Best to Stay Away From This Problem

Mrs. William Sontag of Tehachapi, who has a problem with skunks, would like to know where she can find a product called “Super C D,” which at one time was carried by Thrifty Drugs and supposedly removed skunk odors; evidently Thrifty no longer carries the item. Can you clear the air with a source (or an equivalent product) before Sontag raises even more of a stink, or will she have to high-tail it out of Tehachapi because of these pesky little squirts?

Doris Reynolds of Wrightwood would like to find some tea kettles made by Shimamoto-- that’s the name on the curved handle; she says this teakettle is the only one on which the minerals from the water do not collect rapidly. Can you take the heat off us by coming up with a source, or will Reynolds always be in hot water because she’s unable to let off steam?

Kathleen Morgenstern of Pacific Palisades would love to find a source for Finezza panty hose, which used to be distributed by Ohrbach’s, now out of business. Can you help before next Christmas’ ho-ho-hos, or will Morgenstern switch to another brand out of sheer boredom, knowing she hasn’t a leg to stand on?

Reader-to Reader-Help Line: For her almost-10-year-old granddaughter, Eleanor at (714) 776-4388 is trying to locate a bisque birthday doll (a doll with a patch that indicates the age); the dolls were signed Kelvin, but where to find one? Please give grandma a lift before her granddaughter has to reveal her age.

Note: The Reader-to-Reader Help Line is only for one-time items or for products no longer available in stores. And you must give us written permission to publish your telephone number, so that others may contact you directly.

One reason Helen Hall of Hollywood was unable to find Towlettes (moist individual, thin two-inch-square towels) is that they are marketed under a variety of names, according to the more than 30 readers who responded to the question (far too many to credit individually). Six readers said Pic ‘N’ Save has Wet-Naps (48 for $1.09); eight readers wrote that Wet-Naps are available for $1.69 a carton at Smart & Final Iris; similar napkins are sold at Thrifty, Fedco, Albertson’s, Alpha Beta, Clark Drugs, Long’s and other stores, under names such as Wash-Up, Rantex and others. Most readers said they were in the paper-goods section. Incidentally, Towlettes are made by LNL Corp., Keyport, N.J. 07735, according to a Santa Barbara reader.

Michele Hart, who needed a 60-inch-square tablecloth for her dining room, will soon be able to complete her domestic cover-up. Esther Terry of West Los Angeles says Linens Et Al, 165 N. Robertson Blvd., Beverly Hills (just north of Wilshire Boulevard), will make any size tablecloth to order--and not too expensive. Other offers for individualized service came from Joan L. Kors of L.A. Settings, a local manufacturer of table linens (call (213) 826-2987), and from Sherrie, the owner of the Village Cupboard, 122 N. Larchmont Blvd., Los Angeles, who says that she stocks 63-by-63-inch tablecloths from France but will order cloths in any size and color at no extra charge.

Patti Garrity of Manhattan Beach adds that she solved a similar problem by buying round tablecloths, which are available all over; she says the curved edges look attractive on a square table. Gerry Robinson of Westminster and Betty Jean Neal of San Gabriel bought yardage wide enough to allow for hems on both sides and did their own sewing. But to top off our list, Marie Okihara of Los Angeles, Edith Rubin of Mission Viejo and Helen Minniear of Burbank all suggested to buy queen-size or king-size bed sheets and cut them to fit.