Dear Heloise: My teenage daughter was filling up her gas tank yesterday when the pump leaked onto her denim jeans! Is there anything you can recommend to remove the smell as well as the stain? I know you get a ton of mail, but you were the first resource I thought of, so I hope you or one of your staff can help! — Joellyn Jensen, via e-mail
On washable clothing, the first thing you should do is hang it outside to air out until the gas smell dissipates.
Next, launder the jeans alone in the hottest water safe for the fabric; add a little extra detergent and 1/4 cup of plain ammonia (non-sudsing) to the water.
After washing, line-dry (DO NOT put in a clothes dryer unless ALL the smell of gasoline has been removed).
If any smell remains, relaunder. — Heloise
Dear Heloise: I live in a rural area, and if it wasn't for catalogs, I would seldom buy anything.
I keep a separate checkbook just for my catalog orders. I enter the check number and date of the order and make a space to mark the date I receive the order.
After I receive the order and it's all OK, I use a pink marker to draw a line through the item. I can see at a glance which orders are still out. — Sue Bada, Gladstone, N.M.
Dear Heloise: I have followed your column for years and have used many of your hints and recipes.
The hint I am sending is one that I haven't seen before. Because I need glasses for close work or reading, it had become a hit-and-"mess" effort for me to apply eye makeup.
I purchased a small, inexpensive magnifying mirror. I removed it from its frame and glued it to my bathroom mirror in a place that was comfortable for me.
Now, applying my eye makeup is a breeze. — Dot Funk, Front Royal, Va.
Dear Heloise: I read your column in our newspaper, The (Hagerstown, Md.) Herald Mail, every day. Here are a couple of my hints for new mothers:
In the kitchen, I have a ceramic flowerpot in which I have put a baby bath product and some baby washcloths. This keeps them very handy by the sink for all those baby messes.
When you use those wooden baby gates, it is sometimes hard to remember what slot to use since they are marked in inches. To remember, I have colored in the slot with a marker — no more guessing. — Debra Shere, Hagerstown, Md.
Dear Heloise: When washing clothes that have stains, sometimes it is hard to tell if the stain still exists after it has been washed.
To avoid confusion, simply place a small safety pin through the center of the stain and check the area after the item has been washed. — Sumaya A., Via E-mail
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