Heloise

Dear Heloise: This is the time of year when many “DIYers” use hand clippers and cutters to trim flowers, bushes and small branches. Often, they become coated with dried sap and plant material from use. While there are products that are available for this purpose, I’ve found that kitchen steel wool pads and water can quickly and completely remove the material. — Bob S., in Kenosha, Wisconsin

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Heloise@Heloise.com

READ ALL ABOUT IT!

Dear Heloise: Printed news doesn’t depend upon a battery or electricity. It can be taken whole or in part to read while waiting in line or waiting for customer assistance at a bank or store. Most of the puzzles can be filled in, unlike the online versions. Newspapers can be used for other purposes, including cleaning windows or in the garden, and it can be recycled. Finally, newspapers can be read for long periods of time without the breaks that should be taken when viewing computer screens. — Alan S., via email

Alan, no one can argue with your logic; however, the cost of producing a newspaper has gone through the roof. It’s not just paper and ink, it’s machinery, repairs, staff, insurance and much more. As much as many of us love our newspapers, it’s slowly dying, and digital news is here to stay. — Heloise

DON’T DIP!

Dear Heloise: My husband has taken up chewing tobacco instead of smoking cigarettes. I find it repulsive, and I believe that it’s just as dangerous as smoking. He doesn’t believe that it causes cancer. — Donna F., in Racine, Wisconsin

Donna, chewing tobacco affects the mouth, heart and internal organs, and it contains 28 cancer-causing chemicals. A dip of tobacco that is held in one’s mouth for 30 minutes (on average) has as much nicotine as three to five cigarettes, according to the American Lung Association. Since nicotine goes through the mucous membranes in the mouth, the hit is quicker and more intense.

Oral cancer isn’t something that you want to deal with if you can avoid it. Doctors have had to operate and, at times, remove half of a patient’s face. This isn’t an exaggeration. — Heloise

READING THE FINE PRINT

Dear Heloise: I also have trouble reading the fine print on labels. Sometimes it’s due to the size of the font, and sometimes it’s due to poor packaging, when the print has no depth due to the background color of the packaging. I wear reading glasses and have found that slipping a second pair on over the first pair and, of course, using good lighting (sunlight is best) remedies the problem. I always have a second pair of readers within reach for tiny print. — Elizabeth, via email

TREATING INSECT BITES

Dear Heloise: Years ago, a doctor who was treating me for a fire ant bite told me to soak my foot in hot water — as hot as I could stand. It intensified the itch unbearably, but afterward, I was no longer bothered by the constant itch. I’ve done this for mosquito bites, chigger bites and spider bites by using a hot compress. It works every time. I enjoy reading your column in the Waco Tribune-Herald. — Mary H., in Texas