Dear Readers: Are your lampshades dusty? If so, you should wipe and clean them often to remove the dust or debris. Dust them gently with a new, soft paintbrush or a clean, soft cloth. And dust the light bulb, too. You will see much more light! — Heloise

HANGING CLOTHES OUTDOORS

Dear Heloise: I think what people are nostalgic for when hanging out their laundry to dry is the fresh smell of the air, not actually having clean clothes. In my neighborhood, clothes that were hung outside would get dirtier, when before they were washed after 15 minutes. — Lynne P. Doti, PhD

EASY DOOR REPAIRS

Dear Readers: To keep the door hinges of your vehicle from squeaking, lubricate them with petroleum jelly. And for door locks that seem to stick, apply some graphite lubricant on the lock before calling in a lock-repair service. That just might clean up the problem. — Heloise

BAKING SODA CLUMPS

Dear Heloise: I love to bake, but I hate it when my baking soda or baking powder clumps up into hard balls. I finally took a neighbor’s advice to stir them into the sugar before adding either one. Apparently, the gritty texture of the sugar breaks down the lumps much easier than the flour. — J.W., in Illinois

WRINKLED SHOWER CURTAIN

Dear Readers: If your plastic shower curtain gets wrinkled, toss it into the dryer with some towels for several minutes. Remove it from the dryer right away and hang it up ASAP. You can keep it soft and flexible by adding a few drops of mineral oil to the rinse water. — Heloise

DROWNING PLANTS

Dear Heloise: I have a nasty habit of drowning my plants with too much water. I recently received a beautiful arrangement of succulents in a lovely, large bowl as a birthday gift, but I don’t want to kill them. So I asked a nursery about watering them, and they suggested I use a turkey baster and add only a few drops of water per plant (about 3 to 4 drops) about once a week.

They recommended I make Friday after work my watering day so that I can keep up a schedule. — F.P., in Michigan

Send a money-saving or timesaving hint to Heloise@Heloise.com. I can’t answer your letter personally but will use the best hints received in my column.