Simple solutions

•”When I go shopping at the grocery store, nothing irritates me more than to open a carton of eggs to see if there are any broken, and the carton not closing back up. So, I decided to find my own solution. I now take a rubber band in my purse to wrap around the carton to hold the lid in place until I get home. Once they’ve been opened, they never shut tight again. Case solved!” — E.D. in Alaska

•For a fresher-smelling car, stick one fabric-softener sheet under each seat and one in the trunk. Change them monthly or whenever the smell wears out.

•Two products have hit the market in recent years that have an endless number of great applications: chalkboard paint and magnetic paint. These go on just like regular roll-on or spray paints, and make the surface either like a chalkboard or magnetized to hold magnets. Try it inside your kitchen cabinets or in the workshop. Check your local hardware store or home-improvement store for these products.

•”When the recipe calls for walnuts in banana bread, add pecans instead. Walnuts tend to dry out the banana bread, and pecans don’t.” — S.W. in Arkansas

•”It’s that time of year again to store my winter sweaters. I keep them in an under-the-bed plastic container that I bought a few Christmases ago. It’s a wreath box — a big square. For most of my sweaters, I just lay them in the box, stacked, with a piece of tissue paper between each one. Then when I have the box mostly filled, I just fold over the sleeves into the box and put on the lid. Make sure your clothes are cleaned professionally before you store them, even if they don’t look dirty. Stains that set over the summer will never come up.” — N.W. in Michigan