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Dear Heloise: I can’t stress enough the use of a hardwood floor cleaner. Don’t listen to people who tell you to use vinegar or whatever their favorite cleaner is. Vinegar can dull or damage the finish of naturally stained and sealed hardwood floors. There are other remedies that I’ve read about, and if you want to know what the flooring people say, just ask them. — Elaine, in Alabama
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Heloise@Heloise.com
A SPARKLING CARAFE
Dear Heloise: I wanted to share a tip that may help your readers. I have a 10-cup coffee maker with a teardrop-shaped, stainless-steel carafe. Because it’s narrow at the top and wider at the bottom, it doesn’t clean well in the dishwasher like straight-sided carafes.
To easily remove stains and stale odors, I use the following method: I fill the carafe with water, pour the water into a pan, and bring it to a full boil on the stove. Then I carefully pour the boiling water back into the carafe.
Next, I add a dishwasher pod, cover the carafe tightly, and gently jostle it into mix. Then I leave it to soak overnight or for the full day. The next day, I pour the soapy mixture out through the lid to clean the top mechanism as well. And I rinse it thoroughly until all bubbles and any soap smells are completely gone. This leaves the stainless-steel interior gleaming like new!
Thank you for your column. You and your mother have helped me with great ideas for over 60 years. — Marianne P., in Dallas
NO MOLDY ODORS HERE
Dear Heloise: After a load in the washer is finished, in addition to leaving the washer door wide open to allow it ventilate, I also pull out the detergent drawer. This minimizes the likelihood of bad odors from mold growing in the washer. A bed and breakfast owner in Sanibel Island, Florida, gave this tip to a friend, who passed it along to me. — Margot D., in Chesterfield County, Virginia
PROTECT YOUR PET
Dear Heloise: I have to respond to a couple of letters in a recent Press-Enterprise. As Dr. Jeff on “Rocky Mountain Vet” has long stated, 95% of dogs who are hit by cars are intact males. There’ll be no hormone-driven cancers for males or females if they’re neutered or spayed prior to a heat cycle. This means no mammary cancer, no ovarian or uterine cancer, and no testicular cancer or prostate cancer. And we definitely don’t need any more homeless pets. Spaying and neutering saves lives! — Vicki P., in Riverside, California
Vicki, as you might know, I’m all for neutering and spaying pets. However, I had a male cat named Batman who developed cancer at age 13, and he’d been neutered at 5 months. I had a female dog who developed cancer, and she was spayed at 6 months. Neutering and spaying an animal may lessen the chance of their developing cancer, but I can’t honestly say that it eliminates it completely.
Still, we can reduce the number of stray cats and dogs if we have them spayed or neutered. — Heloise
REUSING CLEANER
Dear Heloise: I suddenly had a thought after recently mopping my floor. My trash bin outside had a lingering odor. So, while it was empty, I added a good amount of the diluted pine cleaner and closed the lid. No more stink! It’s better than pouring the leftover liquid down the drain. — Robin, in Bakersfield, California
Robin, what a great hint! It’s easy, and you not only recycled the pine scent, you solved a problem. — Heloise