HELOISE Labels keep AC adaptors and appliances straight
Dear Heloise: Through the years, we have purchased many rechargeable appliances and machinery that come with AC adapters. Many have become separated from the devices they belong with. Many do not carry the same brand name as the devices they power.
I realize now that I should have labeled the adapters. I do have a universal adapter with a variety of plug ends. It helps if I cannot find the matching adapter. However, it does not solve the problem of what to do with the mismatched adapters. Joan Sarver, Lake Forest, Calif.
All you can do is try to match the adapter with the right device, and put orphaned adapters in the garage-sale box. Heloise
Dear Heloise: When putting together a package to mail, use the plastic sleeves from newspapers and stuff them with foam peanuts. They cushion the contents but don't cause a mess upon opening. Barbara Henckel, Ingram, Texas
Barbara, love this hint. Those foam peanuts do a good job, but they sure can be a nuisance when they spill all over. Heloise
Dear Heloise: I have discovered another use for powdered dishwasher detergent. It's great to scrub a casserole dish. Fill the dish with hot water and sprinkle liberally with the detergent. Let soak, and the food practically comes off on its own.
The first Heloise hint I used was to get an odor out of a pantry closet in this old house. The closet smelled so bad I couldn't stand to open the door. I saw a hint in your column about stuffing a musty-smelling suitcase with crumpled newspapers. Well, I crumpled many weeks' worth of newspapers, filled that pantry about four feet deep, then shut the door. After a week or so, there wasn't any detectable odor, so I removed the newspapers. The smell was gone. Marianne DePersio, via e-mail
Dear Heloise: I read your hints on shoulder pads a while back and wanted to tell you that I covet the ones with self-gripping tape. The rule is "Thou shalt not give them away" -- the clothes, yes; the shoulder pads, no.
I pin them to hangers for all those things that wind up on the floor, such as wide-neck blouses and silk shirts. I also keep these hangers in the laundry room for air-drying nightgowns and other slippery things. Thanks for all the ironing you've saved me with this hint. Barbara Corin, Monroe Township, N.J.
XSend a money-saving or timesaving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, TX 78279-5000; fax to (210) HELOISE, or e-mail Heloise@Heloise.com.
King Features Syndicate