Dear Readers: It's the weekend; let's clean! But are we cleaning or disinfecting? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, cleaning is defined as using soap or detergent to remove dirt, dust, grime and germs from surfaces, but doesn't necessarily kill the germs. Disinfecting involves using chemicals to completely kill germs on surfaces.
Common everyday commercial products that you find at the grocery store are fine to clean and disinfect. But you can save money by making your own cleaner/disinfectant at home. - Heloise
Clear Ears
Dear Heloise: We adopted Patootie, a rescued stray, two years ago, and she arrived with chronic ear problems. We've found that the home remedy swimmers ear cure - equal parts rubbing alcohol and vinegar - seems to keep her ears healthy.
If she starts pawing at her ears and they sound squishy, I fill up her ear canal with the solution and massage the base of her ears to make sure it goes in. She doesn't love it, but she does love that the mixture dries out her ears.
The groomer said that her ears had never looked better. I thought you'd want to know yet another use for vinegar! Cheers! - Denise R., San Antonio, Texas
Readers, check out Heloise.com to see Patootie, and check with your veterinarian about the alcohol and vinegar ear solution! Do you have a furry and funny friend you'd like to share? Email a picture and description to: [email protected]. - Heloise
Two-fer
Dear Heloise: I have a lot of pet hair on my carpet, but I can get a two-fer (exercise and pet hair pick-up) by using my rubber garden clogs. I drag my feet back and forth, right to left and back. That movement gives me great inner thigh aerobic exercise. It also gathers the pet hair into an easy-to-pick-up shape. I don't have to empty my vacuum container as often either. - Barbara C., San Antonio, Texas
Fire Ants
Dear Heloise: If you're from Texas, you know about the burning, itching effects from a close encounter with a fire ant. Out of desperation, I dabbed hand sanitizer on my stings and found that the alcohol in it must have neutralized the poison. Within minutes, the itching and stinging eased up. - Jane in Texas
King Features Syndicate