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Dear Heloise: I read the hint from your reader, Jim, about leaving stovetop knobs slightly off the vertical line to remind him to turn them off. If anyone’s in the market for a new stovetop, may I recommend induction stovetops? Not only can you boil a cup of water in 60 seconds, but if you remove a pan from the burner, it’ll automatically turn off if it doesn’t detect the pan again. -- Emily M., in Kingwood, Texas
MAGNIFYING TRICK
Dear Heloise: This is in response to the 85-year-old individual who kept a magnifying glass in her kitchen for troublesome labels that are difficult to read. I don’t have a magnifying glass; however, I do have my cellphone. I use the photo setting and enlarge or zoom in on the info that I want to read. Sometimes I take a picture and enlarge it because my hands aren’t as steady, and it makes the print easier to read after a photo has been enlarged. I enjoy your column daily. -- Janet K., in Sioux City, Iowa
CLOTH BAG REMINDER
Dear Heloise: I just read the hint about the lady who was having trouble opening the plastic bags in stores. She uses water from the washed produce instead of licking her fingers. Well, she shouldn’t even be using plastic bags at all. I can’t remember the last time I used a plastic bag at any store. I take my own cloth bags. So many Americans just can’t grasp this concept. -- Sandy, via email
Sandy, not everyone remembers to bring cloth bags when they leave the house. Others reuse plastic grocery bags for various tasks, and some just pop into a grocery store to pick up a couple of items on their way home from work. In time, plastic bags will go the way of the dinosaurs. (Of course, I do hope that it’s sooner rather than later.) -- Heloise
OPENING PRODUCE BAGS
Dear Heloise: To open produce bags in the store, I always take a damp sanitized towel at the entrance and wet my fingers on this when I’m in the produce section. Easy peasy! Thanks for your column. I read it every day. -- Joanne H., in Springfield, Ohio
BOXED COLLECTIBLES
Dear Heloise: There was a great hint on how boxes should be saved and your advice to keep boxes if they help you. I wanted to add in the fact that the value of what’s in the box will increase by keeping the item in the box in many cases.
Having been a collector of Lionel trains in the past, I discovered that the box is very important for the contents, even down to the condition of the box itself. The box can reveal pertinent information such as the part and model number, as well as the date of production to authenticate the content inside.
After discussing the topic with some collectors, we compiled a list of some collectibles in which the boxes would contribute to overall value: vintage toys, dolls, ammunition, tools, silverware, glassware, knives, guns, cameras, salt and pepper shakers, the sleeves for LP vinyl records, and record albums. Without a doubt, there are many more than those we listed.
I’m currently a collector of wax crayons, and to me, it’s all about the box. This helps in not only identifying the contents, date of production, production location, and part number, but also in protecting the colorful wax crayons. -- From the House Where We Have Wax to the Max!