HELOISE Turn off water valves before going on vacation

Dear Heloise: Before going on vacation, shut the main water supply off and shut off valves to the toilets.
I found water on my master-bathroom floor and about 1 foot into the bedroom carpet when I returned from vacation. The toilet bowl was leaking where the water supply comes into the bottom of the toilet tank.
Luckily, when I left on vacation, I'd shut off the main water supply to the house. The only reason I did have water leakage was because my neighbor periodically turned the water on to water my plants and shrubs. So, the damage was negligible -- lucky us.
The moral of this story is to not only shut off the main waterline to the house, but also to shut off any water valves that you can -- especially the ones to the toilets. Sumner, via e-mail
This is very good advice for anyone who will be away from home for a long period of time, and even for those who own vacation homes.
Also, if you can, have someone you trust simply take a walk-through once in a while. Anything like this might be caught before it turns into a big problem. Heloise
Dear Heloise: Another use for unsolicited return-address labels that are often sent in conjunction with donation requests: I use them to identify my garden and hand tools so there is no question regarding their ownership. Saves a lot of misunderstanding, and this use befits their name. Hilda Frediani, Geneseo, N.Y.
Dear Readers: When choosing new carpet, laminate or tile, first bring home a good-size sample and lay it in a high-traffic area of the room where it will be installed. After a week or so, you'll have a better idea of how the flooring will do in your home. Heloise
Dear Heloise: We all know that it's a good idea to have a regular, corded phone, because the portables don't work if the power goes out. I have another good reason to have one.
We have three small portables, and sometimes when they ring, I can't find any of them. I don't miss calls now because we put a regular, corded phone on a wall in the kitchen. Julie Harkey, Brazil, Ind.
Dear Heloise: I read your gardening tip on keeping fingernails clean by rubbing them across a bar of soap before gardening, so I thought you might like to know how I protect my long fingernails while gardening.
I put "rubber fingertips" (the kind you buy in office-supply stores for use when filing or sorting papers) on each finger. Then I put on my gardening glove.
I remove the glove by pinching the tip of each gloved finger, and my hand will slide out while leaving the "tips" in the glove for next time. Judy, Bonita Springs, Fla.
Dear Heloise: I use a hair dryer to loosen labels on just about anything. They peel right off when the glue is heated. Sonja Rasom, via e-mail
XSend a money-saving or timesaving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, TX 78279-5000, or you can fax it to (210) HELOISE or e-mail it to Heloise@Heloise.com.
King Features Syndicate