Heloise

Dear Heloise: I learned of a way to help with ankle pain. Actually, I have a lot of pain all over, but to help my ankles a bit when taking a shower, I plug the drain and let the warm/hot water go up and around my ankles. It does help quite a bit, and it doesn’t use up any additional water. Any relief is good relief. Thanks for publishing your wonderful column. — D.K., in Tiffin, Ohio

D.K., I’m sorry to hear about your ankles giving you so much discomfort, but I hope the warm water keeps helping with your pain. If my readers know of any other remedies for ankle pain (or pain in general), please submit them to Heloise@Heloise.com! — Heloise

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Heloise@Heloise.com

SHINY MIRRORS

Dear Heloise: To clean your bathroom mirror, use a premium automotive windshield cleaner. The surface will be very clean and be protected from splashes. You can use this cleaner on your exterior home windows in the spring. It’s also good for patio doors and front storm doors where pets enter. It protects the shine better and keeps windows clean for longer. — B.C., in Marshall, Wisconsin

DEVILED EGGS AND MORE

Dear Heloise: I usually prepare deviled eggs for family gatherings. Sometimes it’s too much to boil, peel and prepare the yolks at one time. This past Easter, I boiled and peeled the eggs the Saturday before. Then I put them in the refrigerator whole. On Sunday after church and a couple of hours before dinner, I finished preparing them. We couldn’t tell the difference.

Another hint that I’ve been wanting to share is that I put a roll of toilet paper in the refrigerator to eliminate odors. I’ve been doing this for about a year, and it works. If you start to smell an odor in the refrigerator, replace the roll and use one from the bathroom. (No waste!) If you’re older like me, make sure you tell your family why you are storing toilet paper in your refrigerator so that they don’t think you’re losing your mind. — Linda H., in Lincoln, Nebraska

Linda, if I were you, I think I’d prefer a roll of toilet paper that was fresh from the package instead of the bathroom for reduced bacteria in my refrigerator. — Heloise

FLEA SEASON ADVICE

Dear Heloise: Flea season is upon us, and I have some advice to give to your readers since I work with dogs all day everyday. Here are some facts everyone should know:

— A female flea can and does lay well over 100,000 eggs in only a month.

— Fleas carry both typhus and tapeworms. Tapeworms can cause anemia in your dogs (and cats, too).

— Fleas cause tremendous discomfort to an animal, causing them to constantly scratch and whine.

If your dog or cat has fleas, be sure to bathe them frequently and brush them daily. Brushing will help remove the flea eggs, so do this outside if you can. Also, use a flea and tick collar. Your vet will have flea prevention medication. I don’t recommend over-the-counter anti-flea applications because most of them don’t work or only work for a very short time.

In addition, if you or anyone in your home has itchy, red specks on their legs, you may have fleas in your rugs and carpets. This will require professional steam cleaning. A regular vacuum usually doesn’t have enough suction to pull out many fleas. — Kelly C., in Macon, Georgia