DEAR HELOISE: I noticed that recently you published hints about ladder safety. They were good, but you've omitted one of the biggest dangers: ladder contact with overhead (or any) electric wires. A person could die in a heartbeat if contacting wires with a ladder. Most people never look at the top of their ladder while raising it. Please, everyone, check the area you are working in so you do not become a needless statistic.
-- Ken (retired fire
department), via email
DEAR READER: Ken, you are absolutely correct, and thanks for the reminder to all of us.
DEAR HELOISE: I am a veterinarian. Regarding removing hair mats from a pet (dog or cat), use an electric hair trimmer, human or veterinary, or a beard trimmer. One laceration or injury due to the use of manual cutting instruments (like scissors) that requires a trip to your veterinarian will likely pay for at least one electric trimmer.
-- Dr. Mark in
Costa Mesa, Calif.
DEAR HELOISE: Our family looks for ways to save a little money and cut down on waste. One thing we found was that we were spending money on paper cups to use in the bathroom. We got a mug tree, and each picked out a mug. Now everyone has a reusable mug, and they can hang it up when done. The mugs get washed in the dishwasher once a week.
-- Paula in Kentucky
DEAR READER: Love it! I've used a beautiful coffee mug for years in my bathroom. It's easy to hold on to and does add a nice touch.
DEAR HELOISE: While I was painting the other day, I needed a damp cloth to wipe a spot off the floor. I grabbed a kitchen wipe, and it worked great! The soap in the wipe cleaned it very well. From now on, the wipes go with me whenever I paint.
-- Val P., Colville, Wash.
DEAR HELOISE: I keep the shoes I don't wear often in their boxes, stacked on a shelf in my closet. It was a pain to get the shoes down, especially when the pair I wanted was on the bottom. I cut one short side off all the boxes. Now I can see each pair and get the shoes out of the box without having to take them all down.
-- A Reader, via email
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 07/26/2014