idea for when you don’t have the original booklet that came with your appliance is to just Google it. The same goes for whenever you have something that needs fixing — just Google it.
Our furnace wouldn’t come on during the dead of winter, but I Googled the brand model and problem. I found instructions on YouTube on how to wipe off the temperature sensor, and voila! It came on. It was cheap, and I didn’t have to wait around for a repairman. — Judy Shofner, via email
TICK CHECK
Dear Heloise: I just read the hint from a reader in her 80s who was extolling the virtues of hanging clothes outside — whether it was saving electricity or imbuing clothes with a wonderful outdoor scent.
I, too, enjoy doing so, but have to warn readers that they should check their clothing and bedding for ticks. I’ve found deer ticks on bedsheets, and as a healthcare provider, I had to remove a tick from a lady when it adhered itself to her upon traveling inside her nightgown! Fortunately, she did not require follow-up care for Lyme disease.
It never hurts to be cautious. — L.D., via email
EDUCATION
CONCERNS ABOUND
Dear Heloise: Please send the retired teacher in Colorado’s letter to the education department or boards across the country. This letter should be considered a wake-up call to educators and give them insight on what they need to do to step up and get back on track.
Our education system needs to return to the teaching of reading, writing and arithmetic, which are just the basic tools to succeed in this world. If the children of today grow up without learning these skills, this country will be the ultimate loser, and thus, so will all of us.
People listen to you. Wake up our teachers and these faltering educators. — Cynthia, Longtime Follower of Heloise One and Two
DO-IT-YOURSELF NURSE CALL SYSTEM
Dear Heloise: Does someone in your home need to make contact with others for help with their personal needs? There is a very simple method to establish the equivalent of a nurse-call system.
Go to your local hardware source. Purchase a cheap wireless doorbell unit. (Mine cost about $20. The bell unit is about 1-by-1-by-3 inches.) Activate it, then place the doorbell and call button in individual zip-close bags. Tie them shut with a length of heavy cord. They can be worn around the neck or hung up anywhere, including in the shower. — Glen W. Christen, via email
POLLEN AND
ALLERGIES
Dear Heloise: In regards to the letter sent in by Sally from Indiana about hanging clothes out to dry, I suffer from allergies to the extent of having to take four allergy shots once a month. Hanging clothes on a line outside to dry collects pollen, and it isn’t a good idea for someone with allergies. — E.T., in Texas
Send a money-saving or timesaving hint to Heloise@Heloise.com. I can’t answer your letter personally but will use the best hints received in my column.