Dear Heloise: For our experienced citizens who have acquired hearing aids, they shouldn’t just employ them intermittently. They should use them all the time. Hearing aids reroute neural paths in your brain, which upgrades your auditory abilities. — Jim R., in Houston

THE RIGHT

TIME TO HONK

Dear Heloise: I was the only one sitting at a red light. When it turned green, I fumbled with the gear shift and was way slow even while beginning to move. (Thank God.) Much after the green light, a car came through from the left at about 45 mph. If I’d started normally, he couldn’t have stopped. I’d be dead now.

Two takeaways: First, it seems reasonable to honk because grotesquely endangering others’ lives is not OK. Second, always look both ways before leading into an intersection when the light turns green, no matter how long it’s been since the light changed. — B.W., in Montana

BABY FORMULA

STAINS

Dear Heloise: In regard to the inquiry by Ava G., in New Mexico, about baby formula stains, the best advice that I received over 50 years ago for washing baby clothes was to add dishwasher detergent to every load. It works!

I used the bulk detergent, not pods. The baby bibs came out “slick as a whistle.” — Jackie S., in South Dakota

CHEESE CLUMPS

Dear Heloise: How do you prevent grated cheese in a zipclose bag from lumping up in the refrigerator? — Jack R., in Garland, Texas

Jack, add a little cornstarch or flour to the grated cheese and seal the bag very tightly. — Heloise