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Show !! ii in .1 ii ,i mmm,mm mmmm m !jff ;fx, i " " " " " ' ' """" ' ' V SMW'-V---"'---''.- t " " 'V- ItMdKes : i I ' ;f Cents :: J 1 Vi QCake Dear Vi: When our dustpan was no longer useful, having lost its rubber edge, I discovered a neat substitute. 1. Wet the edge of a sheet of newspaper. 2. Press the wet edge to the floor by rubbing along it with your finger. 3. Sweep everything over the wet edge onto the paper. 4. Gather up the paper and the dirt and toss it in the trash. This works so well I haven't purchased a new dustpan. E. Boss Dear Vi: Vacuum bottle corks that have become hardened and compressed so that they don't fit tightly anymore can be restored by boiling them in a covered pan for a few minutes. Also, we make fire starters out of lint from the clothes dryer, egg cartons, and used paraffin. Fill the egg carton cups with the lint (sawdust can also be used) and cover it with softened paraffin. To use, break off one section at a time. These can be used to start a fire in a stove or fireplace, but we find them especially handy for camping trips. Roberta H., Mesquite, Nev. Dear Vi: One of our favorite records is warped. Do you know how it can be restored? Cynthia H. If it is only slightly warped, warm it in the sun or a barely warm oven for a few minutes then place it in its original holder (not plastic) and leave it between two really flat boards with heavy weights on top for a few days. I do hope this will work for you. Avoid such problems in the future by storing records upright in their protective covers. Don't let them lean heavily to one side. Never stack records flat in a stack. Dirty records can be cleaned by rubbing them gently with a soft cloth dampened in a detergent solution. Or, if you wish, you can buy a commercial record cleaning fluid. Dear Vi: I use 8 ounce yogurt cups for measuring cups. Since I have plenty of them, I measure each ingredient for my recipe into one of them before I start mixing up the batter. This way, nothing is forgotten and you don't have to stop to wash your measuring cup between liquid and dry ingredients. These cups stack nicely, you can use them many times, and then "toss" them when they become worn. F. Jenkins, St George, Utah Dear Vi: Help! I found a solid oak table at a garage sale, which was covered with a laminated plastic plas-tic top. (Can you imagine anyone doing that to beautiful wood?) I've managed to pry some of it off, but most of it won't budge. What would you suggest? I really want to restore it. Ora Patterson, Temecula, Calif. Try aiming a hair dryer set on high heat at the patches of plastic while prying up with a wedge or putty knife as the glue softens. This is the common method of lifting lift-ing floor tiles. Another idea is to cover the plastic with a towel and iron it with a hot iron until the glue softens sufficiently. By working quickly, prying off the plastic while the glue is still hot, you should be able to remove the remaining pieces. Whichever way you choose, work cautiously so as not to damage the lovely wood underneath. un-derneath. Good luck. Dear Vi: Our new neighbor from Oceanside, Calif., wondered why her baked goods never turned out right even though she was using us-ing her original recipe. After telling her what to do, I got to wondering if others might not already al-ready know the remedy which is : For altitudes over 3,500 feet for an average cake recipe, 1. add an extra tablespoon of flour, 2. reduce the milk or other liquid to about one-third. one-third. 3. set your oven at 25 degrees de-grees higher than your recipe calls for and 4. reduce the baking time 5 to 10 minutes. ima DeSota, Bloomington Hills, Utah Readers: This is your feature. Please send your ideas and requests for help to: It Makes Cents, 328 South 300 East, St. George, Utah 84770. If your letter is used here, you will receive a check for $2.00 or a copy of one of my booklets, "Kitchen Tricks," "Discard Tricks," or "All About Rhubarb." State your choice. |