DEAR HELOISE: I’ve had a lot of trouble opening bottles of nail polish. Some bottles have tops with a smooth surface or a shape that’s not easily grasped. And don’t forget bottles that have partially dried shut! My quick fix is to wrap a rubber band around the bottle cap. It’s so much easier to grasp the bottle to open it; even the stubborn dried-on tops frequently come loose. I just keep rubber bands on the bottle tops while they’re in storage so that they’re always ready to be used.

— Sandy, in Kalamazoo, Michigan

Sandy, this is a good hint. I usually put on one of my rubber gloves to help me get the top off of a nail polish bottle. Do any of my readers have a special trick they use to open nail polish bottles that get stuck?

— Heloise

DEAR HELOISE: Years ago, on the original Earth Day in 1970, I was young and idealistic, and I wanted to do some small thing to “help the Earth.” So, while my toddler and I walked around the neighborhood picking up trash, I decided that I would sew some cloth napkins and avoid adding paper napkins to the landfill for the rest of my life.

I got laughed at by family and friends, but this custom has been continual for 56 years. My kids grew up with it (not always fancy napkins, just home-sewn 10-by-10-inch cotton napkins), and now they do the same thing out of habit. I wonder if I made any difference in the world.

I also used cloth diapers. Yes, paper diapers are convenient, but I’ve seen potty training happen much quicker and at a younger age because cloth diapers get wet and uncomfortable, unlike the paper diapers that are much more comfortable.

— Ruth M., An Old-Timer in Michigan

Ruth, one of the nicest wedding gifts I received was a stack of 12 homemade napkins that were sewn by a dear friend. And let me add that it might have seemed to be a small gesture, but if everyone made an effort to keep the Earth healthy, clean up after themselves and reduce waste, this world would be in much better shape.

— Heloise

DEAR HELOISE: I also use medical latex gloves for messy kitchen work. But then I wash them with soap and water and save them to wear for gardening. With regular gardening gloves, I always get dirt under my fingernails. But now I wear latex gloves underneath my gardening gloves, and this keeps my nails clean!

— Dolores O., via email