HELOISE: Checks should go to charities

Dear Heloise: I read a hint about including addresses on flowers sent for funerals. Another hint is to be sure to include your full name and address on sympathy cards that are taken to the funeral or visitation.

One more hint regarding memorials: If you wish to send a donation to a specific charity that the family has not designated, please mail the check directly to your chosen charity and inform the family so they can thank you directly and your donation will get to the proper charity.

When my mother passed away, we had several people send checks to us that were made out to a charity of their choice. We spent many hours trying to find addresses for these charities so we could mail the check. It would have been so much simpler if they had sent the donation directly.

Marlene in Nebraska

Good hints I hope my readers consider.

Heloise

Dear Heloise: Here are some uses for the larger “tub”-style butter/margarine lids:

As you sew and quilt, they make good circle patterns.

Cut in half to make scrapers for surfaces you do not want to scratch.

Use as disposable cutting boards for small amounts of food.

Vivian Russell in Bellevue, Neb.

Dear Heloise: Perhaps you should add this to the microfiber hints: Do not use fabric softener in the rinse cycle or dryer sheets in the dryer when drying microfiber cloths. This ruins their effectiveness, and they will not dry things off the way they should.

I wash a load with them in it, then spin them around in the dryer for about 10 minutes. I take them out of the dryer and hang them up, at the same time adding dryer sheets to the remaining items in the dryer.

P.A. Almquist in Marshall, Texas

Good hint, and thanks for the reminder!

Heloise

Dear Heloise: I saw the letter where the woman was complaining about bleach spots on her laundry, and the same thing happened to us. We found that using the machine’s bleach dispenser created the problem. Bleach apparently was getting stuck somewhere, only to drip onto the next load. Once we stopped using it, the problem thankfully stopped.

Roberta, via e-mail

Dear Heloise: I have a huge suggestion for the manufacturers of coupons. It appears that most coupons cannot be used by the consumer of a food product unless he or she buys two or more. Most households buy groceries once a week because they cannot afford to buy more than one of each item. It appears to be an act of discrimination against the poor and low-income, and it needs to be changed.

Joan in Springfield, Ohio

King Features Syndicate