HELOISE: Drying clothes? Try tips

Dear Heloise: I read your column in The (Prescott, Ariz.) Daily Courier. I have some great hints that will help when drying clothes:

To prevent the cuffs on the bottom of trousers from getting crimped up, I hold them in place by putting two large paper clips on them. I put two in the front and two in the back.

I stretch seams gently before placing the garments in the dryer, and this helps reduce puckering.

I shake items and untwist them before placing in the dryer. This not only reduces wrinkling, but it allows the items to dry a bit faster, and this saves energy.

Kathryn Mitchell, Prescott, Ariz.

Good hints, indeed, especially shaking and untwisting the wet items before putting them in the dryer. Here are a few favorites from Heloise Central:

Toss pajamas in the dryer for a minute or two, and they’ll get toasty-warm.

Mark items that need special attention with a safety pin, to know which should be dried at a lower temperature or not at all.

Heloise

Dear Heloise: I save my daily newspaper crossword puzzles and take a few with me when I know I’ll have a wait in a medical office or transportation station. Great for auto trips and motels, too.

Jean in New Jersey

Dear Heloise: When traveling to my daughter’s home at Christmas, I found that the gifts that were wrapped at home arrived somewhat crushed no matter how they were packed in the car.

This past year, I placed the gifts, by recipient, in a large vacuum storage bag. I placed the gift bags and tissue paper in a large shopping bag. Once at our destination, it was simple to assemble the gifts, and nothing was crushed.

Ann Looney, Allentown, N.J.

Dear Heloise: Paper towels are a perfect size to attach to my floor sweeper instead of the pads made for it. When I have a wet or moist spot on my kitchen floor, the paper towel works great. It’s not necessary for me to get down on my hands and knees, and it’s far less expensive than using the floor wipes that I use for the entire kitchen floor when it gets grungy.

Fred, Hartford, Conn.

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