Helpful Hints

DEAR HELOISE: How do I get quick-drying glue off my fingers? It is driving me crazy. There must be something that will get it off without waiting for it to wear off. I tried fingernail polish remover -- not! Please advise if you can.

-- Karen K., via email

DEAR READER: The fingernail-polish remover you used might not have been the right type. You need an acetone-based remover. Read the labels, as some are not, or they contain other ingredients, such as aloe vera, etc.

Do soak the area for several minutes; don't just dab the remover on. Slowly try to rub your fingers back and forth a little. Don't try to pull stuck fingers apart. Not a quick solution, but a solution.

P.S.: Before using quick-drying glue (and I'm an expert, with many years of experience), put a little oil on your fingers. Cooking oil, baby oil, even butter will coat the skin, and the glue won't stick.

DEAR HELOISE: There's a new way to keep a sweater on a hanger without getting bumps in the shoulders: First, fold the sweater in half so the arms are together, then hang the body of the sweater over one side of the hanger, folding the arms over the other side. It works great.

-- Marcie M., Andover, Conn.

DEAR READER: Marcie, Marcie, Marcie! Thank you for sending me my hint. Somehow, I figured this out years ago when I saw a shawl hanging in my closet. It looked like the sweater I was folding to hang over the pants hanger. Don't you love it when you learn a new hint that's tried and true?

DEAR HELOISE: We solved the dilemma of condiment cups being too small in fast-food restaurants. We use the larger sizes of cup lids, invert them and dispense the condiments into a pile on the lids.

My husband and I share one large cup lid of ketchup for our french fries. This also works well with Chinese mustard and plum sauce.

-- Janice in San Angelo, Texas

DEAR HELOISE: Here's a hint I've learned to do after a time of fighting to find the stakes that hold down my air-blown decorations in the yard, especially after it has snowed: I tie a piece of ribbon to each stake. That makes them easy to find when it's time to take them down. Now, no more finding them with the lawn mower.

-- Stella N., Struthers, Ohio

DEAR HELOISE: Have trouble with those great organizer trays moving around in your kitchen and bathroom drawers? Next time you get a mailing with something stuck with the rubbery glue, peel it off and put it under the tray to keep it from sliding back and forth.

-- Rick F., 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

[email protected]

Style on 02/09/2016

Upcoming Events