Here's a maid that helps without being paid

Dear Heloise: I have the directions for the "Mr. Honey Do," but need the directions for the "Kitchen Maid." Can you help me? Nancy B., Navarre
Sure, I'd be glad to help! Here are the directions to make the maid that helps without being paid. But remember, when putting a Kitchen Maid together, be creative -- use things that you know the recipient will need and use.
An ironing board with a cover makes the body, and use a string mop for a great head of hair! An apron with pockets around the middle of the ironing board is perfect to fill with small kitchen items such as utensils, an egg timer, hot pads, a feather duster, etc. Add a dustpan at the wide end of the ironing board for the feet, or if you have a larger budget, set the ironing board on top of a vacuum and secure it with a couple of elastic cords under the apron.
Attach a plunger to one side of the ironing-board back and a toilet-bowl brush to the other to make two arms. And for the face, two nylon-net scrubbies make grand eyes; use a small sponge for the nose, and a nailbrush can be used for the mouth. Heloise
Dear Heloise: I read your article on cleaning can openers. I became tired of the old electric can opener always needing a cleaning when I needed it, so I did away with that one and bought two manual, dishwasher-safe can openers. Now when one is in the dishwasher waiting to be cleaned, I still have another one that's clean and ready to use.
This is much more sanitary and requires nothing but a little muscle power. Larry, via e-mail
Dear Heloise: The toothpaste my family uses has baking soda and peroxide for whitening teeth. Recently, my dark-colored hand towels started showing spots that looked like they had been bleached! I think I've figured out what those stains on my towels are from, as I never use bleach.
When any of our five kids uses a hand towel after teeth-brushing, the peroxide from the toothpaste left on the person's hands and mouth is wiped onto the towel -- therefore, it seems that the peroxide "bleaches" the color out of the hand towels after sitting for a while! I know there is no way to fix the towels, but wanted to let other readers know about this. Jill Lickteig, Elk Horn, Iowa
Thanks for the good advice! This can also happen with some acne medications, so be careful with colored towels. Heloise
Dear Heloise: I keep a floor duster with removable pad behind the bathroom door. Every morning after showers, I run it over the floor to pick up hair, lint, etc. I find that this makes the weekly floor cleaning a little easier. Carole Read, 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