Dear Heloise: In my robe pocket, I like to keep an empty toilet paper roll. I put my reading glasses in it to protect them from whatever else I put in that pocket.

I love all of the ideas people send you. I use many of them. — Jackie, Colorado Springs

Dear Heloise: I have diabetes, so I guard my feet from damage by always wearing footwear.

Often, I will slip when wearing slippers in the house. To further guard from tripping or falling, I remove the slippers when I go up or down the stairs so that I don’t trip or slip out of the slippers on the stairwell.

I can move safely on the stairs and put the slippers back on afterward. I am also careful to use the handrail as well. — Joann Marquardt, Alpena, Mich.

Dear Heloise: Just by accident, I found a way to cut down on pet hair and remove dander and flea dirt from my cat. Bathing a cat can be traumatic for both the cat and owner, so one day, while using a lint roller on a chair to remove cat hair, I thought it might be easier to just use it on the cat. (You can get these rollers at a discount store for a dollar.)

I began to push the cat’s fur against the direction it grows and roll the lint roller along the place where the skin was showing. It was amazing! I got a lot of dander off my cat, along with loose cat hair and a little flea dirt. The cat thought I was grooming him, so he was very cooperative. — H.N., in Pennsylvania

Dear Heloise: One of my frustrations during the holidays is finding replacement bulbs for strings of lights because they are mostly unavailable. Now when I buy strings of lights, I buy an extra string of the exact same kind so that I have plenty of bulbs to replace the ones that inevitably burn out. Joy to the world! — Leslie G., via email

Dear readers: You can clean the brick around fireplaces with full-strength white vinegar. This is done best by scrubbing the stained areas with a small vegetable brush dipped in vinegar. Wipe up any spills right away. — Heloise