Dear Heloise: My favorite household hint, which I discovered after purchasing nonglare prescription eyeglasses a few years ago, is to keep an inexpensive spray bottle filled with ordinary rubbing alcohol in my bathroom vanity.

In addition to cleaning all the fingerprints off my eyeglass lenses, I find it is a perfect degreaser. Spraying the rubbing alcohol directly on my diamond ring (while wearing it), then rinsing the ring under the tap every morning, keeps it sparkling. Sprayed on a quilted cotton cosmetic pad, I use it to wipe makeup residue from my lipstick cases, compacts, lip-pencil sharpener and eye-makeup applicators.

I also use it to clean and sanitize the ear- and mouthpieces of all my phones, which always get hair spray and makeup smudges on them. The best part is the low cost, and it lasts for two or three months. – Jo Ann Byrnes, Lincoln Park, N.J.