Tuesday, April 20, 2004
Dear Heloise: I need help with deciphering those care symbols on clothing-care labels. I have no idea what some of them are supposed to convey. Can you help? M. Wheeler, Boerne, Texas
I'm with you! Many of the symbols don't "say" anything to me, either!
Here are two ways to contact the Federal Trade Commission for a free chart that lists the clothing-care symbols and their individual meanings. This helpful chart is called the Clothing Care Symbol Guide and is perfect to put on your laundry-room wall next to your washing machine for easy reference.
UYou can visit the FTC's Web site at www.ftc.gov and do a search to bring up the Clothing Care Symbol Guide and then print it off.
USend a written request for the Clothing Care Symbol Guide, along with your name and complete mailing address, to:
Consumer Response Center
Federal Trade Commission
600 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Room 130 Washington, D.C. 20580-0001
Good luck, and be sure to tell family and friends about the wonderful chart, too! Heloise
Dear Heloise: When the fitted bottom of a sheet set wears out or becomes damaged, select a color from the print, purchase a new solid sheet and pillowcases, and you have a new set. I enjoy reading your column daily! Bette Jaeger, Stanhope, N.J.
Dear Heloise: For years I have been reading that to remove dents from the carpet when you move furniture, put an ice cube in each dent.
I moved some chairs, and they left dents in my carpet. I didn't want to wait for an ice cube to melt, so I took a spray bottle of water and sprayed the dents lightly with water. An hour later, using a fork, it was very easy to hide the dents. Sue Plegge, Little Rock, Ark.
Dear Heloise: Since the invention of the battery-operated toothbrush, I have not had much use for the decorative toothbrush holder that is part of my bathroom accessories. However, I have found the holder to be an excellent place to store my nail clippers, nail file, tweezers and even cuticle scissors. I even put the holders in the guest bathrooms. Ginger McGlothlin, Fairfax Station, Va.
Dear Heloise: We went to a 5-year-old's birthday party, and at some point during the party, the birthday boy and his friends started opening the gifts! The cards were thrown aside, and there were several gifts whose givers could not be identified.
My hint is: On the birthday card, write "I hope you enjoy the (whatever the gift is)." This way, if the child opens the gift unsupervised, the parent will know from whom it came later. This could also apply to wedding/engagement gifts, should the card inadvertently become separated from the gift. Andrea Hoffman, Rockville, Md.
King Features Syndicate