HELOISE: Charcoal turns into bag of fire

Dear Heloise: I had an interesting experience. I was barbecuing using self-lighting charcoal. As the coals burned down, I picked up the rest of the bag and began to dump briquettes on the fire. The bag just started to burn. I was holding a bag of fire as the self-lighting chemicals lit up! As I had poured the briquettes, I also poured the chemical onto the fire.

Fortunately, I was in a clear area and simply tossed the bag of fire out on the empty driveway. The chemicals quickly burned out, and no harm was done, but I learned a valuable lesson.

Bob in Alabama

Bob, this could have been disastrous and deadly! Self-lighting charcoal briquettes have lighter fluid infused in them! Also, do not put additional briquettes on a hot fire; you are asking for trouble!

When storing self-lighting charcoal, be sure the bag is closed tightly so the lighter fluid will not evaporate. Caution: Do not store these types of charcoal briquettes (or any other, too!) near any heat source.

Heloise

Dear Heloise: When you travel, take a small address book. Besides the addresses and phone numbers of relatives and friends with whom you’ll be visiting, you also should have the phone numbers of your doctor, dentist and pharmacist for emergencies.

B.V. in Montana

Dear Heloise: As a widower and empty nester, I almost always drive alone. This allows/encourages the accumulation of “stuff”: tissue box, maps, notebooks, etc., in the front passenger seat. All this “stuff” cascades to the floor in the event of a sudden stop, causing a mess and a dangerous distraction. I found that an inexpensive and widely available plastic dishpan can be belted into place using the vehicle’s seat belt, thereby providing a safe storage area. Further, the “stuff” can be easily and neatly removed if I need to give someone a ride!

Lawrence in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Dear Heloise: I have a helpful hint I hope some readers can use. I have vertical blinds in my home. In the summer, I like to pull them off to the side to let the light in, but if it’s windy, they flap around. I take a rubber band, gather the blinds at the bottom and attach the rubber band, and there is no more flapping.

Jean in Pennsylvania

Dear Heloise: You recently printed a hint about making a boot tree from newspapers secured with the plastic sleeve the paper comes in. This may prevent air from circulating around the boots and drying them thoroughly.

I’ve taken a rinsed-out half-gallon milk jug and carefully cut a large oval on each side. Leaving the cap off, I slip a boot over each milk jug. This way, air can move around and through the boots, and they dry more completely.

David in Pennsylvania

Send a money-saving or timesaving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, TX 78279-5000, fax it to 210-HELOISE or e-mail it to Heloise@Heloise.com.

King Features Syndicate