Just wipe the can opener clean with a wet paper towel or sponge ... Hints for Heloise may be sent to her at Life, etc., The Orange County Register, P.O. Box 11626, Santa Ana, CA 92711.

The grime-covered can opener you fish out of a drawer on holiday weekends is the result of decades of engineering—and a lot of cut-up fingers. One of the oddest things about the can opener is ...