Dear Heloise: I have some driving and parking hints:

1. I park in a garage. In order to avoid hitting the wall, I keep an orange construction cone in the garage in front of the car. I also used a marker to draw a line on the floor near the driver’s door so I know how far to pull up.

2. From the driver’s seat, I cannot see the trunk or the front end of my auto, so I taped a bright orange pencil to the front bumper, so that it sticks upward just enough so I can see it. (I can’t see the back either, but the car has a camera.)

3. My car is a very popular color, so I added a few inexpensive auto decals to catch my eye. For people who live or work in high-rise buildings, putting a decal on the car will help you find your car before you exit the building. — R.B., via email

RECYCLING HINTS

Dear Heloise: In this age of recycling, I find that using a coffee filter to cover food in the microwave to keep it from splattering all over is very useful. There’s not so much waste, and they should disintegrate fairly quickly, too. Coffee filters are a lot cheaper than paper towels or paper plates, and it’s better for the environment. — K.B., South Vienna, Ohio

K.B., recycling is so important for our environment today, and this hint offers a great suggestion. — Heloise

SMOKY HAIR

Dear Heloise: Here’s a hint for if you are ever in a smoky situation and your hair has that smoky smell after you leave. Take some vinegar and put it in a spray bottle. Spray your hair and fluff it up. It will take the smoky smell out of your hair, and you won’t smell like a pickle. — Elizabeth F. in Ohio

Elizabeth, vinegar is a safe household product that can be used for cleaning, deodorizing and cooking, as you have found with the smoke in your hair. To learn about more uses, get my six-page pamphlet full of vinegar hints.

Go to www.Heloise.com or send $5 and a long, self-addressed, stamped envelope to: Heloise/Vinegar, P.O. Box 795001, San Antonio, TX 78279-5001. FYI: Occasionally pour 1 cup of white vinegar in the final rinse water to make laundry soft and fluffy. — Heloise

WASHING GOLF HATS

Dear Heloise: With golf season fast approaching in the midwest and north, my wife puts my sweaty worn golf hats in a gentle bag and washes them regularly with the rest of the clothes on the permanent press cycle. After the end of the wash and rinse cycle, she puts the wet hats on a coffee container to dry and form them. They look great and smell fresh, too. It works better than a rigid hat form in the dishwasher. — Peter Saunders Jr., Englewood, Ohio

HINT FOR COLONOSCOPY PREPARATION

Dear Heloise: I discovered a hint for the preparation for a colonoscopy. The unpleasant flavor of the drink can be overcome by gulping as much of the liquid as possible and then eating a couple of bites of Jell-O. No nasty aftertaste. Thank you for all of your wonderful hints. — Pat W., via email

Send a money-saving or timesaving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795001, San Antonio, TX 78279-5001, or you can fax it to 1-210-HELOISE or email it to Heloise@Heloise.com. I can’t answer your letter personally but will use the best hints received in my column.