Dear Heloise:My cedar closet is more than 50 years old. There is not even a hint of the cedar scent any longer. Is there any way to revive this old closet? Thank you.
— Kathleen Henne,
Camp Hill, Pa.
Cedar closets are wonderful, but after a number of years (and not being closed up), they may lose the cedar smell. A very simple solution is to purchase cedar shavings at a lumberyard in your area that carries aromatic cedar — not what cedar fences are made from. Take the shavings and make sachets using old nylon stockings, cheesecloth or muslin, attach ribbons and hang the sachets in your closet.
Also, you probably should have the closet walls lightly sanded to bring out fresh wood. Cedar oil may then be applied to the wood. This oil may be found in candle and craft stores. This should rejuvenate the wood and bring back some of the aroma.
— Heloise
Dear Heloise: A reader had a hint to code the tops of medicine bottles with a different color of nail polish for each family member, but she also should code each bottle to make sure that the top and bottle are properly matched in case two bottles are opened at the same time.
— Bobbi in Huntsville, Ala.
Bobbi, you are right! A dot or mark of the same color should be on the top and on the bottle to keep from mixing the medicines up!
— Heloise
Dear Heloise:When you put a new chip in your digital camera, take the first photo of an envelope that has your name and address on it. Below the address, put your telephone number.
If you were to lose your camera and the finder wants to return it, then the first photo seen has the information needed.
— Donald Weber,
Springfield, Mo.
Dear Heloise: My neighbor's sprinkler heads are positioned so that they water about half of my yard. I cut back on my irrigation to water only the areas that the neighbor does not water for me!
Although I appreciate this, I think that everyone should check the spray patterns and align sprinkler heads so that areas such as neighbors' yards, sidewalks and houses are not watered. It will save money in the long run.
— M.R. in Dallas
Dear Heloise: To keep from tracking dirt or mud into the house, I use plastic newspaper bags to cover my shoes. For larger shoe sizes, tie the ends of two bags together. Just pull them off when you're done.
— Gen, Fullerton, Calif.
Be careful not to slip on a slick floor!
— Heloise
Dear Heloise: Now that garage- and yard-sale season is upon us, remind your readers, while spring-cleaning and prior to consigning, donating or selling clothing in a yard sale, to check lapels, collars and pockets for pins, brooches, money and other valuables. Once the items are gone, they are gone!
— K.E., Bloomfield, N.J.
Dear Heloise: Usually in your car there are only two back-seat passengers, but there are three sets of seat belts.
If you keep the middle seatbelt fastened, then there is no problem in finding the correct receptacle for the passenger who has two seat locks on his or her side
— Ellen Coppock, via e-mail
Send a money-saving or timesaving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, TX 78279-5000, or you can fax it to 1-210-435-6473 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.
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