Treat herbs like fresh flowers

DEAR HELOISE: My best hint is to treat certain vegetables and herbs as you would cut flowers. Trim the ends of parsley, asparagus, etc., and put in water. Wilted herbs are revived. -- Helen in Fort Worth, Texas

DEAR HELEN: How right you are! Herbs can be stored in the fridge in a glass jar or coffee cup with about an inch of water. Cover the herbs loosely with a plastic bag, and change the water daily. The herbs should last one week in the fridge. -- Heloise

Silverware drawer

DEAR HELOISE: Here's how I keep plastic or wooden silverware divider boxes from moving front to back in the drawer. Measure the length of a cardboard paper-towel tube and cut to the right length. Place between the back wall of the drawer and the back edge of the box. It is working perfectly since I thought of it a few years ago. -- Don Olson, Omaha, Neb.

Closet rods

DEAR HELOISE: Because I have metal closet rods, there is a "seam" that prevents coat hangers from sliding easily along the rod. After living with these rods for 32 years, I finally got the bright idea to cover the rods with plastic shower-curtain-rod covers. It works perfectly! Now the hangers slide easily along as I look for the garment I want. -- Martha Fisher, Alexandria, Va.

Soap symposium

DEAR HELOISE: Take all those small sample bottles of shampoo, body wash, etc., and pour them into your liquid hand-wash bottle. I even had a larger bottle of shampoo that I no longer use, and now I use it for hand-washing! -- Peggy in Longview, Texas

Water saver

DEAR HELOISE: We have a large, plastic, inflatable kiddie pool in the driveway. I always felt guilty when changing the water because it would just run down into the street, wasting many gallons of water.

I took a small, portable sump pump (we were lucky to have one in the garage) and hooked a hose to it, put it in the pool and plugged it in. Now I can divert the water for handy uses, like watering the garden, flower beds and young trees. It's saving a precious resource, and no more guilt on my conscience. -- Tracey in Minnesota

Hints from Heloise is syndicated by King Features Syndicate. Send great hints to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, TX 78279-5000; by fax, 210-HELOISE (435-6473); or by e-mail, Heloise@Heloise.com.