HELOISE: Clothing is ruined by crayon in washer

Dear Heloise: I am a mom of two boys, and I recently did a load of laundry that was full of their brand-new clothes. I discovered, after pulling them out of the dryer, that a blue crayon had been hiding in a pocket somewhere! Their clothes have blue spots all over them and appear to be pretty much ruined. I am devastated, as we don’t have much money to purchase more clothing. Is there any hope of saving the clothes?

Lora, via email

Lora, don’t fret! I’ll share some Heloise Hints that hopefully will get those clothes clean! Once clothes go through the dryer, the stains usually are harder to get out, but let’s give this a try. Grab a can of spray lubricant, spray the stain liberally on both sides and let sit for several minutes on a paper towel. You can scrub with an old toothbrush. Replace paper toweling as it gets stained.

Next, if there is any wax left, work liquid dish soap into the backside of the stain. Wash the clothes in the hottest water safe for the fabric with the normal amount of laundry detergent and a color-safe bleach. don’t put the garment into the dryer until you make sure th e stain is completely gone. If it isn’t, repeat the steps above.

Heloise

Dear Heloise: Because of so many different chargers for household items (cellphone, digital camera, laptops, etc.), I use a sandwich-size zip bag (or larger, if needed) to store each one. I label each bag using a stick-on label and a permanent marker. They stay clean, and I can easily see which one I am looking for. The bags contain the cords, so no messy cord tangles, either.

Linda Hoshower Athens, Ohio

Dear Heloise: I just bought a new dishwasher and did not think it through. My dishwasher is a right load. The silverware basket is very unhandy, to the far right. It was a pain to load it, so now I just leave the whole basket in the sink until I get ready to turn the dishwasher on, then just pop it in! It is wonderful! I do not have a bunch of silverware cluttering up the sink.

Barbara Reed Montgomery, Texas

Dear Heloise: This one has helped many of my students remember how to open a combination padlock:

Spin the dial clockwise, go around at least twice,

Stopping on the first number would be rather wise!

Now go the other direction, the first number you’ll pass,

Stop on the second number – slow down, not so fast!

Finally, clockwise again, go straight to the third,

Your lock should open, so say a kind word!

Now go ahead and practice, it’ll take a few tries,

Then helping out others, would be totally nice!

Lastly, remember your combination,

Jot it in your agenda, please,

Because the next time you need it,

You’ll be able to find it with ease!

Coach A., via e-mail

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