DEAR HELOISE: Let’s please talk about how to cleanse animals that get skunked. I have seen people’s remedies for removing skunk odors from their animals. At best, most are iffy and take a long time to remove the smell. Well, I have a proven method. Living in a remote area of Montana, I found this out from a Canadian officer whose dog tracked bears:

Wash your animal using a commercial douche and a little dish detergent. It sounds funky, but it works remarkably well. The smell is gone.

— Norman G., Cascade, Montana

Norman, thank you for your hint. There are also bottled skunk odor neutralizers on the market that are sold online and in pet stores as well as some grocery stores.

My own dog gets “skunked” about once a month (he’ll never learn), and I spray him with a spray that seems to work well until the next time he gets “skunked”!

— Heloise

DEAR HELOISE: To easily open the freshness / safety seal on jars of peanut butter, vitamins, medicine containers, hand creams, etc., lift up the hard-to-grasp small tabs around the edge of the seal. Then take needle-nose pliers and pull up slowly on the tabs. The seal will open easily and cleanly.

I enjoy reading your column and everyone’s hints.

— Hannelore R., in Omaha, Nebraska

Hannelore, thank you for your hint. You mentioned one of my favorite tools: needle-nose pliers. I have a pair in my kitchen and another pair in my office. It’s surprising how many times I’ve used both pairs.

When a friend buys a new home, I love to give them a pair of needle-nose pliers, a tape measure, and a level. These three tools will get a lot of use in just about any home.

— Heloise

DEAR HELOISE: I love your column and have been following you and your mom for years in the Buffalo News.

For those plagued by ants that invade their hummingbird feeders, use an ant trap and put vinegar in it. The ants will approach it but won’t cross into the feeder. After the ants learn about it, you could use half parts vinegar and water. Be careful to only fill the trap so that the wind will not tilt it to where the contents will spill out. About halfway is what I do.

This does nothing against the bees, but the birds don’t seem as bothered by them.

— Eloise G., in New York