HELOISE: Prewash spray can save the day

Dear Heloise: You once had a laundry-soap treatment made with dish soap and ammonia. I can’t find that recipe. Do you still have it?

Judith Kaluzny, Fullerton, Calif.

Of course, and it’s a real money-saving hint, too! Use a clean spray bottle and simply put equal parts ammonia (sudsy or plain), dishwashing (not dishwasher) liquid and water in it. This means, as an example, 1/2 cup of ammonia, 1/2 cup of dishwashing soap and 1/2 cup of water. Make sure you label the bottle. Do not use with household bleach or any product containing bleach. Combined, they can cause harmful and toxic fumes.

Just apply the prewash to the stain (spray from the back of the garment) and let sit for a few minutes, then wash the garment immediately. (You CANNOT use this and toss in the hamper.) Don’t dry — let the item air-dry in case you need to repeat the steps. For a great guide to keep by the washer, order my eight-page pamphlet Heloise’s Handy Stain Guide for Clothing by sending $5 and a long, self-addressed, stamped (61 cents) envelope to: Heloise/Stains, P.O. Box 795001, San Antonio, TX 78279-5001. You also will find a list of stain-removal hints. Another hint: Always air-dry — meaning do not put in the dryer — any item that is questionable!

P.S.: Treat stains ASAP, and you won’t have to throw out that favorite garment.

Heloise

Dear Heloise: Since I live on the West Coast and my family lives on the East Coast, I am always traveling back and forth. I bought two of the daily compartmented pillboxes with snap lids. Each compartment easily can hold a ring, two or three pairs of stud earrings and a few small pendants. Since the caps snap tight, everything stays together. The boxes are plastic and add no extra weight. When I get to my destination, it is easy to just snap open the cap to see what I want without disturbing anything else. When I leave, everything is still organized.

Gertrude in California

Dear Heloise: I take a binder clip with me on vacation. It’s perfect for clipping together hotel-room draperies that won’t close all the way otherwise.

Alice Berntson, Salem, Ore.

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