Hints for Heloise- Offering Household Advice for 50 years

Heloise and Ed Lallo at end of photo shoot in her San Antonio home. Writer Stephanie Vozza in background.

Inside her home in San Antonio, Texas, the woman who writes Hints From Heloise pours a cup of baking soda into the drain of her kitchen sink to demonstrate one of her most-requested household hints.

“Here comes the fun part,” says Heloise, 60, adding two cups of vinegar.

As she watches the mixture bubble and foam to eliminate unwanted odors, she laughs. “I love to do this!” she exclaims.

Last year I had the pleasure of working with writer Stephanie Vozza on a piece on Heloise for American Profiles magazine marking 50 years in syndication.

The daily column started by Heloise’s mother has evolved into a multimedia enterprise. It is written in a no-nonsense brand of Texas charm and humor that are the hallmarks of the savvy businesswoman who inherited the column in 1977.

Heloise’s genuine enjoyment for researching and sharing household advice—from how to freshen foul-smelling drains to removing stubborn stains—have made Hints From Heloise one of America’s most widely read newspaper columns.

“Readers love Heloise because her column offers the kind of information you just don’t get anywhere else,” says T.R. “Rocky” Shepard III, president of King Features in the article. “She’s dedicated to learning, and is the hardest-working creator in our stable.”

Heloise is indeed a driven woman, but she was fun and charming to work with. My son Alex and I enjoyed the afternoon we spent photographing this special Texas legend at her San Antonio home.