HELOISE: Tips help cleaning smoke off fireplace

Dear Readers: If you have a fireplace and use it a lot, here are two hints for you:

Smoke on a few bricks? An art gum eraser, available at an art store or mega-retailer, is a quick fix. You can knead it and press it into the soot stains. Fold over the stained portion of the eraser until you have a clean space on the gum. Repeat until the eraser has removed as much of the staining as it can.

If the fireplace glass doors are stained, a good solution is oven cleaner. Remove the doors and take them outside to a well-ventilated area. Spray both sides with a thick layer and allow them to sit outside for a few hours. Rinse with the garden hose, dry and you are done.

Heloise

P.S.: Do not use anything abrasive to scrub the doors, because it may affect the integrity of the glass.

Dear Heloise: I carry my car keys on a large, round key ring. It’s handy when I reach into my overstuffed handbag, and I can find my keys easily.

My favorite use is stapling a note to it to remind me to do something I would otherwise forget! It drives me crazy to have paper hanging off my key ring, so I’m sure to do whatever it is I’m supposed to remember.

Cathy Hart, Omaha, Neb.

A good hint to help remember things. One note: It is not advisable to have a large, weighty key chain hanging down when driving. Too much weight could possibly damage the ignition of your car.

Heloise

Dear Heloise: We have a 4-month-old baby, and I traveled to Florida with her. My husband’s golf travel bag was perfect for the portable playpen and car seat base, and any extras I needed for the baby. Plus, it has wheels and is easy to pull behind you.

Gretchen Sherman in Schertz, Texas

This is certainly a novel use for a golf bag. What a great way to keep things organized!

Heloise

Dear Heloise: My kitchen trash can is several steps away from the counter, and I tired of walking to it for every little bit of trash I accumulate in making lunches or dinner. So, I started using a fruit/vegetable bag as a trash bag, and when finished, I grab it and throw it away.

Shar, via e-mail

Dear Heloise: A lot of calendars have small numbers that are difficult to read. I take a marker and go over the numbers. It’s a big improvement; I can see the numbers much better!

Verene in Kansas

Dear Readers: It is a good idea to change spark plugs on a regular basis. According to the Car Care Council, dirty spark plugs don’t operate properly and can misfire, wasting fuel.

Heloise

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