Dear Heloise: When my household rubber gloves get holes, I cut them into rubber bands. I start at the cuff and cut across, as wide or as narrow as needed, up to the thumb area. These rubber bands last much longer than regular rubber bands. — Rae, in Minnesota

A MOLDY PROBLEM

Dear Heloise: Living so close to the ocean, we often have problems with mold growing on our roofs, walkways and even walls in our homes. I discovered that mold and moss had grown on the post that holds up my mailbox and on the patio stones in my garden.

So, I mixed up some vinegar and dishwashing soap in a spray bottle and sprayed those areas. It really worked well to kill the mold and moss. I use vinegar for a number of cleaning projects around my home. — Tricia R., Hollywood, Florida

Tricia, good ol’ vinegar has been a tried-and-true remedy for so many things. It has so many uses from wiping down a kitchen countertop, to keeping ants away, to keeping cut flowers fresh for longer, to even cleaning out your coffee pot! — Heloise

SNAILS AND SLUGS

Dear Heloise: I’ve tried everything to get rid of snails and slugs in my garden. I won’t use anything poisonous because I have pets (an old poodle, three cats and a tortoise), and they go outside or live outside. Got any hints to get rid of these slimy pests? — Brenda D., Meridian, Mississippi

Brenda, take eggshells — a lot of them — and crush them up. Then, sprinkle them around the base of your plants and flowers. Snails and slugs don’t like crawling over sharp pieces like eggshells. You can also use red cedar shavings (hamster litter) the same way to block these pests.

You can also fill a pie plate with beer, then set the pie tin in a slight depression so that the edge of the pie plate is level with the ground. Snails and slugs will crawl in and get exterminated by the alcohol.

If you don’t mind handling the critters, you can drop them into a pail of soapy dishwashing liquid mixed with 4 or 5 cups of water.

At least one of these methods is bound to work and won’t harm your pets. — Heloise

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