DEAR READERS: Here are some items to keep out of the recycle bin:
• All medical waste (needles, syringes, etc.).
• Plastic shopping bags -- return these to the store.
• Food -- can attract rodents.
• Plastic-coated paper containers, such as food boxes and some fast-food cups.
• Shredded paper -- can clog the sorting equipment (put in compost instead).
• Hazardous materials, such as motor oil and ammunition.
• Plastic block foam, air-filled packaging and packing peanuts.
DEAR HELOISE: I have hand soap and paper towels handy in the kitchen as well as the bathroom. I purchase pretty patterned paper towels that add color.
I've been doing this for years, and it prevents the spreading of germs from everyone using the same towel.
People tell me that they wash their towels all the time, but it only takes one ill person to wipe his or her mouth or hands on the towel.
-- Ronnie Z., California
DEAR HELOISE: One day I was fretting because the lemon zest I was going to use in a recipe was not fine enough. I just happened to think about my foot callous remover.
I disassembled it and scrubbed it up. Makes the best lemon zest ever, and I've been cooking for 50 years.
-- Sharon D., Cisco, Texas
DEAR READERS: Let's have a dedicated callus remover for lemon-zesting.
Try it on limes, and an orange, too! Navel oranges yield the best zest.
DEAR HELOISE: Every day, my wife changes the sugar water in the hummingbird feeder. The wasps scare the hummingbirds away. I have a wasp trap, and the top part is supposed to hold water. I poured the day-old sugar water in there. It worked.
-- J.G., Colorado
DEAR HELOISE: Before we leave for a restaurant, I always check for dining bargains online. Most restaurants print their menus on their websites, and they may have special coupons on there, too.
-- Martha K., Texas
DEAR HELOISE: I got a cellphone for convenience, and of course I have insurance on it, but I'm afraid I'll lose it. Most of the time I leave it at home.
-- Ginny Y. in Kansas
Send a money- or time-saving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795001, San Antonio, Texas 78279-5000; fax to (210) 435-6473; or email
Weekend on 09/20/2018