Are thank-you notes a thing of the past?

Dear Heloise: I, too, had problems with nonresponses to gifts sent by mail. When the post office started offering delivery-confirmation receipts, I started using them. It enables me to go online and find out the date and time the gift was delivered. If it doesn't get there, at least I have something that the post office can trace. It's inexpensive (less than $1 — Heloise) and takes care of the delivery portion of the gift. Thank-you notes, I'm afraid, are a thing of the past. I'm told sending a thank-you note by e-mail is rude/incorrect, but my philosophy is that something is better than nothing.

— Rosemarie Guzzardo,

The Villages, Fla.

Hopefully, thank-you notes are not a thing of the past! An e-mail thank-you is not really rude or incorrect if both parties correspond that way. However, a handwritten note is always correct. There is something special about opening a handwritten note, and it is much nicer to save.

— Heloise

Dear Heloise:> My daughter recently had a fire in her apartment, and all her clothing smells terrible. We had a cleaning crew come in for her personal items, but they do not clean clothing. Do you have any suggestions on how to eliminate the odor? Thanks.

— Susan D., via e-mail

Sorry about the fire! That smoke smell can really hang on! It usually can be removed from washable fabrics with normal washing, but it might take several times. Hang the clothes outdoors to air first. Then sort them according to which ones have the strongest smell, and wash like clothes together. Do small loads using liquid detergent, 1 cup of washing soda and the hottest water that's safe for the fabric. The clothing should be line-dried, as the dryer may lock the odor into the fabric. It might take several washings to completely remove the odor.

— Heloise

Dear Heloise: I have an idea for face cream that is left over when the whole jar is not used. I put it on my feet. Surely I'm not the only person who changes face cream before the entire jar is used. Now I have very soft feet!

— P. Kestler, Kansas

Good idea! Why waste any moisturizer or hand lotion?

— Heloise