She’s Finished With Letting Off Steam

Because she likes to starch her husband’s shirts, Bea Landau of Los Angeles needs an iron without steam holes ; she says the starch gets into the holes. Can you get her out of this hole, or is there no need to iron out Landau’s problem because there’s no way her husband will ever be a stuffed shirt?

Joan Harmon of Sherman Oaks is looking for something that removes stains from carpets permanently ; she claims that no matter what cleaner she uses, the stains reappear in a few days. Can you come up with a rugged source or two, or will Harmon be always on the spot because she has no one to call on the carpet?

Mary Raj of Valencia would like to find again a children’s bath soap that “grows fur” after use and contains a small toy animal inside. Can you shower her with sources, or will Raj have to take a bath on this one because her children won’t come clean?

Joan Roche of South Pasadena would like to get her hands on some of those plastic caps that used to go on glass milk bottles and were left by the milkman. Can you milk this for all its worth, or will Roche be completely shattered after having kept this problem bottled up for all these years?

Reader-to-Reader Help Line: Susan at (619) 753-8419 needs a copy of “Housekeeping in English and Spanish” by Rosenstein and Schor; no one seems to carry the book anymore. Please see to it that Susan can finally tidy up this situation with her housekeeper, if only to clear the air. . . . Joan at (213) 660-7502 is looking for a ditty that is a parody of “The 12 Days of Christmas”; she believes it is a British import and the singer is Frank Kelly. Please go on record for trying to brighten up Joan’s holidays. . . . In order to complete the lavish outfits of some showgirls, Craig at (818) 340-8635 needs about 20 yards of a fuchsia-colored cotton-Arnel robe velour sold at one time by Home Silk Shops; he has finished the tops of the costumes, but not the bottoms. Please get to the bottom of this, and make sure that the girls make it to the top.

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.

M. Balcom of Carlsbad, who was looking for embroidery hoops, might try Cornucopia, 1201 Beaumont Ave., Beaumont, (714) 845-1411. Alice Oshaben says she has three of them in stock.

For Harold Rodgers of Reseda, who wanted a Buisman’s Coffee Extender that’s imported from Holland, things are really perking. Lynn Ranney, president of Conlyn Corp., Box 708, South Laguna, Calif. 92677, telephone (714) 496-2289, carries the product in various-size packages and will take orders over the phone.

We have some hope for Mrs. Glen Allen of Sierra Madre, who wanted glass floor protectors to put under the legs of furniture. Shelia White is convinced that most office supply stores and stationery stores carry this item. Failing that, two readers said they had a bunch of them they no longer need. A stamped, self-addressed envelope to us will get this matter off the floor immediately.

P. Wong of Cerritos, who was looking for a small washing machine that can be put on a table, should go to Camping World in Valencia or to another place that outfits recreational vehicles, according to Lorraine Mason of La Crescenta.

John Hart of Burbank, who wanted old-time soft-sole and soft-heel men’s slippers, won’t have to toe the line much longer. Rita Frederick of Downey says she has been buying Evans slippers at Nordstrom for 14 years; they usually start selling them in November for the holidays. The slippers cost about $45.

For Betty Grantham, who wanted blankets with cowboy motifs, the chips are not yet down. C. Carr of West Hills says to contact Sheplers Inc., P.O. Box 7702, Wichita. Kan. 67277-7702; Carr says they feature 11 blankets with Western motifs on Page 49 of their free catalogue.

Hain cannot answer mail personally but will, space permitting, respond in this column to readers who need--or have--helpful information. Write (do not telephone) to You Can Help!, You section, the Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles 90053.