A ‘long-lasting heater-upper’

•Hand-held heat: Fill a sock with uncooked rice and knot at open end. Pop in the microwave for no more than 2 minutes for a long-lasting heater-upper.

• “I do not like hard toast. Solution: Butter toast as it comes out of the toaster, then put in the microwave for six to seven seconds. Bingo! Soft toast. This doesn’t work on unbuttered toast.” — R.N.W. in Washington

• Purchase extras of items you use over and over in the kitchen, such as measuring cups, spatulas, mixing spoons, etc. You’ll always have one ready if you need one.

• “Instead of trying to remove dust and pet hair from my fabric lampshades with a vacuum attachment, I use a lint roller. The sticky tape picks up much more dust and hair than the vacuum gets.” — M.M. in Florida