Dear Heloise: Recently, someone wrote in to warn about discarding dental floss in the toilet. A plumbing expert said to never put anything in the toilet except the “four P’s,” which are: pee, poop, puke and (toilet) paper. No gum, tampons or even facial tissues. And absolutely no flushable wipes! Only toilet paper is specially made to break down sufficiently enough and avoid clogging the pipes.

I personally know about flushable wipes. A few years ago, they caused a blockage in our pipe that required a big plumbing job with our lawn and cement walkway having to get dug up. It was expensive and yucky! — Kathleen Puglia, in New Orleans

FLOSSING PROTOCOL

Dear Heloise: Before using string floss, wash your hands and, most importantly, use hand sanitizer because you are putting your hands and everything that is on them directly into your mouth. — Carl Guarnieri, via email

GARDENING TIPS

Dear Heloise: Here’s my two cents on gardening: Even when I wear gardening gloves, I get dirt under my fingernails. I now wear thin single-use “rubber” gloves under my gardening gloves. No more dirt under my fingernails! Your hands might be sweaty when you take them off, but it’s much easier to wash your hands than it is to clean stained fingernails.

How often do we not get to weeds until they’ve gone to seed? When we end up with a seed puff, like on dandelions and others, there is no way to touch the weed without seeds spreading all over. Before touching the weed, I take a can of old-fashioned aerosol hairspray and spray the seed puffs. I give it a thorough spray, then cut the intact stem without having the weed seeds go all over the place.

Since I’ve been doing this, I have way fewer weeds cropping up everywhere. I read your column in The Columbian in Vancouver, Washington. — Carol Lee, in Vancouver, Washington

LEAVING A

PAPER TRAIL

Dear Heloise: Have you ever been in a public bathroom and struggled to get the paper out of its housing? I finally started to make sure that I leave a little tail for the next person’s convenience. If we all do this, it will make life just a little easier for all. — Anne, in Montana

Send a money-saving or time-saving hint to Heloise@Heloise.com.