Be careful about dosage for medications

Dear Readers: Emergency-room doctors say you'd be amazed how many people end up in the ER or doctor's office because of an accidental overdose of prescription or over-the-counter medication. Often, it's simply because someone didn't follow the directions.
To be on the safe side, always:
URead the label before each dose, no matter how many times you have given or taken a medication.
UUse the correct measuring device; if a liquid medicine comes with a dose cup, make sure you fill it only up to the prescribed level; dose-cup markings can be hard to see, but they're there ... so be sure to look!
UWhen giving over-the-counter medicine to a child, use his weight, not his age, to determine the dose.
UWhen taking antibiotics, always do so for as long as the doctor ordered, even if you're already feeling better.
And never use household silverware to measure medications. The amount in a measured teaspoon is not the same as an ordinary teaspoon. You might be giving yourself too little or, worse, too much! Heloise
Dear Heloise: It's such a shame that people have a hard time with window-cleaning agents. You only need water and newspaper. One word of caution: Your windows will be so streak-free, you could actually walk through a glass door. Ann McReynolds, Bristol, Tenn.
Ann, our grandmothers used newspaper and water to clean windows, and it does work.
Newspapers are great for washing windows. Some newspapers, however, are made of different-quality paper and inks, so you need to test the paper you read. Ours, the San Antonio Express-News, works just great! Don't use color comics or "slick & quot;-type paper ... or the section where this column runs!
If, however, they are really dirty, you do need a cleaning agent like plain old vinegar or ammonia and water. Vinegar has so many uses and is safe for just about everything. Want more hints, like how to kill bad odors in the sink, keep the toilet clean and keep some mold away? Send for Heloise's vinegar pamphlet by enclosing $4 and a long, self-addressed, stamped (60 cents) envelope to: Heloise-V, P.O. Box 795001, San Antonio, TX 78279-5001.
Dear Heloise: When Christmastime is near and it is time to go into the attic to drag out the dreaded "big box" of Christmas lights, ornaments and decorations, I go in my attic with a big laundry basket. I go through the box right there and decide what I need, then place it neatly in the basket and carry it downstairs, and I am ready to decorate. What a timesaver and back-saver! Terri in New Jersey
Dear Heloise: When I rinse grapes, cherry tomatoes, etc., I use a plastic container with holes in it that other fruit came in, and I don't have to pull out the colander. K.M. in San Antonio
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