A little ketchup can make old brass shiny once again

Heloise
Heloise

Dear Heloise: I have some brass hardware on a designer handbag that has turned dingy. What's the best way to clean it?-Christine M. in San Antonio

Christine, first try a cloth infused with a brass cleaner, which is readily available. My second answer may surprise you, but head into the kitchen and grab the ketchup!

Ketchup's No. 2 ingredient is vinegar. The acid in vinegar will clean the darkened brass. Squirt a small amount onto a dry towel and buff the hardware lightly. Then remove the ketchup with a damp towel. Avoid any leather trim.

Vinegar is a workhorse around the house. In my nearly 40 years of helping harried homemakers, I've recommended grabbing vinegar many, many times! I've put together my best vinegar hints in a handy pamphlet, which is easy to grab for quick reference. Would you like to receive one? Jump on my website, www.Heloise.com, to order, or send a self-addressed, stamped (68 cents), business-size envelope, along with $5, to: Heloise/Vinegar, P.O. Box 795001, San Antonio, TX, 78279-5001. 

One cup of white vinegar in the rinse water will help remove detergent buildup from laundry.-Heloise 

 

SHINY APPLIANCES

Hello, Heloise: I read your column in The Villages (Fla.) Daily Sun. I have black appliances, and when I clean them there is a cloudy film on the surface.

What is the best product to use when cleaning a black dishwasher, microwave, stove? I like my appliances shiny.-Shirley T. in Florida

A microfiber cloth is your friend in this case. Grab a damp towel and an ammonia-based cleaner or even vinegar. Wipe away fingerprints and greasy smears. Buff with a dry microfiber towel.-Heloise

 

THE SERVICE

OF  A SPARE SOCK

Dear Readers: If your washer or dryer eats a sock, thus rendering a "pair" an impossibility, don't fret. Here are some hints for the remaining sock:

  •    Drop your phone into the sock for extra protection in your handbag.
  •    Scoop fresh, dry coffee grounds into the sock, and hang in the clothes closet to help remove musty odors. You also can pop it into the fridge.
  •    Slip the sock over a furniture leg when moving.
  •    Slide a damp sock over your hand, and detail-dust and clean hard-to-reach areas of your home.
  •    Use the ribbed top of a crew sock as a hot-coffee sleeve. You can decorate it with buttons and exaggerated stitching for fun.

-Heloise

 

THANK YOU, PLEASE

Dear Heloise: We received lots of cards and gifts for my mother's 100th birthday. The cards got separated from the gifts-no return address! (They did include cash and postage stamps, which was lovely.)

Please write inside the card your name, address, ZIP code and what the gift was. This makes it so much easier to send thank-you notes. This goes for birthdays, weddings, graduations, funerals-any event where you give a gift.-Kay B., Livingston, Ill.

 

IT'S A COVERUP

Dear Heloise: I use a coffee filter to cover drinks outdoors. I place one upside down over each glass, and even cans. It's inexpensive and does the job!-Lee H., Chesterton, Ind.

Indeed, protects from nosy bugs and falling leaves!-Heloise

 

King Features Syndicate

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