When I was a tween—back before the word “tween” existed—while all of my girlish peers traded Sweet Valley High paperbacks, I read brittle Pocket Book compilations of Hints from Heloise from the 1960s. Though issues of Seventeen magazine held some appeal, I was more drawn to Good Housekeeping, which had a monthly “Ask Heloise” column.
With bloggers and HGTV, a galaxy of housekeeping advice is only seconds away at any given moment. That wasn’t the case in 1959, when Heloise Bowles Cruse, a housewife with a business degree, began her column, “The Readers’ Exchange,” in the Honolulu Advertiser. It immediately struck a chord, and was nationally syndicated in 1961 as “Hints from Heloise”; her first book, Heloise’s Housekeeping Hints, was a huge best-seller in 1963.
It’s Heloise’s tone that really sets her apart. Unlike the so-called “lifestyle experts” that are a dime a dozen today, Heloise was her audience’s peer. She’s friendly and encouraging and kinda cheesy—she often addresses her readers as “gals”—but it all comes off as genuine. She’s a cheerleader for doing a job well as a reflection of self-worth, and for many of the readers in her column at the time, was likely one of the few people reminding them that taking care of a family and making a home a wonderful place was a job to be proud of.
The original Heloise died in 1977, and her daughter assumed the Heloise mantle, continuing the Good Housekeeping column, and eventually adding a podcast, many more books of hints, and a website. By now, new Heloise has been at it much longer than her mother.
While I value all aspects of the Heloise legacy, I have a particular fondness for original Heloise. I didn’t realize it until re-visiting those Pocket Editions decades later, but the hints I gleaned from them in my youth stuck with me. Some of them some across as dated, but their essence is timeless.
1. “Don’t throw away lemon halves after the juice has been extracted. They may be dipped in salt and rubbed on the bottom of your copper-bottom pots for a few minutes and they will gleam like new.”
2. “Anytime a pancake better called for eggs, the same recipes was much better if the yolk was put into the batter and the white beaten separately until stiff, then gently folded into the batter. When the original recipes called for two eggs, I used three eggs. The pancakes were absolutely lush!”
3. “Never throw away leftover coffee. When it’s cool out it in an ice tray and make coffee ice cubes out of it. When you have your afternoon snack, use these cubes instead of plain ice when making your iced coffee.”
4. “Did you ever hear of drying salad greens (lettuce, watercress, etc.) in your washing machine? Wash the greens well, shake out as much water as you can and place them in small heaps in a clean dishtowel or clean pillowcase. Fold the ends across loosely, place in the washer and set the control for the ‘spin-dry’ cycle. This is especially useful to women who make salads for large parties and church suppers.”
5. “When cutting marshmallows or chopping dates, if you dip your scissors in water and cut them wet, the goodies won’t stick.”
6. “Never clean a closet or drawer when you are not angry or in a throwing-away mood! You will be wasting your time. Wait until you are angry! This is the best time to clean.”