Quick ideas to help your day

“Readers: I get many requests for a solution to stubborn antiperspirant stains. Here’s one solution for non-set stains — i.e., items that have maybe been washed, but not run through the dryer: add half a cup of ammonia to 4 cups of water; dab the solution on the stain; repeat until the stain is removed; wash and dry. Do not launder with chlorine bleach after treating garment with ammonia.

“Here’s another laundry tip: I keep an old sock handy by the dryer to swipe up stray lint after cleaning the lint trap (remember to clean it after every load). In fact, I keep a basket of unmatched socks by the dryer, handy for any cleaning purpose.

“I keep a couple of stamps and a couple of return-address labels in my wallet. This has proven to be a very handy practice many times. — R.D. in South Carolina