Hints From Heloise

Dear Heloise: I store small Christmas lights on cardboard tubes (the kind found inside paper towels, wrapping paper etc.). I cut a 1-inch slit on one end of the tube to secure the end of the string of lights, then I wind them up. I secure the other end of the lights into the slit on the other side of the tube. This keeps them from getting tangled up, and they are so much easier to put up next time Marcia Bartie, Bakersfield, Calif.

Dear Heloise: I was helping my grandson paint. Although I was wearing an old blouse, I didn’t want to ruin it with paint spatters. He said, “Grandma, turn it inside out as I am doing with my T-shirt.”

Good idea. A few spatters won’t show. - Mrs. Jan Wolfenbarger, Sheridan, Ore.

If you do get a stain on your clothing, though, my pamphlet on removing stains from clothing is sure to help. Send $2 and a stamped (55 cents), self-addressed, long envelope to Heloise/Stains, PO Box 795001, San Antonio TX 78279-5001.

Dear Heloise: I don’t have room on my utility shelf to have all the cleaning containers facing outward. I keep a black marker there, and when I replace a product I simply write the name of it on the side of the bottle that faces outward. It saves space and fumbling for the right product. - Cecile Murphy, Arlington, Texas xxxx