Helpful Hints

DEAR READERS: Hydrogen peroxide is another of those household workhorses that I love so much. There are many tasks it can tackle:

• It can remove tough stains, like blood, from fabrics.

• It can make a sink sparkle by dissolving hard-water deposits.

• It can safely tend to minor cuts and scrapes.

• It can be used as a toothbrush sanitizer.

Peroxide is sold in the first-aid section of the drugstore or supermarket. A few things to keep in mind: Peroxide is safe and considered milder than chlorine bleach, but it is light- and heat-sensitive. That's why it is sold in dark-brown bottles.

When peroxide is exposed to heat and light, it loses its strength and effectiveness quickly -- after about an hour. The bottom line? Work quickly if you transfer peroxide to a clear spray bottle.

Be sure to check with your doctor and dentist about using peroxide as a first-aid treatment and mouth rinse. It should be diluted and used only once.

DEAR HELOISE: I take return-address labels that are on my letters and Christmas cards, cut them out and place them in my address book. That way, I always have everyone's most recent address. Many times I have discovered that I had an old address on file.

-- A Reader, via email

DEAR HELOISE: My neighbor and I got together and planned a night to thank our husbands for all of the things they do. We grilled beef and chicken, had two types of coleslaw, baked potatoes (wrapped in foil and stuck in the coals to cook) and a lot of desserts. We don't tell the guys, we just say, "Come over and grill something." They seem to enjoy the attention and little gifts we put together. One drawback? Both men were standing to the side of the grill, watching closely!

-- Anne-Marie, via email

DEAR HELOISE: I like cream with my cup of coffee, but I drink only one cup per day. If I use dairy creamer, it sours before I can use it all. And I do not like powdered creamer. Instead, I buy an aerosol can of whipping cream. It melts in the coffee, and tastes like real cream.

-- Marilyn F.,

Fort Wayne, Ind.

DEAR HELOISE: I was going to donate an old set of encyclopedias to a school or church group, and then it hit me: Lots of information in the encyclopedias is out-of-date.

I gave the set to a theater group, which uses it as a prop in its stage productions.

-- Gary in Florida

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

[email protected]

Weekend on 02/19/2015

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