Dear Heloise: After a recent bout of COVID and a subsequent disinfecting of my main bathroom, I removed the drain plug from my bathroom sink, ran an old bottle brush down the drain and cleaned the plug stem itself. This is a disgusting project, but an important one once you see what is lurking in the drain. I did this when I moved to my new house as well as my old house.

Another hint to simplify getting the plug out (there are great online videos on this for the lever-type drain plugs) is to have a plumber switch out the drain with a screw-in plug that you can pop up and down with your hand, as I did during a remodel at my old house! — C.J., Dayton, Ohio

NATURE GATHERERS

Dear Heloise: A word of caution to C.P., in Colorado, regarding her seasonal collection of decorations. Always wear gloves when retrieving items from nature and clean all items thoroughly before bringing them into the house. Old bird’s nests could be one of nature’s most toxic receptacles. They’re attractive, but unusable. Remember to clean your gloves and bag as well. — Tony Elia, via email

OVEN SPILLS

Dear Readers: When baking, food inevitably spills over in the oven. To help clean it up, sprinkle salt onto the burned gunk. It will help eliminate smoke and odors, and make it easier to clean up after baking.

To prevent spills, put a baking sheet or aluminum foil under things that contain foods that may bubble over onto the bottom of the oven. — Heloise

LEFTOVER

SNACK MIXES

Dear Heloise: I seem to have a lot of snack mixes over the football and holiday seasons, whether they were gifts or just leftover from entertaining. I throw them in my food processor and make tasty crumbs for breading chicken, topping casseroles or adding to meatloaves. — Carla Kienast, via email