Orphan adapters go in garage sale

Dear Heloise: Through the years, we have purchased many rechargeable or battery appliances and machinery that come with AC adapters. Many have become separated from the device they belong with. Many do not carry the same brand name as the device they power.

I realize now that I should have labeled the adapters. I do have a universal adapter with a variety of different plug ends. It helps if I cannot find the matching adapter. However, it does not solve the problem of what to do with the mismatched adapters. —Joan Sarver, Lake Forest, Calif.

All you can do is try to match the adapter with the right device, and put orphaned adapters in the garage-sale box. —Heloise

Dear Heloise: When putting together a package to mail, use the sleeves from newspapers and stuff them with foam peanuts. They cushion the contents but don't cause a mess upon opening. —Barbara Henckel, Ingram, Texas

Barbara, love this hint! Those foam peanuts do a good job, but they sure can be a nuisance when they spill all over. —Heloise

Dear Heloise: I look forward to reading your column in The Indianapolis Star. I have discovered another use for dishwasher-detergent powder. It's great to "scrub" a casserole dish. Fill the dish with hot water and sprinkle liberally with the detergent. Let soak, and the food practically comes off on its own.

The first Heloise hint I used when we moved to Indiana was to get an odor out of a pantry closet in this old house. The closet smelled so bad that I couldn't stand to open the door. I saw a hint in your column about stuffing a musty-smelling suitcase with crumpled newspapers. Well, I crumpled many weeks' worth of newspapers, filled that pantry about 4 feet deep, then shut the door. After a week or so, there wasn't any odor detectable, so I removed the newspapers, and the smell was gone. —Marianne DePersio, via e-mail

Dear Heloise: I read your hints on shoulder pads a while back and wanted to tell you: I covet the ones with self-gripping tape. The rule is "Thou shalt not give them away" — the clothes, yes; the shoulder pads, no!

I pin them to hangers for all those things that wind up on the floor, such as wide-neck blouses and silk shirts. I also keep these hangers in the laundry room for air-drying nightgowns and other slippery things. Thanks for all the ironing you've saved me with this hint. —Barbara Corin, Monroe Township, N.J.

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Send a money-saving or timesaving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, TX 78279-5000, or you can fax it to 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.

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