Sunday, July 13, 2003
Good morning, Heloise: I have been using your hints along with my mother's and grandmother's. I want to tell you about vinegar and how happy it made me one day.
My son and his buddies were smoking in my car (which is a huge no-no!). There was smoke scum on the inside. My son kept using window cleaner on it, to no avail.
Finally, on my way home from school one night, after desperately trying to see out the window, it came to me -- vinegar and water. My daddy, mother and grandmother used it to clean windows. I washed the windows with vinegar and warm water, then took paper towels and wiped the windows dry. To my amazement, it worked. Clean, clear and no streaks. Oh, happy day!
Good, old-fashioned, inexpensive cleaning materials. Life is great. Keep your hints coming. I do not mind reading and rereading old hints. Sometimes I forget an old household method, then I will read your hints and it all comes back to me. They save a lot of money and hassle. Have a great day! Ruth, Via E-mail
Ruth, thanks for the kind words, and isn't vinegar fabulous and inexpensive? It cleans and deodorizes so many things. For other money-saving and timesaving hints using vinegar, please send $4 and a long, self-addressed, stamped (60 cents) envelope to: Heloise/Vinegar, P.O. Box 795001, San Antonio, Texas 78279-5001. Hint: You can clean all your household windows using vinegar, too. Just use 1/2 to 1 cup white or apple-cider vinegar to 1/2 gallon of water. Put the mixture in a spray bottle and spray windows liberally, then dry with crunched-up newspaper for sparkling windows. Heloise
Dear Heloise: I was going to be gone for a week and didn't want to lose two large potted plants on my deck. I set the plants in a large plastic bag and filled the bottom with water, thus keeping the plants watered for a week. Worked well.
Bonus hint: To easily remove a large bush or even a small tree, just point a running water hose at its base, removing the soil, and it will lift out easily. G.S., Via E-mail
Dear Heloise: I have a great hint for indoor garbage pails. I use some (vacuum-up) carpet deodorizer in the pail. Then I replace the bag. Baking soda can also be used, but carpet deodorizer smells better. Tina King, San Antonio
Dear Heloise: Most of us bring flowers while visiting a sick friend in the hospital, only to find that there's no vase to put the flowers in. After doing this several times, I hit upon the solution: I go to a store where things sell for a dollar and buy inexpensive vases to take along with the flowers. That way, the patient gets to enjoy the flowers, and it doesn't matter if he or she leaves the vase behind! Rita Raju, The Woodlands, Texas
Dear Heloise: Another way to keep ice (cooler) chests fresh: Just crumple newspaper, put it in and close. No odors, and it's always fresh for the next use. Erne, San Angelo, Texas
XSend a great hint to: Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, Texas 78279-5000, Fax: (210) HELOISE or E-mail: Heloise@Heloise.com.
King Features Syndicate