HELOISE: Hint keeps the candle burning

Dear Heloise: What can I do about my favorite large scented candle that no longer has a wick to keep it burning? I’d hate to throw it away. The edges are so much higher than the inside. Please help!

Marian, Crown Point, Ind.

Candles are a billion-dollar industry and add lovely ambience to our homes. Here are some hints from readers that make great use of candles that can no longer burn.

Angel from Dubois, Ind., puts a tealight candle in a large pillar candle when it burns down.

Ann from Florida chops the candle up, puts the pieces in a plastic bag and stores them in the freezer to use in a wax burner.

Sharon from Houston puts the candle in a cupboard to let the smell linger.

For safety, only place candles on a candleholder that is heat-safe. And keep candles away from children and pets! To prevent soot, always trim the wick to 1‚Ñ4 inch before lighting, and burn for only a few hours at a time. If you have hints about candles, we would love to hear from you!

Heloise

Dear Heloise: Here’s an easy way I have developed for washing windows. I first spray with window cleaner and wipe with newspaper, paper towels or rags to remove dirt and grime. Then I spray with window cleaner again and squeegee it off. If there are any lines left by the squeegee, they wipe away streak-free with a clean paper towel.

Bruce from Houston

Dear Heloise: One thing I learned (the hard way) not to put in the garbage disposal is lots of thin pasta. I turned on the disposal and dropped about four or five servings of leftover shrimp pasta from the colander into the machine.

The first symptom was that the sink next to the disposal would not drain. Once I realized I had a clog, I tried using the plumber’s helper to dislodge it, but nothing worked. I waited overnight and the water drained out slowly, but the drain was still clogged.

Since we were going out of town the next day, I had to fix the problem myself. This involved taking apart the p-trap and some of the attached plumbing, and taking them outside to try to dislodge the clog with the spray from a garden hose. The spaghetti had made a perfectly twined clog to obstruct the flow of water and yet was compressible enough to resist the vigorous action of the plunger.

Janet in Louisiana

Dear Heloise: If you make a wind chime out of old keys, and the chime is at the back door, you could add a spare house key to the chime. No one but you would know which one was the spare and which ones were worthless.

Theresa, via e-mail

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