Dear Heloise: I wanted to write in regarding losing socks. I bought 10 pairs of identical black socks, which I wear all winter. Since they are all the same, I don’t have to do any matching. For other socks, I don’t wait until doing laundry to pin them together; I pin them together when I take them off. — Dee Van Dam, via email

HOMEMADE TRASH CANS

Dear Heloise: Our need for handy little trash cans has grown, even if it’s just a small one next to a bed or under a sink. I make an inexpensive trash can for papers, tissues and whatnot. I have one next to my desk for papers to recycle. I cut off the top of a large cereal box with scissors, or use a similar, tall, narrow box, and line it with a plastic bag, such as a replaceable grocery bag.

I read your column every day in the Dayton Daily News in Ohio. Thank you for your hints. — Mary Hess, via email

COMPUTER SCAM

Dear Heloise: Recently, while scrolling on Facebook, I clicked on a subject’s face, and my computer was immediately locked down with a virus. Instructions said to call Microsoft, and the number was listed. I called the number, and a man answered. He had control of my computer and instructed me how to get back online. I was on the phone for one to one-and-a-half hours and finally got my desktop working.

But here’s the catch — they wanted to charge me $300 for this service, plus an additional $300 to install a firewall. Then, I realized that this was a scam and pulled the plug on my computer. They harassed me for a week with threatening phone calls, trying to get paid. I ignored all the phone calls.

Here’s the object lesson: Do not call the Microsoft number at all. Just shut down your computer. It’s a scam. — Joan Dignacco, Bantam, Connecticut

GARDENING HANDS

Dear Readers: Spent the day gardening and your hands are really dirty? Just wet your hands and sprinkle baking soda on them. Scrub away the dirt and grime. Then, follow up with some hand lotion.

Baking soda is excellent for cleaning as well as deodorizing. My six-page pamphlet “Heloise’s Baking Soda Hints and Recipes” will tell you more about different and easy ways to use baking soda at home. To order a pamphlet, go to www.Heloise.com, or send $5 and a long, self-addressed, stamped envelope to: Heloise/Baking Soda, P.O. Box 795001, San Antonio, TX 78279-5001. — Heloise

PET PAL

Dear Heloise: Jake was on our chronicle’s pets page as a 3-year-old. He’s still doing well at 16, shown here keeping me company during a recent hospital stay. — Carl, via email

Readers, to see Jake and our other Pet Pals, go to Heloise.com and click on “Pet of the Week.”

Do you have a furry friend to share with our readers? Send a photo and a brief description to Heloise@Heloise.com. — Heloise

Send a money-saving or timesaving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795001, San Antonio, TX 78279-5001, or you can fax it to 1-210-HELOISE or email it to Heloise@Heloise.com. I can’t answer your letter personally but will use the best hints received in my column.

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