Dear Heloise: I just read the letter regarding the smelly outside trash can. What has worked well for me is simply washing the can out with a hose and some bleach spray. Or I put a little bleach mixed with some water in the bottom, then use my long-handled car-wash brush to clean the can. I follow this with a good rinse.

When the can has dried, I then take any of our used-up scented candles and melt out the remaining wax. I pour the wax directly into the bottom of the trash can where it hardens and remains for months, giving the can a nice scent. I now dispose all of our used-up candles in this manner.

P.S. To safely melt out the wax, I place the candle jar in a saucepan with an inch of water and heat it until the wax melts. Handle the hot glass safely with oven gloves or tongs. — Dominic, in Connecticut

GARAGE PARKING

Dear Readers: Try these hints to help with parking and avoid nicking or denting your car or garage:

To help you aim the car down the center, paint luminous stripes or put reflectors or brightly colored tape on the rear garage wall. If you don’t have good lighting in the garage, stick reflector tape on anything that seems to be in your way at night. — Heloise

CAT LITTER MASKS SMELLS

Dear Heloise: I have found that a good way to eliminate garbage odor is to keep cat litter at the bottom of the trash can. It works for me. Have a good day! — Ron, via email

LET THE SUN SHINE

Dear Heloise: I saw your advice to put vinegar-soaked bread in the bottom of the trash can. Here’s what I do:

After the trash has been emptied, I leave the lid off and let the sun shine on and in the can. This will dry it and remove the odor. Do this every time you empty the trash, and it will not smell. — Karen McVay, via email

BLENDING MADE EASY

Dear Heloise: I’ve discovered that when I make a cook-and-serve pudding, I need to pour the mix into cold milk and bring it to a boil while stirring constantly.

Unfortunately, the pudding mix takes a long time to blend with cold milk.So, before I start, I pour the cold milk into a microwave-safe bowl and warm it up. Then, when I mix the milk and pudding mix together, they blend together much easier. I save time and frustration this way. — M.J.M., in Utah

RECIPE READING

Dear Heloise: I love to try new recipes, and I found that I can clip a recipe onto an office clamp that has been glued to the inside of a cabinet at eye level over my counter workspace. It’s easy to read and follow. — B.C., in Mississippi

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Hints from Heloise run occasionally in Lifestyles. Readers may send a hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, Texas 78279-5000, fax it to 210-HELOISE, or email: Heloise@Heloise.com. Letters won’t be answered personally.