Dear Heloise: I hate the smell of MOTHBALLS. Recently, I noticed that by placing lemon peelings in mesh bags in my closet, I could eliminate the use of mothballs. It worked like a charm! — Lisa W., Lowell, Mass.

Dear Heloise: My husband and I travel overseas, sometimes for as long as a month at a time. To keep our home safe, we make certain it doesn’t look empty by using a few simple tricks:

* We use a timer on our lights, so that when the kitchen light turns off, the bedroom light goes on. We do this all over the house.

* We have the post office hold our mail, and a neighbor we trust picks up anything left on our doorstep, such as flyers and papers of any kind. We have a lawn service keep our yard mowed and hedges trimmed.

* Our car was parked halfway up the driveway so that thieves couldn’t back up a truck or van and empty out the house. — Betty L., Norman, Okla.

Dear Heloise: After sewing on a button, I like to use a tiny drop of clear nail polish in the center of the button. This ensures that the thread will not become loose and my button will stay on and not need to be sewn again. — Nancy O., Derby, Kan.

Dear Heloise: While reaching under the bed for my son’s socks, I felt something strange. When I pulled it out, I saw that I had a large, green snake in my hand. I dropped it and screamed bloody murder. As my eyes focused on the thing, I realized that it was a rubber snake! — Valerie F., Grafton, W.Va.