DEAR HELOISE: I have a 100 percent heavy cotton T-shirt that has turquoise beading on the front.
Some stains got onto the white part of the shirt, and I used droppers full of straight bleach on them. The spots came out, but now I have yellow spots where I bleached.
How can I get them out?
– Lea, via fax
Lea, we checked with our friends at the International Fabricare Institute, and here is what they had to say:
First, it is important to be sure that all of the bleach has been thoroughly rinsed from the fabric. Apply a few drops of white vinegar to the yellow spots, and allow it to remain on the fabric for a few minutes, then rinse thoroughly.
You also could try your dry cleaner, who might have a professional product that could be more effective in removing the yellow spots. Be sure to point out all the spots so the dry cleaner can mark them and deal with them appropriately.
Neither of the above methods might work, but it's certainly worth a try.
For the rest of your laundry, try adding a cup of white vinegar to the final rinse water in your washer to remove detergent buildup. It will leave your laundry soft and fluffy.
And an FYI: The white color in many fabrics is actually a fluorescent dye that can be damaged by chlorine bleach, just as bleach damages other colors.
– Heloise
DEAR HELOISE: I have another method for remembering when to renew or return library books.
Because our library has a system for renewing books online, I use the reminder application on my computer. Each day, when I log on to check e-mail, the note is right there on the desktop to remind me when the books are due.
– Carol Stabler,
via e-mail
DEAR HELOISE: I use buttermilk for baking, but no one in my family drinks it. As a result, I threw out a lot of buttermilk until I came up with the idea to freeze it in muffin tins.
Each tin holds about one-quarter cup. When frozen, I remove the buttermilk chunks from the muffin tins and put them in a freezer bag for later use in a recipe.
They are easily removed from the muffin tins. Just let them sit out for a few minutes, then run a knife around the edge of the frozen milk, and they pop right out.
– Reba from Arkansas
Send a great hint to: Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, TX 78279-5000, or fax it to (210) HELOISE.
