HELOISE Tip sought for removing masking tape residue

Dear Heloise: The glue from masking tape will not come off my window. Please advise what I can use to take this off. Irene Alexa, Titusville, Fla.
The sticky residue should come off by using a wad of nylon net (or a plastic brush or scrubbie) and a petroleum-based pre-wash spray or a spray lubricating oil. You will need to spray and let it sit for about five to 10 minutes of "work time." The spray helps soften that sticky mess, and the net gently scrubs it off without scratching.
Follow with a glass cleaner (you can use vinegar and water or ammonia and water, both of which cut grease), and your window should sparkle. Heloise
Dear Heloise: I travel a great deal. Makeup, lotions, combs and other items make a clutter on the sink area in any hotel bathroom. I bought a fabric collapsible dinner-roll basket and keep it in my travel bag. The corners tie together, and it makes a great container for all those items in any hotel room! Susan Komives, College Park, Md.
Dear Heloise: I needed a way to mark my rows of vegetables. I used plastic knives and marked (with a permanent marker) the names of the veggies on the handles and stuck the knives into the ground at the beginning of the rows.
My grandfather used tin pie plates tied to the garden gate to ward off birds and other garden critters. To be more modern and recycle, I am using those unwanted CDs you get in the mail -- they reflect pretty colors and can still clink in the wind. Kimberly Gebo, Hemlock, N.Y.
Recycle and reuse, and we do get a lot of those CDs! I bet the manufacturers are pulling their hair out knowing their CDs are flapping in the wind! Heloise
Dear Heloise: This is a hint I've had a lot of fun with. I use dry-erase markers on my bathroom mirror to leave notes and reminders to my family.
It's hard for them to miss a large green note staring them in the face when they brush their teeth in the morning, or a big red "I LOVE YOU" before they go to bed.
The markers also work great on the shower door and windows, and they rub right off. Karen Bradley, Penn Yan, N.Y.
Dear Heloise: I keep a can of disinfectant spray in my basement garage and use it when I take a quick walk through the entire garage -- at least once a month, and once a week in damp weather.
It really works to fight off that mildew smell that things can pick up from being stored in a damp area -- and seems to help with our allergies, too. Martha Neighbors, Birmingham, Ala.
Dear Heloise: This is just something I use to remind myself to change my clocks twice a year:
As soon as I start to hear reminders to change our clocks for daylight-saving time, I change one prominently displayed clock. That way, I have a constant reminder and never forget to change all of the other clocks throughout the house at the appropriate time.
I also put a sticker on the back of one of the other clocks to remind me about changing the batteries in my smoke detectors. Penny Tassin, Linden, 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