Dear Heloise: We live in a trilevel house and have seven steps going up and seven steps going down. My husband installed a second handrail opposite the one that was already there on both sets of steps. This has made it much easier for us to navigate the steps since we are close to 80, and it is much safer. Perhaps this will help some of your readers who have trouble climbing steps as they age. — Judy S., in Dayton, Ohio

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MILK CHOCOLATE DEBACLE

Dear Heloise: Here I am at 81 years old learning something new, and so far, I have passed this wisdom onto eight friends. They all said, “Who knew?”

I have always preferred dark chocolate to milk chocolate, but my husband is the opposite. So, of course, I bake with his preferred milk chocolate. The straw that broke the camel’s back was when I made the last batch of my mom’s recipe for refrigerator cookies. I used milk chocolate and had a mysterious stomachache.

So, what do people my age do? We Google it! Indeed, “milk chocolate” does not refer to the milder taste nor the color. Duh! It is made with milk, so all of us who are lactose intolerant would, of course, get stomach issues from eating it.

I truly hope this “pearl of wisdom” helps others. I love your column in the Ventura Star. — Nancy L., in Simi Valley, California

Nancy, it’s true that many adults cannot digest milk or milk products due to lactose, which is the milk sugar in the product. — Heloise

A NASTY GARBAGE DISPOSAL

Dear Heloise: My late husband was a plumber, and he was called in many times to help people get rid of a nasty-smelling garbage disposal. He always advocated reading your column for household hints, and his all-time favorite was the use of baking soda and vinegar.

In fact, he would usually tell women to pour the baking soda and vinegar down their drains about once a week to help clean out drains and avoid a “yucky” drain smell.

P.S. He also said roaches hate vinegar, and it could help eliminate them from crawling up the drains. — Rhonda W., in Lawton, Oklahoma

PUTTING CHILDREN AHEAD

Dear Heloise: I know you promote reading and education whenever you can, and as a school teacher, I appreciate this very much. However, before children start school, and before they can make a complete sentence, please encourage parents to read to their children.

Studies have been done showing that reading to children and explaining words to them that they might not understand will inspire them to read and learn. There are many gifts we can give our children, but helping them learn and seek an education is one of the greatest gifts.

An education does not stop on graduation day; it’s only the beginning. We know from various studies that a child who hates reading or a person who is reading on a fourth grade level by the age of 17 will be handicapped in the job market.

So, read to your children and make them read to you. Help them sound out words they don’t know. Give your child a better chance in life and a better future. — Margaret E., in Connecticut