<\/p>\n
OPTING OUT OF USING PERFUME<\/b><\/p>\n
Dear Heloise:<\/b> I am writing in response to your question regarding perfumes. People are affected by smells differently, so I don\u2019t use perfumes or scented lotions or soaps. Having a history of migraines, I know that perfumes can truly set one off. My husband has a different reaction to perfumes. Many give him a horrible metalic taste in his mouth. I like your method of a spritz on a cotton ball tucked away in your bra.<\/p>\n
However, I also tend to think that many keep and use bottles for years after the perfume has gone \u201cbad.\u201d When people can react so differently, why risk it? Especially at work! Please be considerate of others.<\/p>\n
I enjoy reading your column daily in the Globe Gazette. — Unscented Linda, via email<\/p>\n
TWO-IN-ONE HINT<\/b><\/p>\n
Dear Heloise: <\/b>I watched a hospice nurse do this to dispose of medications: Take a gallon-sized zipclose plastic bag. Fill about 1\/3 with cat litter. Poor liquid medication directly into litter. Pull the capsules apart and dissolve them in water, then add them to the litter. Tablets can be crushed, dissolved and added. She then sealed the bag and placed it in the trash.<\/p>\n
Also, if you have to drink a lot of liquid or something nasty-tasting, try using a straw. You can drink more and won\u2019t taste it as much. — Charlotte Ervine, via email<\/p>\n
THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT<\/b><\/p>\n
Dear Heloise:<\/b> A while ago, your column mentioned what to do if the check engine light comes on in your vehicle. This is my experience:<\/p>\n
I have a vehicle with over 150,000 miles on it that runs very well, except when the check engine light came on. I made the assumption that it needed servicing but read in my owner\u2019s manual to be sure to tighten the fuel cap at least three clicks.<\/p>\n
With the vehicle in the garage, I opened the fuel cap, left it open for a few seconds, and tightened it at least three clicks. After using the vehicle a couple of times, the check engine light went off and has stayed off for many miles. I feel like I have found at least one culprit to the problem. — Jim, via email<\/p>\n
SAYING SOMETHING ABOUT NOTHING<\/b><\/p>\n
Dear Heloise:<\/b> Grandma G., in South Dakota, wrote: \u201cWhy is it so hard for the younger generation to say \u2018thank you\u2019?\u201d When I was a child (during the Vietnam War), my parents saw to it that I wrote thank-you letters. I recognized the need to do it and saying \u201cthank you\u201d was easy enough; the problem was how to fill up the rest of the page.<\/p>\n
There was very little overlap in the interests between me and those relatives who were old enough to be in the position to give me anything. I had the same problem with school essays. I had always been an avid reader and had a good command of grammar, spelling and punctuation, but I never learned to \u201csay something about nothing\u201d (as I perceived it). — Stephen, in Nebraska<\/p>\n
STORING CANNED GOODS<\/b><\/p>\n
Dear Heloise:<\/b> I always store all canned goods upside down so that when I turn it upright to open it, I have seen the entire can and would notice if there was a dent or leakage. — Gary Herbst, in Moline, Illinois<\/p>\n