is better than the type with spring tension. Barb Pryor, Kerrville, Texas
Dear Heloise: I grow a lot of cacti in pots. Some of the cacti are so prickly that even thick leather gloves don't protect my hands.
I picked up a pair of kitchen tongs in a $1 bin, and they work like a charm -- wish I'd thought of it ages ago. I can hold on to the plant without damaging either it or me. I also make sure that the really prickly ones are in tall-enough pots so that I can move them without getting stuck.
I'm glad that my local paper, the Ventura County (Calif.) Star, carries your column. Lilith, via e-mail
XSend a great hint to: Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, Texas 78279-5000; fax: (210) HELOISE; e-mail: Heloise@Heloise.com.
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