Dear Heloise: I’m 90 years old, and I’ve been saving bits of soap for years and wondered if you could tell me a way to process and use them again. Soap was hard to come by earlier in my life, so I hate to throw them out.

I read your column daily. — Helen K., Lawndale, California

Helen, if these were bars of soap, I’d recommend donating them to a battered women’s shelter or a charity for homeless people. However, you mention that these are “bits” of soap, which I take to mean tiny pieces. Those are hard to use because of their small size; I imagine them to be similar to the pieces that are left when we get down to the end of a bar of soap.

If that is the case, I highly recommend throwing it out. Over time, bacteria accumulates on those pieces of soap, and it could contain bacteria from other people besides yourself.

Your generosity and thoughtfulness are certainly commendable, but perhaps the next time you have one of these tiny pieces of soap, you can sort of press it into a new bar of soap. — Heloise

PAINT SPLATTER

Dear Heloise: I get paint splatter all over my clothes and even in my hair when I paint. What can I do to minimize this problem? — Janet D., Omaha, Nebraska

Janet, I had the very same problem, but I figured it out. First, get an apron made of a very thick material. (You can usually find something like that at a hardware store.) Keep this if you like painting or plan to do more painting in the future.

Next, get a shower cap to cover your hair. You can use either latex gloves to cover your hands or take a piece of round cardboard and cut a slit or hole big enough to slide the handle of your paint brush through. It acts as a shield for your hand. — Heloise

MAKING CHICKEN STOCK

Dear Heloise: After enjoying a store-bought rotisserie chicken, I make stock from the bones and skin, along with celery leaves, dried onion and a bay leaf in a pot of water.

After simmering for an hour or more, I strain the broth and freeze it in ice cube trays that are lightly oiled. Once frozen, I store the cubes in zip-close bags for easy access. — K.B., in Illinois