Hints from Heloise

Dear Heloise: New floor-cleaner mops have water bottles that need to spray water on before using the mop. I put a few drops of perfume in the water so that when it is sprayed, the room smells good, too. – Deborah Kuebler, Lenexa, Kan.

You could also add a couple of drops of an essential oil to the water. I use lemon, orange or my favorite – lavender! Essential oils can be found in some food stores, drugstores and health-food stores. Caution: Don’t use this on marble, because it might cause a stain. – Heloise

Dear Heloise: While on a trip, I got a black outfit (which was the core of my travel wardrobe) covered with dog hair. I didn’t bring a lint brush with me, so my resourceful husband came up with this terrific solution: Take the luggage tags off your suitcase (the ones the airlines stick on to show your destination). The sticky stuff on the back of them makes a terrific lint picker-upper. – Stacia in Virginia