Dryer sheets do more than soften fabrics

* When the car needs a little freshening up, I tuck a few sheets under the seats.

* I place them on our boat in closets, cabinets and storage spaces.

— Pat DeLong, Hamburg, Pa.

Salt versus pepper

DEAR HELOISE: I purchased salt and pepper shakers with different amounts of holes in each. Which should be salt, and which should be pepper? Help! — Jean N., via e-mail

DEAR JEAN: this is a great debate for dinner-table conversation! Since it’s your home, it’s your call. A traditional saltshaker had only one hole, and a pepper shaker had more than three. Salt grains are larger, and they come out faster than pepper.

While we’re on the subject, did you know that there is a Museum of Salt and Pepper Shakers in Gatlinburg, Tenn.? According to the staff there, “The shaker with the least amount of holes is for salt … and the shaker with more holes is for pepper.”

Some folks are on a reduced-sodium diet, so you might want to make sure you are using the shaker with the least amount of holes or the one with smaller holes. An old Heloise hint is to add a little pepper to the salt, and you can see how much salt is being used. — Heloise

P.S.: There is no “salt versus pepper” shaker law that I know of.

Roll on

DEAR HELOISE: When pulling a roll of toilet paper, we pull too much. My father told me to flatten the new roll before putting it on the spindle. This makes the cardboard tubing less rounded and requires a little more of a tug to remove the paper. It can be torn off without unrolling yet another foot of unneeded paper.

— Geniece, via e-mail

Two good hints

DEAR HELOISE: Here are two of my favorite hints:

* I like the cube box of tissues, but find them more expensive. I buy the large-size oblong box and slit the cube open at the side to “refill” it. I fasten it with clear tape, and the cube lasts for several months.

* I have a large family that comes to visit from out of town. Not having enough towel rods, I take pants hangers that hold four to five pairs of pants and hang them on the back of the bathroom door. Towel rods for all of them.

— Barbara Baker, La Habra, Calif.

Garbage disposal

DEAR HELOISE: If your dishwasher drains through the garbage disposal, turn it on when the dishwasher is draining. This cleans and freshens the disposal. — Tommie Rogers of Tyler, Texas

Hints from Heloise is syndicated by King Features Syndicate. Send great hints to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, TX 78279-5000; by fax, 210-HELOISE (435-6473); or by e-mail, Heloise@Heloise.com.