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Dear Heloise: For folks who want to keep their jeans bright, stop washing them. I've had my jeans dry-cleaned for years, and their colors stay as bright as they did when they were new. -- R.J.B., via email
R.J.B., yes, you're right that it does help. However, for many of my readers, it's very expensive to constantly dry-clean their jeans when they have working washing machines that can do the job. It also means wearing the same pair of jeans longer than they'd normally be worn. In addition, it's one more thing on your to-do list.
For busy people, such as a mother who gets off work and needs to make one or two stops on the way home before fixing dinner for her family, it's just another errand that she'd probably like to skip. For those who have more time and money on their hands, though, dry-cleaning could be a good option. -- Heloise
OH, MY ACHING BACK!
Dear Heloise: I purchased two twin sofa beds. Despite the nice mattress, a 2-inch foam pad on it, a nice white pad, and a fitted bottom sheet, it's uncomfortable! Suggestions are needed on how to make this more comfortable. -- K.P., in Virginia
K.P., perhaps a thick mattress pad on top of the foam pad might help. But if you sleep with your head toward the sofa, try reversing it so that your head's at the end of the sofa bed. At the present time, a sofa bed will never be a comfy as our own mattresses at home.
Readers, if you have a sofa bed, what do you do to make your guests comfortable? Please write to Heloise@Heloise.com and let us know which solutions you use to make a sofa bed feel more comfy. -- Heloise
A PLASTIC PROBLEM
Dear Heloise: Different chemicals are added to petroleum products to make a variety of different forms of plastic that are flexible, stretchable, inflexible, etc. Because of these different chemicals and the nature of plastic itself, a very small percentage of plastic can be recycled. Producing plastic creates pollution that causes cancer and asthma, such as in CANCER Alley.
Plastics are constantly shedding micro- and nanoplastics that get into our food, soil, produce, water and bodies. There's research showing that plastics may cause infertility. Plastics never disappear from the environment. Glass, metals, paper and cardboard are much cheaper to recycle and don't create the danger that plastic particles create. -- Lynette M., via email
Lynette, everything you mentioned is true. Plastic has its place, but it doesn't belong in our bodies or land, nor is it necessary in a lot of places. We can all keep cloth bags in our cars for grocery shopping. I'm hoping some clever soul will invent a replacement for plastic that won't ruin our health or the environment. -- Heloise
THE PARROT SPEAKS
Dear Heloise: My friend bought a parrot and wanted to teach it to talk, but also wanted something more clever and less prosaic than "Polly want a cracker?" I suggested a good start would be: "Help, they have turned me into a parrot!" -- Stanley F., via email
Stanley, this is certainly a clever suggestion! Thank you for sharing such a funny idea; it gave me a good laugh. -- Heloise
Send a money-saving or time-saving hint to Heloise@Heloise.com. I can’t answer your letter personally but will use the best hints received in my column.