HELOISE Drain-cleaning hint did the trick for reader

Dear Heloise: Just a note of thanks for your drain-cleaning hint. I live in an old house that I inherited. The bathroom-sink drain has been sluggish for years. There was some family discussion that it had been improperly installed. I even had a plumber look at it, and he removed a small piece of plastic from the drain. It was still sluggish.
Yesterday, I read in your column about using lemon juice and baking soda. I decided to try it. I was amazed at the nasty black stuff that bubbled up out of the drain. The drain clogged, so I scooped out the bigger pieces and used a plunger that my parents had always kept near the sink. After a few minutes, the sink drained, and today it is like a completely new drain. The water just goes right down. Thank you so much! Leila, Billings, Mont.
The traditional Heloise drain-cleaning (not for unclogging a drain) mixture is baking soda and vinegar, but if you're not crazy about the smell of vinegar, lemon juice works just as well. For those of you who didn't clip out the recipe, here it is: Pour 1/2 cup of baking soda down the drain and follow with 1 to 2 cups of cheap household vinegar (or lemon juice). After a minute, let hot water flow down the drain for a good minute or so. Then, to completely flush out the drain, follow with lots of cold tap water.
Note: When you add the vinegar, the concoction will fizz and foam up. This action helps to clean out the drain.
Caution: Do not let the mixture sit in the drain overnight. This formula and a bunch more baking-soda cleaning hints can be found in my Baking Soda Hints and Recipes pamphlet. To receive a copy, please send $4 and a long, self-addressed, stamped (60 cents) envelope to: Heloise/Baking Soda, P.O. Box 795001, San Antonio, Texas 78279-5001. FYI: To clean your butcher block, make a paste by wetting a sponge and sprinkling on some baking soda. Scrub well, rinse and let dry. Heloise
Dear Heloise: Here is my travel hint: As I'm laying out clothing to pack, I take a couple of pictures of the items I'm taking with me in case things get lost and have to be described. Ruth B., Indianapolis
Dear Heloise: I recently read a hint that suggested putting one's car keys with an item that one is trying to remember.
I prefer to tape a note around my car or door key. Several benefits: I'll still see my note before I leave, I can remember multiple things that I need to do or take, and I can keep my keys with me (it's safer, and I don't risk losing my keys because I can't remember where I left them). The basic idea is the same, and believe me, it works. Mike from Montana
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