Plastic water bottles are designed for one use

Dear Heloise: In a recent issue of your column in Good Housekeeping magazine, a question regarding reuse of plastic water bottles was asked. You answered that "once saliva, sweat and bacteria get inside the bottle, there's no way to completely clean or sanitize it."
Wouldn't washing the bottle in the dishwasher, positioned so that the water goes up into it, take care of cleaning? Joy MacCue, Winchester, Va.
Joy, we decided to recheck the facts concerning reusing these bottles. We checked with the International Bottled Water Association, and a representative said the bottles are designed to be used once, and contamination can take place after the bottle seal is broken.
We also checked with the American Plastics Council, which said the bottles can be reused if they are properly sterilized (hot water and dish soap or the dishwasher). Most people don't take the time to do this properly, and because the openings of the bottles are very small, it makes sterilizing them difficult.
If you want to reuse a container, it might be a good idea to use a plastic water bottle made for a bicycle or one with a wide mouth to make cleaning easier.
So, hope this helps answer your question. Heloise
Dear Heloise: I read the recent hint about using masking tape to label items in the freezer. I wanted to point out that regular masking tape is a poor choice for labeling food in the freezer, because it will not adhere at freezing temperatures and will peel off in a short time. There are some companies that manufacture freezer tape specifically intended for labeling freezer items. C.R.E., Irondequoit, N.Y.
Dear Heloise: Missed your quest for odd mailings, and I just had to tell you about my weirdest package.
In 1955, my husband, Harry, was training at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Miss., while serving in the Air Force. He often fished the Back Bay waters and envied the locals, who seemed to have no trouble catching the huge gar that appeared to be rather abundant. To his great disappointment, he never managed to even hook one. When he transferred, a fellow airman and avid fisherman said he would mail us the head if he ever caught one.
I knew what it was as soon as I saw the return address, and I had no desire to open it. My husband opened it when he got home that night. We've told this story many times through the years but lost touch with the sender, so we were never able to really thank him for this great fish tale! Carol Reynolds, Wayland, N.Y.
Dear Heloise: Use a clean 3-inch paintbrush to clean out all the crumbs from your toaster. Who really wants last month's crumbs on his or her plate? Sheryl S. in Baton Rouge, La.
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.
King Features Syndicate