HELOISE: Contact cases double their use

Dear Heloise: I wear contact lenses and have extra cases that came free when I bought products. They’re small, flat, and the lids screw on tightly.

I’ve used them as pill containers, for lip gloss, for cuticle cream, etc. They don’t take up a lot of space, and they don’t open easily. You can have one or two in each of your most-used purses, so that you don’t have to totally shift the contents each time.

If the screw-on lids look alike, write the contents on the outside with permanent marker.

R.H., via e-mail

Have you been peeking in my purse? I’ve used the contact containers for hand cream, perfume and even extra liquid makeup for touch-ups! I put several coats of nail polish on the lid to mark them.

Heloise

Dear Heloise: My travel hint is this: Take along one of those room fresheners that do double duty as a night light. Plug it in near the bathroom. You never know when someone will need to get up in the middle of the night in an unfamiliar room. I prefer the kind that has scented oil. I choose the aroma for the room. Just remember to take it with you when you leave.

Marion in New Jersey

Dear Heloise: My parents have floor-to-ceiling windows with baseboards and quarter rounds. I used an electric toothbrush (disposable, obviously) to clean the baseboards, which have a lot of crevices.

Shari, via e-mail

Dear Heloise: Marking jewelry for garage sales is a challenge. I take an old pillowcase, cut a small opening in the center of the closed end and slip a hanger through the hole. Then I pin my jewelry items on the pillowcase and hang it up somewhere in the garage. This makes it easier for shoppers to see what items are for sale. It works much better than putting earrings, necklaces, bracelets and pins in containers on a table.

Nancy in Elk Grove, Calif.

Dear Readers: Recently, I was attempting to open a can of tomato soup when the pull tab popped off! I didn’t know what to do! The lip of the can was too tall for my can opener to do the job. At my wits’ end, I called the manufacturer, and here is what it said.

The company is working on a redesign of the can where the pull tab won’t come off so easily, and if it does, a can opener will be able to finish the job.

The company graciously offered to send me a new can for my trouble! Great consumer relations!

Heloise

Dear Heloise: I have found that those little curved-bristle brushes that come in a box of hair color for touching up gray hair also can be a great cleaning tool for bathroom faucets, jewelry and tight spots in my automobiles. It also treats stains on clothing, and it works perfectly well.

Roxanne in Texas

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