DEAR READERS: If you are shopping for clothes, here are a few things to keep in mind:
Please think about the sales attendants, especially if you are trying on a lot of clothes. They have many tasks: Keeping the sales floor organized, answering the phones ... and, of course helping the customer by looking for something and ringing up sales.
So do them a favor, and be nice. Don't leave the fitting room a mess. For heaven's sake, do you do this at home? The folks are there to help you, not be your maid. Hang garments back up if you are not going to buy them. Don't just drop them on the floor or leave them a jumbled mess. You can hang them on the door or take them to the front area. It's a minute or two of your time.
DEAR HELOISE: When cleaning my kitchen-sink drain with our old standby, vinegar and baking soda, I wet my sponge in the foam that comes up. It is nontoxic. With this I wash the hard-water stains on my sink and refrigerator ice drain. They come out sparkling-clean.
-- Janet A.,
Rapid City, S.D.
DEAR READER: This is the Heloise gold standard to freshen and clean sinks: 1/2 cup of baking soda followed by 1 cup of vinegar. The mixture creates a neat bubbling reaction that cleans the sink. (It will not, however, unclog a drain.) And using the foam to clean elsewhere does double duty. Vinegar is handy for removing labels from glass bottles. Brush warm vinegar on, cover with a paper towel, let soak and it should scrub off.
DEAR HELOISE: My pet peeve: cereal packaged in giant boxes that are only three-fourths full. The boxes are too tall for our pantry shelves. My solution? Remove the bag and secure with a clip.
-- Jack in Ingram, Texas
DEAR HELOISE: My "beauty" secret? I use dark-gray waterproof mascara to touch up my white roots in the front just a little. I blot the wand with a tissue, wipe it through the hair and let dry. Then I use an old toothbrush to brush it through the hair. It works until my next hair appointment.
-- Jeannette S. in California
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
Weekend on 01/22/2015