Heloise

Dear Heloise: I am writing in response to your question regarding perfumes. People are affected by smells differently, so I don’t use perfumes or scented lotions or soaps. Having a history of migraines, I know that perfumes can truly set one off. My husband has a different reaction to perfumes. Many give him a horrible metalic taste in his mouth. I like your method of a spritz on a cotton ball tucked away in your bra.

However, I also tend to think that many keep and use bottles for years after the perfume has gone “bad.” When people can react so differently, why risk it? Especially at work! Please be considerate of others.

I enjoy reading your column daily in the Globe Gazette. — Unscented Linda, via email

TWO-IN-ONE HINT

Dear Heloise: I watched a hospice nurse do this to dispose of medications: Take a gallon-sized zipclose plastic bag. Fill about 1/3 with cat litter. Poor liquid medication directly into litter. Pull the capsules apart and dissolve them in water, then add them to the litter. Tablets can be crushed, dissolved and added. She then sealed the bag and placed it in the trash.

Also, if you have to drink a lot of liquid or something nasty-tasting, try using a straw. You can drink more and won’t taste it as much. — Charlotte Ervine, via email

THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT

Dear Heloise: A while ago, your column mentioned what to do if the check engine light comes on in your vehicle. This is my experience:

I have a vehicle with over 150,000 miles on it that runs very well, except when the check engine light came on. I made the assumption that it needed servicing but read in my owner’s manual to be sure to tighten the fuel cap at least three clicks.

With the vehicle in the garage, I opened the fuel cap, left it open for a few seconds, and tightened it at least three clicks. After using the vehicle a couple of times, the check engine light went off and has stayed off for many miles. I feel like I have found at least one culprit to the problem. — Jim, via email

SAYING SOMETHING ABOUT NOTHING

Dear Heloise: Grandma G., in South Dakota, wrote: “Why is it so hard for the younger generation to say ‘thank you’?” When I was a child (during the Vietnam War), my parents saw to it that I wrote thank-you letters. I recognized the need to do it and saying “thank you” was easy enough; the problem was how to fill up the rest of the page.

There was very little overlap in the interests between me and those relatives who were old enough to be in the position to give me anything. I had the same problem with school essays. I had always been an avid reader and had a good command of grammar, spelling and punctuation, but I never learned to “say something about nothing” (as I perceived it). — Stephen, in Nebraska

STORING CANNED GOODS

Dear Heloise: I always store all canned goods upside down so that when I turn it upright to open it, I have seen the entire can and would notice if there was a dent or leakage. — Gary Herbst, in Moline, Illinois

Send a money-saving or time-saving hint to Heloise@Heloise.com. I can’t answer your letter personally but will use the best hints received in my column.