Thursday, June 26, 2014
Dear Heloise: The container that holds honey leaked all over my kitchen-cabinet shelf. The shelf is plastic, and I can’t take it out of the cabinet. How can I clean this mess?
Julie P. in Oregon
Start by taking everything off the shelf and any lower shelves. Next, boil some water and pour it over every place on the shelf that has sticky patches of honey. Cover the water and honey with paper towels. Continue to add more boiling water until the towels are completely soaked. Finally, cover the entire area with plastic wrap.
After about 10 or 15 minutes of letting the water and paper towels sit (until the honey is softened), you should be able to remove the paper towels, plastic wrap and honey all at once. For stubborn, stuck-on spots, you may need to repeat the process.
Heloise
Dear Heloise: I recently went on a trip, and my daughter kept my dog. I was worried that if something happened and my dog got out, she wouldn’t be able to get hold of me. I went to a large pet-supply store, which had a machine that makes tags in a few minutes. I made one that had my daughter’s information on it. Before I left on my trip, I traded out the tags on my dog’s collar. That way, if something happened and he got picked up, they would call my daughter first.
Vicky in Louisiana
Dear Heloise: My shower floor got dirty after I cracked two ribs and couldn’t bend over to clean it. Then I remembered a Heloise hint about using cheap shampoo to clean showers. So, after my shower, I dried off except for my feet. Then I added a dab of shampoo to a damp washcloth. I didn’t want to fall again, so I braced myself. I placed one foot on the washcloth and starting scrubbing. Being braced with my hands gave extra power to my scrubbing. Fortunately, my shower head detaches for rinsing both the floor and my feet.
Cee, via email
Be extra-careful when you do this so you don’t slip. Place a rug with rubber backing right next to the tub so that you can safely get out onto it.
Heloise
Dear Heloise: My daughter used to ride horses every day. I learned about horse-hoof picks from helping her at the barn. It occurred to me what a great tool this would be around the house. It has a strong metal pick on one side and a stiff-bristle brush on the other. I bought one the next time we were at a tack store, and after several years, it’s strong as ever. It’s great when something needs scraping, then brushing, before vacuuming, like a sliding-door track or the groove lines in our aggregate concrete patio.
Mary McFadden, Elk Grove, Calif.
Dear Heloise: Whenever I need to label something of my son’s and I don’t want the label to last permanently, I write his name on a piece of masking tape and stick it on the item. It easily comes off with no damage.
Tiffany, via email
Send a money-saving or timesaving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, TX 78279-5000, fax it to 210-HELOISE or email it to Heloise@Heloise.com.
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