Dear Heloise: I like to use a box of baking soda to deodorize my refrigerator and keep a box in the fridge for several months. Can I then use it in various recipes? I hate to waste food, and if the baking soda is still useable, I’d rather not just toss it out. — Sandy M., Englewood, Fla.

Sandy, sorry but that box of baking soda has already absorbed many odors in your refrigerator, which are not suitable for cooking. However, you can pour it down a drain in the kitchen or bathroom along with a cup of vinegar to deodorize your drains. This way you won’t have wasted the baking soda.

There are so many uses for baking soda, both in the kitchen and in general housekeeping. To get a bounty of ideas for baking soda, try my pamphlet “Heloise’s Baking Soda Hints and Recipes.” To get a copy, just go to www.Heloise.com or send a stamped, self-addressed envelope (75 cents), along with $5 to: Baking Soda, P.O. Box 795001, San Antonio, TX 78279-5001.

There are so many uses for baking soda, and it’s safe to use around children and animals. — Heloise

A PRETTY SALAD

Dear Heloise: I love to make meals appear attractive to the eye as well as taste good. In the warmer months I make a lot of salads. I use my egg slicer to slice avocados, olives, strawberries and small tomatoes. I score my cucumbers lengthwise with a fork so they have a fluted edge when sliced. I use a potato peeler to make curls from carrots. To me, appearance is half of the appeal of food. — Gloria S., Marion, Iowa

NIX THE COFFEE CREAMERS

Dear Heloise: After reading the label on a jar of coffee creamer, I realized that there were too many chemicals in it to suit me. Instead of buying a coffee creamer, I use dried, powered skim milk in a box. It doesn’t cool my coffee, but it’s healthier, just as tasty (personally, I like it more than the creamers) and, ounce for ounce, it’s cheaper. –Belinda V., Golden, Colo.

VINEGAR TO THE RESCUE

Dear Heloise: I had a large number of guests this past weekend, and my oven got used a lot. There were spills on the bottom of the oven that I couldn’t get off unless I scrubbed, and I felt that might cause some damage. So I took three sheets of paper towels, soaked them with water and poured some white vinegar over it, then placed it on the spills in a cold oven. (Do not do this with a warm oven.) After a couple of hours I went back and wiped the bottom of the oven, and the spills came up with no problem. — Paula E., Woodburn, Ore.

BIRTHDAY CAKE

Dear Heloise: I made a huge birthday cake for my husband and there was a lot left over. Several people wanted to take a slice home with them, so I got out my cling wrap, sprayed one side with a nonstick spray and used it to wrap the pieces of cake. The nonstick spray keeps the icing from clinging to the film. — Karen P., Red Wing, Minn.

REVERSE OSMOSIS

Dear Heloise: Reverse osmosis, what is it? The label on my bottle of water states the water comes from the public water supply (I assume that means the tap) and it’s purified using reverse osmosis and enhanced with minerals for taste. Please decode. — Gerry B. in D.C.

Gerry, here’s a Heloise high-five for reading those labels. Let’s look at bottled water. The “public water supply” is, yes, the municipal water from your city, but not straight from the tap.

“Reverse osmosis” is a filtering or purification process that won’t allow anything larger than a water molecule to pass through. A water molecule is extremely extremely small.

The minerals used for taste are typically calcium chloride, sodium bicarbonate and magnesium sulfate, but can vary. — Heloise

CREATING SHAPES

Dear Heloise: I heard the most inspiring quote from a dancer at an audition: “Dance is about creating shapes with your body.”

As we are hopefully coming out of quarantine, I’m getting ready to dance, express myself and create some shapes with my body. — Kara S. in Pennsylvania