Dear Heloise: I had to chuckle at but agree with Carol’s “requirement” that hotel executives stay in their own hotels. We’ve all been there. When we purchased and set up our first home together, my husband and I decided to stay in the guest room for a couple of nights and use the guest bathroom. Here’s what we did after we experienced being guests in our own home:

We declutterred the tops of dressers, emptied several drawers and half of the closet, and made sure there were plenty of hangers. In the bathroom, we mounted hooks on the wall and the back of the door, replaced the shower head, removed clutter from the vanity top, and cleaned out part of the cabinet below.

We hung a bath organizer above the tub and stocked it with soap, shampoo, wash cloths, etc. Sheet sets, blankets and towels that are dedicated to the guest room and bathroom are stored in these rooms. Now we are ready to receive guests at any time without having to rearrange half of the house! — Anni, Colorado Springs, Colorado

LOOKING AT YOUR PEOPLE

Dear Heloise: After seeing a picture in my guest room from my mother-in-law’s days, I intend to do the same for myself at 91. She had generations of family pictures all over her house. We had the pictures made smaller and put in a big frame with a decorative divider between pictures, not as a collage. If she was in her room, many times she was looking at “her people.” — Holding On in Kingston, New York

GREETING CARD REUSE

Dear Heloise: Instead of tossing or shredding cards you get from charities, you might consider donating them to a thrift shop in your area. The Assistance League here in Newport Beach, California, has a rack for these cards.

Also, there is St. Jude’s Ranch for Children, where you can send greeting card fronts that are 5 by 7 inches only. It’s called the Recycle Card Program located at 100 St. Jude’s St., Boulder City, Nevada 89005. The front of the cards that have no writing are cut down and made into new greeting cards that are sold online. Thank you. — Ann S., Irvine, California

USING THE LAST LITTLE BIT

Dear Heloise: In addition to turning shampoo bottles upside down to get the last bit, I add some water to the bottle to make what’s left go a little further. I can get two or three extra shampoos this way. I stopped buying bottles and containers with pumps. They are flimsy and break easily. — Sharon Dolan, via email

SANDING DOWN GLASS

Dear Heloise: We had friends over for dinner one evening, and we discovered that we had some chips on a couple of the rims of our nicest European crystal glasses. Having the chips repaired professionally was possible, but the cost was prohibitive. So, we decided to attempt to repair them ourselves.

By using the finest P400 sandpaper, wetting the rim surface, and carefully sanding the chips, the problem was slowly resolved. Now we have repaired crystal glasses, and no one could tell were previously chipped! — M., in Nevada

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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.