HELOISE Reader wants to decode laundry care symbols

Dear Heloise: I can never understand the care labels on my clothing and children's clothing. Do you have something that I can print out that decodes all of those symbols you see on labels? Robin Fishbein, Via E-mail
Robin, you are right! These symbols can be confusing, and I have just the decoder for you.
The Federal Trade Commission has a handy booklet that explains each of the symbols. You can print out a copy by visiting the FTC Web site, www.ftc.gov, or by sending your name and complete mailing address along with your request for the Clothing Care Symbol Guide to:
Consumer Response Center
Federal Trade Commission
600 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Room H-130
Washington, DC 20580-0001
Hang the booklet in plain sight above or near your washing machine, or tape the pages inside a cabinet door for easy viewing. Heloise
Dear Heloise: Rubber mesh is truly great stuff. I constantly use it to open jars, but here are some other uses I've found:
UPut under a box of tissues in a car -- the box never slides.
UA rectangle of mesh on a swing helps keep a child from slipping off.
UA small square gives me a good grip on a needle that is hard to pull through fabric.
UA good-size piece laid in the bathtub makes a non-slip surface for my dog to stand on during a bath.
I always enjoy your column in the Asbury Park (N.J.) Press, but especially when you have a use for an item that was marketed for a completely different purpose. Gail M., Toms River, N.J.
Thanks for the good hints and kind words. This is what the Fast Facts feature is about -- all those other uses you might not have thought about. Heloise
Dear Heloise: As a retired couple, we enjoy movies at the matinee. Since I cannot get a living person on the phone for inquiry of times, I clip the itemized theater listings twice weekly and place them on the front of our refrigerator with a magnet. Esther Liptai, Sugar Land, Texas
Dear Heloise: Because my special friends always receive a handpicked card from me for Christmas, Valentine's Day, Easter, etc., I have come up with a way to remember what card I have chosen for whom.
I make a list of names and cut these into strips that are still attached on the end. As I select the card, I tear off the name and place it in the card. Then addressing the cards is easy, because I know who gets what! Jane Williams, Denham Springs La.
Dear Heloise: Please tell vitamin companies to downsize their tablets or gel tabs. We can always take two tabs, up to the recommended dose, but we cannot always bring someone back from choking on large tabs.
The government has always placed priority on things children can choke on -- but what about adults? Every pill company should be brought up to par on this obvious danger! C. Joyce, Yorba Linda, Calif.
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