Use ice to remove gum from carpet

Dear Heloise: How would I remove gum from my carpet? I tracked it in on my sneakers. Thank you. — Lois Williams, via e-mail

Not only do we track chewing gum into our homes, but more often than not, it winds up on the carpet in our cars, too. If it isn't removed quickly, it can become a yucky stain. So, the best thing to do is put ice in a metal pan and set this on top of the gummed area to harden it. Then carefully scrape off as much as possible with a dull knife. To remove any remaining residue, put a little dry-cleaning solvent on a clean cloth and lightly rub the stain. This should do the trick.

There are also many other inexpensive household products that can be helpful when stains find their way onto your carpet.

For dozens of cleaning formulas for everything from alcoholic beverages and pet stains to vomit, send $3 and a long, self-addressed, stamped (63 cents) envelope to: Heloise/Carpet, P.O. Box 795001, San Antonio, TX 78279-5001, and I'll send you a copy of my Heloise's Carpet and Household Stain-Removal Hints pamphlet.

You'll also find my Three Rules of Stain Removal and instructions on carpet patching.

HINT: To remove gum from clothing, put the garment in a freezer to harden the gum, then carefully remove it with the blunt edge of a butter knife. Use a prewash solution or dab cleaning fluid on the area and wash as usual. — Heloise

Dear Heloise: My husband puts all our travel documents and maps in one folder. More importantly, he has a small spiral notebook that fits in his shirt pocket. On sequential pages, he writes the directions for the motel where we are staying, the address, the phone number, the date the reservation was made and the confirmation number. The same for car rentals. This saves shuffling through papers to find the correct information when checking in, the directions if a map is lost or the phone number in case of a delay. — Florence McGill, Upper Montclair, N.J.

Dear Heloise: I was cleaning out my kitchen drawers one evening on impulse and had nothing on hand to re-line them with. I noticed a stack of brand-new terry kitchen towels, and presto — instant liners. They are colorful, and each one is different. No more sliding of silverware holders or utensils. The towels are much quieter and are washable and reusable.

I also think I might have found the cure to the dilemma of the "empty toilet-paper roll" syndrome. Instead of a single-roll holder in our new bathroom, I used a paper-towel holder! The bar holds two rolls of toilet paper beautifully, and we haven't run out since. They can be found to match any decor. — Dian Pendergast, via e-mail

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