Now Here’s a Tip: Homemade brass cleaner

“Katy from Baton Rouge uses salt mixed with vinegar or lemon juice to make a paste for polishing brass and copper.

“Storing those fall and winter boots — finally? Roll up small sections of newspaper to keep the leg from creasing on thin-sided boots. Add several pieces of charcoal tied in a piece of cheesecloth to each shoe to keep them dry and fresh until it’s time to pull them out again.

“ “On our family calendar, we each use a different color pen to log our activities. It’s an easy way to see who has to do what.” — M.E. in Virginia

“”I found a great way both to help my preschooler practice writing her letters and to keep her busy in the car: I took an alphabet board book and put Post-it-style notes on each page. My daughter copies the uppercase and lowercase letters from each page onto the note. Then, when we get to our destination, I review them like homework and put a star on the ones she did correctly. She loves it, and so do I!” — P.M. in Florida

“ “Did you know that if you put the avocado pits in the guacamole, it won’t turn brown?” — B.M. in New York

“ Need a handy pin cushion? Hot-glue a standard square eraser to your sewing machine or sewing table for a handy, no-fail, pin-cushion solution.