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DEAR HELOISE: Education begins at home! I recently encouraged all the parents of teenagers in our rural community to teach the kids three basic hand signals when they're riding their ATVs or bikes on/near the roadway. Lots of kids ride them in the rural country areas and on the back roads. The feedback from parents was astounding in the fact that the general response was: "They don't teach this in driver's education."
Ugh! Children and teenagers do not need to learn everything from teachers. Parents should look it up and teach them the three basic hand signals at home! It's so simple to ensure a bit of safety instead of making excuses. It's so frustrating to always hear the "teacher" excuses. I love your column and read it daily!
-- Michelle, in Axtell, Texas
Michelle, I've always believed that education starts at home. This goes for hygiene and table manners, too. By the age of 5, every child should be able to write their name, recite their address and phone number, know their colors, and count to 20. Remember, you'll never leave behind anything of greater importance than your children.
-- Heloise
DEAR HELOISE: I just saw a hint from someone who was telling people to microwave their sponges to clean them. I always do this, but I bought new sponges and looked at the package today to see if they were compostable because they felt different. They weren't because they were made out of synthetic material and also carried a warning not to put them in the microwave. They weren't the sponges that I normally buy. Just a heads-up!
-- Lynn Fodor, in New York
DEAR HELOISE: Wringing out wet clothes ruins the fibers. This stresses the fibers and causes them to wear out faster. The old-fashioned wringer washers actually compressed the garments between two rollers to squeeze the water out. I wash items by hand, squeeze them out, and let them drip out before moving them to a drying rack.
-- Ann, via email
Ann, there are some things that need to be laid flat and pressed with a dry towel so that excess water can be removed. Things such as delicate undergarments and sweaters do well with this method. Wringing out fabrics may remove a lot of water, but you're correct when you say that it damages the fibers.
-- Heloise