Reader offers advice after cleaning mishap

Dear Heloise: There are a lot of new household cleaners on the market. Please advise your readers to read the directions and disclaimers.
If in doubt, call the 800 phone number on the container. Some of these new products have disclaimers for plastic, metals and older fixtures.
Since my bathroom fixtures are old but in good condition, I always read the label. I bought a new product -- everyday use, cleans hard-water film and soap scum. The directions were short, and the disclaimer was for natural stone, marble and colored aluminum surfaces.
The product removed the glaze from the corner of one bathtub, the bottom of the other tub and one sink. The company said that I did not follow the directions and did not rinse thoroughly. I contend that any disclaimer should be in large, dark print -- DO NOT USE ON (fill in the blank). Betty in Kansas
Yikes! Sorry for your mishap, but thank you for warning others. Many new products work wonderfully, but you must be extremely careful when using them on some surfaces.
It is very important to read product labels completely before starting a cleaning process. Remember, never mix products that contain bleach and ammonia. This mixture could actually be fatal -- so take this caution seriously! Heloise
Dear Heloise:: I have a complaint that I'm sure many travelers have. When we are traveling by car, we listen to the radio, and when a storm warning comes on, or any kind of weather report, the announcers never give the town where their call letters are from. They just mention the station call letters, but we don't know where that town is.
Could you please remind station managers to give the city name along with their call letters so we know what is ahead of us? This has bothered us for years. Please get this across to the radio stations! Alice Bruns, Colorado Springs, Colo.
Well, we're printing this, so hopefully station managers will read your complaint and make a change. Thanks for passing along your concern. Heloise
Dear Heloise: The pump on my body lotion won't dispense the last ounce or so. I found a flip-top lid that fits the bottle. The lid is flat, so I can stand the bottle upside down in a corner of my vanity. The lotion drains down and dispenses without any shaking or mess. I save the cap after I completely empty all of the lotion from the bottle. No waste! B. Thomas, Celeste, Texas
Send 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