HELOISE Reader discovers one more handy use for baking soda

Dear Heloise: I read your column daily with interest and noted the uses for baking soda. I especially liked the hint about using it as a paste to remove dead skin from your hands.
Today I was hand-spreading grass seed and found that the seeds had been coated with a green dye. Soap and water didn't remove it, so I took out the baking soda, made a paste and scrubbed my green fingers. Lo and behold, they're flesh-colored again, without my having to use the very abrasive soap my husband uses after working on the car. Marta Wisler, Sidney
Don't you love the many safe and cheap uses for baking soda? If your hands stink after chopping onions, sprinkle some baking soda in one, add water, rub, scrub and rinse! Heloise
Fast facts
I'm looking for suggestions on what to do with glass candle jars after the candles have burned down. Surely there is some way to reuse these heavy jars with lids. Kay, via e-mail
You're right -- those apothecary-type jars are great for:
UCotton balls or swabs in the bathroom.
UWrapped candy on an office desk.
UIf the lid seals, use to hold individual tea bags.
UGlue a magnet on the underside of the lid and fill the jar with paper clips. Before opening, tilt the jar upside down and then right it again, and voil & aacute; -- paper clips at your fingertips.
UKeep on a dresser to hold spare change. Heloise
Dear Heloise: Year after year, I've battled with the hole in the tops of calendar pages tearing when I would turn the page.
I think I've found a solution. This year, I've used those round reinforcement stickers on the front and back of each page to reinforce the holes more. So far, it's working out great! Brenda S., Rockwood, Pa.
Dear Heloise: I love to change wreaths on my front porch to coincide with the seasons. I used to buy a different wreath for each season, but then I decided to use one plain wreath and change out the flowers and bows. I attached these with hot glue, but the glue tore up the wreath when I tried to change the Now, instead of hot-gluing the flowers, I use a fine, invisible hairnet (very inexpensive) to cover the wreath and keep everything in place. It does not show and can withstand some pretty strong winds. Darice Nations, Washington, Ark.
Sound off
Dear Heloise: I think some folks are being foolish when they put the names of all their family members under the "people figures" on the back windows of their cars. Kids react more quickly to someone who knows their name, and this could cause them to respond to someone who has evil intentions. If the "wrong person" sees the car, he could quickly act as if he knows the family and gain the confidence of a child. Bob Sutton, a Texan who lives in California
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