HELOISE Environmentally safe hints will kill weeds

Dear Heloise: I read your natural weedkiller solution before but did not need it at the time. Now I have weeds growing in the cracks of my driveway and sidewalk and don't want to use harsh chemicals. Can you please repeat it? Jamie T., New Berlin, Texas
Here as those environmentally safe hints for you and the other readers who have asked for them.
Here are three nonchemical alternatives to commercial weedkillers:
UUse boiling-hot water -- just carefully pour it over the weeds (a teakettle works well). Be sure to protect your hands and feet.
UYou can use plain old table salt -- just sprinkle it on the weeds.
UUse my favorite: vinegar! Fill a spray bottle with full-strength vinegar and give those nasty weeds a spritz, or pour it on.
Note: The downfall is that if boiling-hot water, salt or vinegar comes in contact with any other grass, plants or flowers, it will kill them as well. So be careful. For more vinegar hints, send for my six-page pamphlet filled with a multitude of ways to use vinegar. To receive a copy, send $4 and a self-addressed, stamped (60 cents), long envelope to: Heloise/Vinegar, P.O. Box 795001, San Antonio, Texas 78279-5001. Use full-strength vinegar to clean exhaust and air-conditioning vent covers. This helps cut the grease that seems to accumulate there! Heloise
Dear Heloise: Upon having my suitcase lost recently, the airline contacted me and asked me to "describe the contents" so airline workers could positively identify it.
Luckily, I was able to do so and received my luggage quickly, but I realized how smart it would be to put a self-adhesive address label (or two) or even a sticker in the inside of the suitcase so the airline would be able to just open the suitcase to identify the owner.
Such a simple thing can save lots of time -- I can't believe I didn't think of this sooner. Karen Abell, California, Md.
Dear Heloise: My mother has serious health issues. We live in a three-story townhouse, so I can't be on the same floor as her all the time.
We purchased a compressed-air horn -- they come in various sizes. All she has to do is press down on it with the palm of her hand, and I can hear her from anywhere in the house. This also gives me the freedom to work around the house. Sandra Dennie, via e-mail
Dear Heloise: I believe I read that people should knock on the hoods of their cars in the winter, as cats like the warmth of the motors. Please tell your readers to knock on the hood, no matter what the weather. I found out the hard way -- with unpleasant results -- that they can and will hide under the hood, no matter what the weather. A reader in Louisiana
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