Dish drainer trays protect new cabinets

Dear Heloise: We have decided to remodel our home, with the bathroom being the first room. To save money, my wife and I wanted to do as much of the work as we could. We installed new cabinets and a new sink.

We wanted to protect the insides of the cabinets so they didn’t get messy like the old ones. We came up with the idea of using plastic dish-drainer trays, placed side by side in the cabinets to protect the floor. The trays are easy to remove, and best of all, they will catch spills. Bill, Conway, Ark.

Bill, thanks for sharing this hint. Another idea to keep cabinets in tiptop shape is to line them with leftover floor tiles. Heloise

Dear Heloise: How do I get oil out of a concrete garage floor? Tom, via e-mail

Oil spots need to be taken care of ASAP. Sprinkle cheap clay-type cat litter or sand over the stain, crush a little or press down, then let it sit overnight. Sweep it up and dispose of it, and repeat if necessary. If the stain still remains, you can try liquid or powdered laundry detergent, scrubbed in with a sturdy brush. Still left with a stain? Look for a commercial cleaner either at an automotive or home-improvement store. Heloise

Dear Heloise: Many of the clothes I buy have extra buttons included, and I have accumulated a shoe box full of them through the years.

When I buy an item, I immediately write a brief description of the article of clothing on the tag that comes with it and include the month and year. Then I staple the tag to the small plastic bag the buttons are in and put it in my shoe box. This has saved me countless hours of searching for the right button! Kathy, via e-mail

Dear Heloise: We recently had a death in our family. Most people who signed the book at the funeral home either wrote no last name, no address, or the entry was so illegible we couldn’t figure out who they were.

Please, take the time to write (or print) legibly your full name and address. Out of more than 250 potential thank-yous, we were only able to send 137, and it took two months of sorting through the names and calling relatives to see if they knew the last names, addresses, etc. Pandora, via e-mail

Dear Heloise: I love your column and never miss it! The one hint I have involves gift bags. I keep many on hand, but hate to drag them all out when I can’t see the size. So I put them over a hanger and hang them in the closet. I can see the size and color. Thanks for all your wonderful hints through the years. Ann Grummert, via e-mail

SBlt 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.

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