HELOISE Mount fans and heavy fixtures to ceiling joists

Dear Heloise: While checking the ceiling fans, as suggested in a previous column (a ceiling fan fell), you should also make sure the fan is mounted with a National Electrical Code-accepted electrical box and is fastened to the ceiling joists as instructed by the code book.
People assume you can mount a fan with the ceiling light box that is already in place. Usually this box is for normal, lightweight light fixtures. Fans and heavy light fixtures (chandeliers) need a special ceiling box fastened directly to the joists, not the brace some use. I am sure someone would not crawl under a 10-ton truck that is being held up by a 1-ton jack.
Please alert your readers to this fact so they can check a little further. The fan might not be loose, but the mounting box might be pulling away. J.F., via e-mail
You are absolutely right! It is important to make sure ceiling fans are mounted properly, and it is vital to check them when moving into a home or apartment that has ceiling fans. This is something that probably should be done professionally if you aren't handy -- professionals know the code-approved way to do it. Thanks for your information. Heloise
Dear Heloise: Here is a helpful hint for people who are traveling: Always have a sewing kit in your handbag.
My son-in-law's glasses fell apart because the screw fell out of the frame. We tried to put the screw back in but couldn't do it. So we used thread from the sewing kit to run through the holes in the frame several times, then tied it. It worked and kept the glasses together till we got home. L.P., New York
Dear Heloise: My grandchildren spend the weekends with me. Our little 2-year-old loves bubble baths, but I ran out of bubble bath one evening, so I thought about using his baby shampoo. I knew he would like it, and it doesn't burn his eyes -- it's very gentle.
When I poured it into his bath water under the faucet, it made fantastic bubbles, and they lasted for a long time. Brock was as happy as can be playing with the good-size bubbles. I now keep a big bottle and use it as a body wash, shampoo for his hair and, of course, for in the tub. Grandma Joyce, San Antonio
Dear Heloise: I discovered an interesting hint that I have never seen before. I cut some silk flowers for use at my son's wedding, after which I decided to use them in a vase for my kitchen table. Of course, the stems weren't long enough. I had thin, lightly tinted, clear, bendable straws on hand and decided to put a silk flower in each straw. It made a nice bouquet of flowers, as they lifted and separated the arrangement.
I'm sure this would work well for cut fresh flowers, too, as water could come up through the straws. I hope others will find this hint useful. L.H., Sydney, Nova Scotia
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