NOW HERE'S A TIP

• To stretch your laundry budget, cut fabric softener sheets in half. They work just as well. Also, save them after they come out of the dryer. They make excellent dusters in the home.

• Love Sudoku puzzles? M.K. of Montana suggests that you might love it even more if you color code your grid. Each number 1-9 is assigned a color, and you solve the puzzle as normal, excepting you color in the box to denote your answer. When it’s all finished, she says, “it looks like a colorful quilt.”

• If the vegetables you’re cooking give off an unpleasant smell, grab a small saucepan and simmer a bit of plain vinegar while cooking. It will negate the smell, and leave your house smelling pleasantly like mealtime afterward.

• Want to keep your cut flowers fresh longer? Add a teaspoon of chlorine bleach to the water and change it out every few days.

• Spruce up indoor greenery with a little mineral oil. To get your green plants’ leaves shining and healthy, wipe them down with a clean cloth dipped in mineral oil. Rub off any excess.

Send your tips to Now Here’s a Tip, c/o King Features Weekly Service, P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475 or e-mail JoAnn at [email protected].

(c) 2012 King Features Synd., Inc.