DEAR READERS: It's summertime, and kids want to swim every day. Here are some hints to help keep your kids safe when going to a community swimming pool:
• Never allow a child to go into a pool without an adult standing by. Is there a lifeguard?
• Look for lifesaving equipment nearby.
• Check for water rules/safety rules posted around the pool.
• Ask if there are new drain covers used for safety in the pool. They are designed to prevent anyone from getting trapped and stuck on drain entrapments.
DEAR HELOISE: Could you please reprint your recipe for deskunking a dog? We just moved to an area with lots of wildlife, and I'm sure our dogs are going to have a run-in soon.
-- Joyce in Texas
DEAR READER: I know that smell, and it's not a nice one. Here is the updated recipe to rid your doggie friend of that wildlife aroma:
• 1 quart 3 percent hydrogen peroxide
• 1 cup baking soda
• 1 teaspoon mild dishwashing liquid
Mix the ingredients together and bathe the dog in the mixture, rubbing it in really well and covering the whole dog. If the dog was sprayed in the face, do the ears and around the eyes. Use a clean sponge or paper towel to go around the eye area. Don't get the solution in the eyes. Let the mixture sit for a few minutes (if your dog will stay still!), then rinse. Repeat if needed.
Baking soda is handy for a hundred things, and you should always keep some around. When Chammy, our new soft-coated wheaten terrier, came through the doggie door one night, I smelled her before I saw her. I was not up to giving her a full bath. I rubbed her coat with baking soda, poured some plain white vinegar on a microfiber cloth and gave her a rubdown. I dried her with a towel and brushed a little. She was not completely smell-free, but she was tolerable until full bath time.
DEAR HELOISE: When it was time to move out of our house, we had holes in the walls that needed patching from pictures. We kept a small amount of paint for touch-ups. When mixing the plaster for use in holes, my husband added some paint to it. Now it was a one-step job instead of having to wait for the plaster to dry and paint over it.
-- Kelly in Kentucky
Send a money- or time-saving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, Texas 78279-5000; fax to (210) 435-6473; or email
HomeStyle on 08/02/2014