DEAR HELOISE: There is no time to put grease or oils down a sink with old or new pipes! You pour off what you can as noted in a previous column, then wipe the pan with gently used paper napkins or towels that have been set aside. Throw the napkins away afterward.

The little residue left on the pan is handled by detergent and hot water. You won’t have any more pipe worries this way.

Two asides: Do not throw floss in the toilet. If your pipes are old, the floss gets caught, builds up, and eventually causes a blockage. In the trash it goes! The second is to please ask your plumbing expert about pouring boiling water down the sink. I have read that either we can do this or should never do this, but no reasons have been given. Thanks.

• Emilie Webb, via email

DEAR HELOISE: When an item comes out of the washer and is in a tight ball, it takes the dryer’s time and energy to warm up the item enough to return it back to its regular shape as part of the drying process. To shorten the overall time for drying and to save energy, give the item a good shake before you put it in the dryer.

This action will return the item back to its original shape and allow the dryer to work on drying the clothes sooner, thus saving energy as well as time.

• Sue Flynn, via email

DEAR HELOISE: I enjoy your columns in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Several weeks ago, recommendations were made for cooking times to end up with either soft- or hard-boiled eggs. My experience indicates that these times were only right if you start with room temperature eggs. If you grab some eggs from the fridge and immediately begin cooking them, your eggs will be undercooked.

I usually soak cold eggs in a bowl of warm tap water to temper them before boiling. Do not poke holes in the blunt end of the shell until after tempering.

• Don Eskridge, in St. Louis

DEAR HELOISE: The hint about using beer to kill garden slugs definitely works but is very messy. There’s a much easier way to combat slugs. Save eggshells and slightly crush them into small pieces. Sprinkle them under the leaves, and slugs will stay away. I have a neighbor who has a sweetgum tree. She puts the gum balls under the leaves. This works, too.

• Terry B., in St. Louis