Dear Heloise: My wife and I read your hints daily, and you have some great ones! Here is something that we do to speed up the process of unloading the dishwasher. When putting utensils into the utensil holder to get washed, we group them together like forks in the front, spoons in the middle, and knives in the back. It sure makes it easy to unload when they are clean. — Mason Fairhope, in Alabama

SLEEPING WITH FURRY FRIENDS

Dear Heloise: Dealing with pet fur is ongoing at my house. My Schipperke loves sleeping on my bed, and the feeling is mutual. I keep an old sheet on my bedspread to pull up at night for hair protection, but I also love the air setting on my dryer. I’ve discovered that if I put my bedspread or anything with dog hair through the air setting before putting it into the washing machine, much of the hair is removed. It makes for a much cleaner wash. — Lolly F., via email

WATER SHUT-OFF

Dear Heloise: We went on a trip and were gone for a week. When we got home, we discovered that we had a leak from an upstairs toilet, which ruined all the wood floors downstairs and caused mold to grow in corners of our walls. This also required replacing some of the drywall.

Please warn your readers to shut off their water before taking a trip of a week or more. A valve is usually located out near the sidewalk. — Joyce M., in Fayetteville, Tennessee

CHARGING YOUR PHONE

Dear Heloise: If you want to charge your phone quickly, plug it into the wall, not a PC. Think about investing in a fast charger, but check your phone’s manual or the manufacturer’s website to see what’s required for your make of phone.

It’s usually not necessary to turn your phone off while charging, but be sure to check your phone’s manual just to be certain. — John W., in Middletown, Delaware

IT’S IN THE BAG

Dear Heloise: I ripen bananas, tomatoes and peaches in a paper bag on the kitchen counter. This traps the natural ethylene gases that many fruits release and speeds up the ripening process. — Carrie W., in Ohio

TUBES FOR ENRICHMENT

Dear Heloise: The local zoo accepts cardboard cores from toilet paper and paper towels. They use them for animal enrichment. The cores are filled with treats and sealed. The keepers give them to various animals that then have to figure out how to open them to get their treats.

Collecting and filling the cores, then watching the animals open them is a fun project for young kids and an opportunity for youth organizations for service-project hours. — Marge B., via email

BIRTHDAY REGISTRY

Dear Heloise: My family has developed a “birthday registry” of sorts. Since we are scattered all over the country, it’s impossible to know what a person needs, wants, etc. So, we developed a list of things we’d like to have or things we need, and we discreetly email the list to those who need it.

This has worked well, and people get the gifts they need and want! — Holly H., in Massachusetts

(Send a money-saving or time-saving hint to Heloise@Heloise.com. I can’t answer your letter personally but will use the best hints received in my column.)