HELOISE Watercolors work wonders for carpet touch-up

Dear Heloise: I've heard that felt markers are good for covering bleached or damage marks on carpets. Instead of using felt markers, I use my grandson's watercolors, which can match any color. Just paint the spot and rub it in. If it gets too dark, a wet cloth will quickly take it out. It's so quick and simple. If it fades, I simply use more paint again for a touch-up. Pat Butler, Annapolis, Md.
Your hint about using watercolors makes sense, since the color can be diluted or more can be added to get the right shade of the carpeting. However, it is water-based, so the color might fade when the carpet is cleaned. Heloise
Dear Heloise: Bed frames can be dangerous to the feet. I have a wonderful solution to that problem, since I used to have a tendency to kick the frame quite often.
Invest in a little foam pipe wrap that has a slit already in it -- it can be found in most large home-improvement stores. Cut about a 6-inch length. Wrap it vertically around all the bed legs. This certainly helped me. Mary Roush, Lancaster, Calif.
Dear Heloise: My son broke his wrist and needed to protect his cast in the shower. I took an old vinyl raincoat and cut off the sleeves. I secured one end of the sleeve tightly with a thick rubber band, turned it inside out, slipped it on his arm and secured it at the top with a stretch terry wristband like tennis players wear.
It worked great! I had two of them -- one could drip-dry while the other was being used. Judy Fletcher, Anaheim, Calif.
Dear Heloise: In my attempts to keep life simple, I have found that a good-quality liquid (not powder) dishwasher detergent serves many purposes. I buy the giant size and keep it in squirt bottles.
When my house was new, I started using a squirt bottle to put a line of the liquid detergent around the rim in the commode, then cleaned it with a brush. This bottle is so handy and easy to use every day. Frances Munson, Fayetteville, Ark.
This is a very good cleaning hint, but remember: Most dishwasher detergents contain bleach, so use with care, and be sure the bottles are clearly marked. Heloise
Dear Heloise: I just bought a new car, and my sister, a teacher (they are so creative), gave me a good hint. She said to buy two small rubber-backed throw rugs and put them over the original car mats.
This saves a lot of wear and tear on the car mats, and the throw rugs can be put in the washer, versus scrubbing the mats. Patty Gorduliv, Youngstown
Dear Heloise: How do you store your baseball hats so they won't be crushed? Take a wooden pants hanger, run the rod between the adjustable strap and the hat, and lock the rod in place. One hanger can hold 10 hats. Stephen S. Power, Maplewood, N.J.
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