Dear Readers: Ever had your clothes catch on fire, or your child’s clothes ignite, or your skin or hair catch on fire? STOP, DROP and ROLL is an easy-to-remember and effective method to extinguish clothing and fires on the skin and hair.

1. STOP right where you are when you first realize you are in trouble. You don’t want to cause airflow to “fan the flames.”

2. DROP to your knees, and lie down if possible. Important: If you are able, cover your face with your hands to protect your hair, eyes, ears, nose and mouth.

3. ROLL to smother any flame and deprive it of oxygen. If you are on an area rug, you can roll yourself into the rug to create a barrier between the fire and you.

Ensure young children understand that STOP, DROP and ROLL is for an actual immediate live fire threat and danger. If they hear a fire alarm or siren, they must safely, quickly and calmly evacuate the building, with the help of an adult. — Heloise

ORGANIZATION NATION — IT’S NOT EASY BEING GREEN

Dear Readers: Decorating with plants indoors suggests a clean, colorful, bright and healthy environment. Not a green thumb to be had in the family? There are some beautiful artificial plants and trees on the market nowadays. Check them out. — Heloise

MORE ON MIDCENTURY MODERN

Dear Readers: Several weeks ago, we discussed the characteristics, style and charm of the midcentury modern home: clean, unfettered looks, no clutter, no flowery design elements, lots of long, low and lean lines, etc.

Sounds great, right? Hold the phone. Here are some drawbacks to the mid-century modern element:

— The open floor plan of midcentury modern does not lend itself to privacy. You may have several areas in the home (dining, living, kitchen) that flow, one into the other, with no walls in between and no sound cushion.

— This open design makes heating, cooling and insulating the space difficult and more expensive.

— The roof on a midcentury modern home is often flat or almost flat. Roofs need to have an angle to them, so water, snow, tree branches, leaves and other debris can roll off and not sit on the roof to decay and damage the roof.

There’s good and bad in all designs. Weigh them and pick the home you’d like the best! — Heloise

STORING FRUIT

Dear Heloise: I store fruit, especially strawberries, in glass jars in the fridge. They stay fresher for longer. It’s also helpful because my young son cannot peel an orange by himself yet, so I pre-peel the orange and place it in the jar. (I help him open the jar.)

The bright, pretty colors appeal to my kids too; this makes snack time a breeze! — Caitlyn E. in Florida

EASY GREASY

Dear Heloise: I save the paper wrappers from sticks of butter. This makes an easy method of greasing a cake pan. The wrapper molds and gets into all corners. — Donna R. in Indiana

Send a money-saving or timesaving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795001, San Antonio, TX 78279-5001, or you can fax it to 1-210-HELOISE or email it to Heloise@Heloise.com. I can’t answer your letter personally but will use the best hints received in my column.

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