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Dear Heloise: I accidentally got grease from my son’s bike chain on my jacket. The jacket exterior is made of 100% polyester. I tried using shampoo and washing it with laundry detergent in my washer, but the grease stain didn’t come out. I hung the jacket out to dry as well. Can you suggest anything that will get the bicycle grease out? — Karrol C., in Iowa
Karrol, at this point, I recommend taking it to a professional dry cleaner to see if they can get it out. After washing the jacket and placing it in a hot dryer, the stain might have become set. However, if you want to try one more wash, then spray the stain with one of the newer sprays that are designed to emulsify dirt and grease before you wash it. Let the jacket air-dry afterward. — Heloise
DON’T DIP
Dear Heloise: I dipped and chewed leaf tobacco for over 20 years, having picked it up from playing baseball and continuing to use it throughout my professional work. I loved it, but it’s a messy and dangerous habit; it even advises so on the products. I got tired of temporarily losing gum skin, the cost of the habit, and being subject to critical comments. I, too, thought it was a safe alternative to smoking.
One of the toughest things that I’ve accomplished was quitting. I strongly recommend that the relative who was using chewing tobacco quit now before they become reliant on the product. — Steve W., via email
Steve, quitting is always hard. I know it’s tempting to just give in, but people shouldn’t. There are about 60,480 new cases of oral cavities and orophynogeal cancer each year. Of this number, about 13,150 lead to death annually. The causes include the heavy use of tobacco or alcohol and the human HPV infection. — Heloise
WHEN VISITORS COME KNOCKING
Dear Heloise: Ada, in Virginia, asked for help in getting makeup stains out of her white pillowcases in her guest bedroom. Here’s my tip: Use gently loved, dark pillowcases when company comes to town or buy new ones at a department store.
I gave up trying to have nice things for our two guest rooms downstairs. Towels ended up permanently stained or missing, a pillowcase to a matching set went missing, a scale was broken, decorations have been broken, etc. We have a lot of mismatched sheets and pillowcases in storage, and I now use these in the guest rooms. One of the beds has a navy blue color scheme. The other bed has a beige and plum color scheme.
As for towels, the ones that don’t come out clean after getting washed with stain remover are put in the rag pile. Some of our guests are wonderful, but others really put our hospitality to the test. It is what it is. — Jane M., A Longtime Reader in Missouri
APPLYING TOOTHPASTE
Dear Heloise: Instead of worrying about how to get the leftover bit of toothpaste out at the end of the tube, I suggest applying only a small dab of toothpaste each time you brush. I know that if you have kids, they likely load it up on the bristles. Even the ads show a swirly glob, but this is just advertising hype to sell more product.
I use an amount where I just see the toothpaste showing at the end, about the size of my little fingernail. I have a 6.5-ounce tube that has lasted me almost a year by using this method. With the average cost per tube, it’d benefit parents to teach their kids this method and use it themselves. — Frank A., in Ventura, California