Dear Readers: Here are some helpful hints to keep your fingernails clean when the work you have to do is downright dirty. It's amazing how dirty your hands can get doing things around the house, the garage or in the garden. Even a good scrubbing won't always get the grime out from under your fingernails!
When possible, wear gloves while you work. There are all types of gloves, from thick gardening gloves to thin, disposable ones that can be worn without getting in the way of many projects.
If you'll be working with something that can get grit under nails — like dirt, oil or clay — before you start, dig your nails into a bar of soap. The soap will get underneath your nails so that the grime can't. Then, you just have to wash your hands when the project is done.
When painting with oil-based paint, try olive, vegetable or baby oil as a gentle paint remover. Just rub a small amount in your hands (a dash of salt or sugar acts like an abrasive), and the paint should come off without much scrubbing. —Heloise
Dear Heloise: To remind me to renew my magazine subscriptions (since they are sent out so far ahead of time), I attach the statement with the envelope to that month's page on the calendar. Then when I turn to that month, it is there, waiting to be renewed. —Betty J. Gibbens, Kerrville, Texas
Dear Heloise: When I purchase scouring pads, I cut them in half and get twice as many. Many times, a half will work for the job. —Violet Dauber, Yreka, Calif.
Send a money-saving or timesaving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, TX 78279-5000, or you can fax it to 1-210-HELOISE or e-mail it to Heloise@Heloise.com. I can't answer your letter personally but will use the best hints received in my column.
© King Features Syndicate Inc.