Dear Heloise: The reader who suggested hitting a jar with a knife handle was correct, but tapping is a better word. I tried to teach a co-worker at a deli how to open large pickle jars. Two days later, I was called in to work at 6:30 a.m. unexpectedly. My coworker was taken to the hospital after she wacked a jar and cut her hand on broken glass. She didn’t understand that I tapped the lid. Or I use a bottle opener to ease the pressure and break the airtight seal. — A Reader, in Richmond, Virginia

NIGHT DRIVING

Dear Heloise: The letter from the Crawfords regarding bright lights has an easy solution. Go to any drug store and buy night-driving, nonglare glasses! They are really great and reduce the glare of all kinds of lights, especially in construction zones.

Check online if you can. They are not expensive, usually $15 to $35. If you wear prescription glasses, they have styles that you can wear over your glasses, and they do not change your vision issues. Even passengers can wear them.

I gave a set to my son for Christmas. Have a safe, happy New Year! — Sullivan, in Virginia

FALL PREVENTION

Dear Heloise: In addition to the usually printed suggestions for preventing falls, I have found that balance exercises are the most effective, not only indoors but also outdoors. I have tripped on my scatter rugs but don’t fall, and if I lose my balance, I can recover without falling.

I enjoy reading your daily hints in our local paper and have used some myself. — I.G., in Vermont

GARAGE SALE TIPS

Dear Heloise: The garage sale tips you gave M.R., in Nebraska, were great, but here are a few more to be followed:

— Advertise: It’s important to get the word out to potential customers.  Put an ad in your sale in local papers, put signs up, find sale sites online to post in, and use word of mouth.     (Make sure to include the address, date and time.)

— Have a lot of change, not just $1s but several $5s and $10s. (A lot of customers give you $20s for a small purchase.)

— Price items a wee bit higher than you want out of it. You can always come down in price, and the customer will think they are getting a bargain. — B.B., in Ohio

SLICING SAFETY

Dear Heloise: I purchased my first mandoline slicer to make scalloped potatoes on Christmas. After reading the directions carefully and realizing it is a tool to get feel for, I paid close attention to the warning: “Do not use without the guard.”

But I was happy with the ability to swiftly slice potatoes and got too cocky. While slicing a large potato, I thought it was OK to slice down without the guard, then switch over. Never too old to learn a lesson I learned after slicing not only a large portion of my finger but my nail bed as well!

Some panic, some pain, a trip to urgent care, and a fresh tetanus shot later, it took many weeks for me to recover. I would include a photo, but it would be too graphic!

I have passed this hard-earned lesson over to my granddaughters! Be careful and heed to all safety instructions. I have learned there are many injuries that can happen with this handy kitchen tool. — K.O.B., in Orange County, California

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Hints from Heloise run occasionally in Lifestyles. Readers may send a hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, Texas 78279-5000, fax it to 210-HELOISE, or email: Heloise@Heloise.com. Letters won’t be answered personally.