HELPFUL HINTS

LITTLE ROCK — DEAR HELOISE: I would like to know if there is an organization that collects the pull tabs from soda cans. Should I throw them out, or do you know where I could send them?

• Connye P., Washington

DEAR READER: Ronald McDonald House Charities accepts soda tabs, which are then taken to a recycling center and turned into cash. The money is sent to RMHC,which provides a place to stay, at little to no cost, for families with a child who is hospitalized far from home because of serious illness or injury. The amount raised can add up to thousands of dollars.

For more information (unfortunately, there is no 800 number), you can go to the RMHC website, rmhc.org, to search for a chapter near you (some collect tabs, others don’t).

P.S.: You can call your chamber of commerce or reference desk at the library to see if there is one in your town.

DEAR HELOISE: I have a toddler and loved all the one-piece bodysuits that would snap closed at the bottom. As she grew, I couldn’t bear to just throw away all these cute one-piece items, yet she couldn’t fit into them anymore. I decided to experiment and cut the one-piece, making it into a T-shirt. You could hem the item if you wanted a more finished look, but I have washed them and found that they really don’tfray. Thought this was a hint worth sharing .

• Pam F., via e-mail

DEAR HELOISE: I like it when my slacks and jeans have a nice pressed appearance, but I don’t like to have to iron. Now I put my laundered pants in the dryer for several minutes to let the heat take out the wrinkles from the washer, then I hang them from hangers with clips. I smooth out the top, legs and seams, and let them air-dry. Most of the time, that’s all that’s needed for me to have crisp, smooth pants.

• Karen, via e-mail

DEAR HELOISE: I needed to make two tablecloths out of one large one. After cutting and putting them through the washer and dryer, I decided to sew a hem on each one.

What a nice surprise when I saw that the washer and dryer had already given both cloths a nice frayed edge that matched all other sides.

• Jeannine H., Brazil, Ind. Send a money- or time-saving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, Texas 78279-5000; fax to (210) 435-6473; or e-mail

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