Driveway rust can be cleaned

Dear Heloise: I have small, circular rust spots all over my driveway, caused by the iron in a granular lawn fertilizer I used recently. A post-application rainstorm dissolved some of the granules that had spilled over onto the driveway. It looks terrible! How can I clean off these rust spots? Jeff Thompson, via e-mail

Muriatic acid, found at pool-supply and most hardware stores, will remove rust. Because it is a strong acid, great care must be taken when following the directions for use. Commercial rust removers also are available. One reader wrote to say that she used lemon juice and sunshine to remove rust from the driveway. Heloise

Dear Heloise: Many bugs and spiders are good for the environment. However, my wife hates all insects! When there is one in the house, she always wants to kill it. Instead, I take over. I have saved a couple of those hinged boxes that berries come in. I carefully scoop the invader into the box and return it to the outside. Barry, Round Rock, Texas

Dear Heloise: I put a strong wooden spring clothespin on cereal bags after I roll them down to keep them closed. I use the clothespins for crackers and chips, too. I also have a 2-inch roll of strong, clear tape to re-close pasta, rice and brown-sugar bags and any boxes that need to be re-closed. I cannot be without these two items. Ann Molnar, Ohio

Dear Heloise: The deer wiped out my garden again last year — what they didn’t eat, they trampled. I had two hard-plastic kiddie wading pools, so I put lots of holes in the bottom. I put the pools near my back door and filled them with potting soil. I planted tomatoes, bell peppers and squash. This turned out to be the best garden I ever had, with enough tomatoes for my family and friends.

Then in the August heat, the vines started to look sad, so I cut them back, and they grew back in a few weeks — it was like a new garden. When frost was threatening in November, I threw old comforters over the pools at night, and we had tomatoes well into December. So, if anyone wants the easiest garden he or she ever had, start watching for the wading pools in stores. They don’t cost much and will last for years. Rita McWhorter, Eldorado, Texas

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