Dear Heloise: My CURLING IRON is really gunked up with hair spray. What is the best way to remove all of the residue? -- V.G. in Alabama
Easy fix! If you have a metal curling iron, you can simply clean it with plain old rubbing alcohol and an old washcloth. Dampen the cloth with alcohol and wipe the barrel several times to remove the buildup. Make sure the curling iron is unplugged and cooled. Try to do this once a week or so to prevent a buildup. -- Heloise
Dear Readers: Joan in Manchester, N.H., sent in a photo of her two pets, her 70-pound black dog, Bear, and her much smaller cat, Jaz, snuggled up together. Joan says that when Jaz joined her family, she went directly to Bear and hasn't left him alone since! Thank goodness Bear is sweet and tolerant of all the attention. To see a picture of Bear and Jaz, go to my Web site, www.Heloise.com, and click on "Pets." -- Heloise
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SMOKE SMELL
Dear Heloise: I received some pictures in the mail from a friend, and I would like to keep them, but unfortunately they have a heavy smell of cigarette smoke on them. Is there any way to remove the odor from the pictures without ruining them? -- Rose R. in Concord, N.H.
There are a couple of things you can do to try to remove the smoke smell. Use a clean cosmetics or other small brush and “brush” the photographs to remove dust, etc. Then let them air out by hanging them up. You can pin them to a coat hanger with clothespins and hang them someplace where they can get airflow on both sides. Obviously, don’t hang them in direct sunlight, or they may fade, depending on the age of the photos. Leave them for a while to see if that helps remove the smell.
If they still have the odor, place them in a closed container with baking soda. Don’t let the photos sit in the soda; just put a paper towel down, then place the photos on top of it. Close the container and leave it for a few days. Still smell? You can take them to be copied or contact a professional who specializes in photo restoration.
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Baking soda can work wonders around the house and should be in everyone’s home. For more money-saving hints, order my pamphlet to find out all my uses for baking soda. To receive it, send $5 and a long, self-addressed, stamped (70 cents) envelope to: Heloise/Baking Soda, P.O. Box 795001, San Antonio, TX 78279-5001. Don’t forget to dump the soda down your kitchen drain when you are done, and follow with a cup or so of vinegar. Run lots of water, and the kitchen sink will not stink! -- Heloise
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Dear Heloise: Most department stores that have cosmetics departments have disposable mascara brushes, which can be used to clean the feeding holes on bird feeders. -- A Reader, via e-mail
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