HELOISE You can't beat hint for reusing paint

Dear Heloise: After years of procrastination, I finally decided to put a fresh coat of paint on some very needy areas. When I went to retrieve my old-but-still-usable paint, it, of course, was terribly separated.
After shaking and stirring with little luck in restoring the mixture to its original composition, I remembered I had an old set of manual, metal eggbeaters. They whipped the old paint up good as new and were easily hosed off for the next time. I hope this helps your other readers. Birdie in Pennsylvania
This is an egg-cellent hint! When we read your hint, it got us thinking: Does paint have an expiration date? So we called some manufacturers, and they said that as long as paint is properly stored and sealed, it should be usable for several years. Some paints have codes or dates stamped on the lid, so you can call the manufacturer, give the date or code, and the manufacturer can advise you. If you remove the lid of the paint and the paint smells rancid, don't use it -- it needs to be disposed of properly. Heloise
Dear Heloise: We have a cedar roof that has long nails protruding into our attic. When we go in to store something, I always worry about hitting one of the nails. We started saving corks from wine bottles, we take the corks and put them on the nails. Sallie Reese, Vienna, Va.
Dear Heloise: Now that travelers who fly must not lock their luggage, I became concerned that the zippers on my luggage would come open easily while being handled.
Although I do not put locks on my luggage zippers, I keep the zippers together with a twist-tie (like we use for plastic bread bags). The luggage is still unlocked and can easily be opened for inspection when being X-rayed for security. Jean E. DeLauche, via e-mail
Dear Readers: Recently, a reader sent in some clippings from my mother's column. Here's one that we decided to print and update because I think people still do this.
This hint was originally printed in January 1962, from M.B.: "There is nothing like an extension cord when using a vacuum cleaner. This saves running back and forth to move the plug from socket to socket."
We called a major vacuum manufacturer, and a company official said that using an extension cord with a vacuum cleaner is not recommended because it might put an extra electrical load on the vacuum, and the extension cord might not be grounded properly. Heloise
Dear Heloise: I read the hint about curing the carpet of pet urine. The first step was to soak up the urine with a paper towel. I found that, toilet tissue is much more absorbent. I usually take a couple of fairly long lengths of it and fold it, put it over the spot and step on it. It's amazing how much it absorbs! D.C. of Belton, Texas
XSend a money-saving or timesaving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, Texas 78279-5000, or you can fax it to (210) HELOISE or e-mail it to Heloise@Heloise.com. I can't answer your letter personally but will use the best hints received in my column.
King Features Syndicate