Heloise

Dear Heloise: I wish you wouldn’t keep printing hints that use dryer sheets. Dryer sheets are not our friends. Not only do they add to our landfills, they wreak havoc on our dryers and leave a waxy trail. (Not to mention the smell of cheap perfume that they leave on our clothes.) I don’t use them and don’t need to iron my clothes. Just don’t leave your clothes sitting in the dryer for long periods of time. — Lois M., via email

Lois, many people today have very busy schedules. Taking time to iron clothing, pillowcases, sheets and other items takes up time that they don’t have. Personally, I don’t use dryer sheets very often. I save money, do not increase the landfill, and stay up late sometimes to get my blouses ironed. But this is my choice.

Some people prefer to use dryer balls, and I have one friend who uses a tennis ball and swears it works as well as a dryer ball. — Heloise

CHEESE CLUMPS

Dear Heloise: How do you prevent grated cheese in a zipclose bag from lumping up in the refrigerator? — Jack R., in Garland, Texas

Jack, add a little cornstarch or flour to the grated cheese and seal the bag very tightly. — Heloise

GET YOUR WILL DONE

Dear Heloise: Yes, you should discuss your will with family. I have a friend who can’t settle a relative’s estate because he died in a house fire. They don’t have a copy of the will, nor do they know the lawyer. Make sure that someone has a copy of your will and all your medical or life documents. — Janice G., via email

Janice, I get letters all the time from people who tell me that either their husband won’t make out a will, or they keep putting it off. Make an appointment with an attorney and get your will done.

If your spouse refuses to make arrangements for their possessions and directives concerning their health and demise, you may not be able to change their minds. Just make sure that you have this taken care of as soon as possible. — Heloise

DIRT-FREE NAILS

Dear Heloise: I keep a bar of soap in my shed and scrape my nails with it so that I have soap under my nails. Then I put on my gloves and do yard work this way. When you wash your hands afterward, your nails will be clean. — Barbara G., via email

SUNBLOCK

Dear Heloise: Perhaps some other reader has already responded to the sunblock hint, but using a sunblock with a SPF of 15 or higher is a little low. Dermatologists recommend a SPF of 30 or higher to protect yourself against skin cancer, and they say that you should reapply it every two hours (or more frequently if you are sweating or swimming).

I read your column daily in the Times of Northwest Indiana. — Fred S., via email

WALL SAFE

Dear Heloise: We had a wall safe and kept our valuables in it in a house in Turks and Caicos. The house was broken into, and the burglars tore the safe out of the wall and took it as well as our valuables. A wall safe is not reliable. — Larry R., via email

Larry, an in-floor safe is harder to pull out. (As some of readers have assured me.) But actually, the safest place would be a safety deposit box at a bank. Thieves find a number of hiding places in the home and don’t seem to care if they do an enormous amount of damage while looking for your valuables. People who make a living by stealing know of all the secret hiding places. — Heloise

SEND A GREAT HINT TO:

Heloise@Heloise.com