The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

The Canadian Champion, Friday, May 1, 1998-23 Household Tips Every Mom Should Know Ever wonder if there is a way to repair a garden hose? How do you get rid of an oil or grease stain on a garage floor? How can you get rust stains off silverware? For problems like these, people usually call their mothers or grand- mothers, because - well, they're usually the ones who know! We call them up and they help get us out of jams, like spilled grape juice on the carpet or getting a cake out of a tube pan. But, if mom or grandma isn't home and a house- hold emergency needs immediate attention, what do you do? Reach for the bookshelf. "If I'd Only Listened to My Mom, I'd Know How to Do Thi" (St. Martin's Griffin), by Jean B. MacLeod, contains a vast amount of information about every house- hold hint from A to Z, and that's just one chapter. Other chapters get even more area-specific: Bathrooms (use a golf ball as a bathtub plug substitute), Kitchens (prevent a clogged pepper shaker by placing a dried pea in the pep- per container), Gardens (get rid of wasps by putting 2 inches of vine- gar in a long-necked bottle and leaving out), Laundry (remove an item's wrinkles by placing it in the dryer with a large, damp bath towel), Pets, Food and Cooking, Organization, Stains, Travel Tips, and more. The book also includes a resourceful guide of useful addresses and 800 numbers to save you time, effort and money. Here is a sampling of MacLeod's helpful hints to get you started. To prolong the life of batteries: * Scrape both ends with sand- paper, a nail file or an emery board to give them more mileage. To remove adhesive residue from labels and decals: • Saturate the area with pre- wash spray, WD-40, or cooking or baby oil and leave for a couple of hours, then scrub away the adhe- sive with a cloth or nylon scrubber. • Rub with a cotton ball saturat- ed with rubbing alcohol. • Apply mineral spirits with a piece of terry cloth. • Use nail polish remover on a cotton ball. To prolong the life of candles: • Store in the refrigerator to make them burn slowly and evenly with no dripping. • Soak them for two hours in a solution of 2 tablespoons salt with enough water to cover, then rinse well and dry. Wait at least a day before using so the wicks can dry. This procedure will make them burn without dripping. • Keep them clean and unbro- ken by storing them in empty card- board tubes from paper towels or gift wrap. To get rid of flies: • Hang bunches of bay leaves, mint, pennyroyal or eucalyptus by your door to repel them. • Dampen crumpled newspaper with ammonia and rub on windows to keep flies away. • Dip a sponge in boiling water and place it in a saucer or shallow container. Pour 12 teaspoon oil of lavender on the spoon. (Fies do no like the aroma.) Moisten the sponge twice a day with boiling water and once a week with the oil. A substitute for a heating pad: • Fill an old sock with uncooked rice or gravel. Close or tie the end, and place in the microwave for three minutes. It will stay hot/warm for two hours and can be reused many times. Because of its flexibili- ty, it's ideal to wrap around aching joints. If you add a few cloves to the rice, it will be aromatic and soothing. To repair a garden hose: • Sand the surface of a rubber patch and the area around the hole very lightly with fine sandpa- per. Apply contact cement to both surfaces and wait until the cement dries. Then firmly press the patch over the hole, and wrap the patched area with either electrical tape or duct tape. To prevent hurricane lamps from smoking: • Soak the wick in white vinegar and dry well before using. To prevent mildew on plastic shower curtains: • Soak the curtain in the bathtub for an hour or so in warm water and 1 cup of borax. Don't rinse. Treat Mom This Mother's Day RAID HER CLOSET!! And bring her gently used designer clothes to us! SISTER'S CLOSET Yourfirst choice for second debutfashionse 42 Bronte St. S., Unit 11, Milton 875-02321 CUSTOM MADE MIRRORS ANY SIZE OR SHAPE 20 YEARS EXPERIENCE eQUAUTWORKMANSHIPé •QUICK TURNAROUND