Don't let death create free-for-all grabfest

Dear Heloise: My dad died, and people are shopping for items they could use just as if his home were a grocery store. Have some feeling for the family. Don't rush the family into deciding that the TV or the rocking chair is exactly what someone wants or needs.
A woman came over and said a family needed chairs and immediately began to assume that my dad's chairs are for the taking. These chairs are what my mom and dad sat on, and I feel connected to this furniture.
Secondly, if you suspect that a parent hid money or valuables, look over the belongings very carefully before giving any to anyone. Don't be pressured to give because some family is poor -- after all, Dad saved money to buy the furnishings he used. A daughter in New York
If people read your letter and think before they speak or act, it might save someone from giving away an item that has a great deal of emotional value. I know! I gave some of my mother's cowboy boots to someone. I wish I hadn't. Heloise
Dear Heloise: I have found that scuff marks can be removed from most tile or laminate flooring by simply rubbing them with a pencil eraser or a dry paper towel. Doesn't sound like this will work, but it removes them like magic! Quick and easy!Donna in Washington
Fast facts
Dear Heloise: I would like to share with you another useful item -- the plastic newspaper bag. It is great for the following:
UHolding a wet umbrella when traveling.
UPacking shoes and other small items.
UPut garden or barbecue tools in it.
UGood for a quick ice pack.
Shirley in Washington, D.C.
FYI: Need to freshen those carpets in your home or auto? Simply put some baking soda in a clean, shaker-type spice container and liberally sprinkle all over carpeted areas. Let it sit for 30 minutes or so to help absorb odors, then vacuum it up. For a jazzy carpet deodorizer, you can add a little cinnamon or apple-pie spice to a shaker filled 3/4 full with baking soda. Mix well, shake onto the carpet, let sit, then vacuum.
Caution: Dark-colored spices can stain, so don't use on light-colored carpeting. Baking soda is a favorite cleaner and deodorizer, it is cheap, and it can usually be found on everyone's pantry shelf. I have a pamphlet filled with some money-saving hints on how to use baking soda around your home.
To receive a copy of this six-page pamphlet, send $4 and a long, self-addressed, stamped (63 cents) envelope to: Heloise/Baking Soda, P.O. Box 795001, San Antonio, TX 78279-5001. Baking soda is such a good and safe cleaner that it was even used to clean the Statue of Liberty! Heloise
Sound off
Dear Heloise: Why are the hanging holes on calendars always on the edge? We are having to use reinforcements on the pages -- so now I place them on when the calendars are new before hanging. Thanks. Norma in Spring, Texas
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