NOW WHAT?!?

My husband is deceased. What can I do to prevent identity theft?

THE FIX: Order about 12 copies of the death certificate, says Carrie Kerskie, the director of the Identity Fraud Institute at Hodges University, in Naples, Florida. Send copies to the Social Security Administration, the Internal Revenue Service, all three credit bureaus (Experian, TransUnion, Equifax), and your bank, brokerage firms, and insurance companies. (Request his credit report to identify other accounts, and have a deceased alert placed on the file to stop potential scammers.) Cancel your husband’s driver’s license as well as any professional licenses. It’s also smart to be discreet in obituaries, says Kerskie. “Fraudsters may comb entries for details—birthdate, cities lived in, etc.—that could be useful in identity theft.” Find more information at idtheftcenter.org.

Written by Brandi Broxson Illustration by Peter Oumanski

My scarf reeks of mothballs.

THE FIX: Even scarves you would normally dryclean can be safely hand washed to nix the smell, says Steve Boorstein, the author of The Clothing Doctor’s 99 Secrets to Cleaning & Clothing Care: “Mothballs create a water-based stain that needs wet washing, not dry-cleaning solvent, to remove.” Knead the scarf in cool water with a few drops of gentle detergent. (Try Woolite Delicates; $4, walmart.com.) Soak for a minute, rinse gently, then lay flat. Once it’s dry, do a sniff test. Still stinks? Repeat as necessary. My window blinds are filthy.

THE FIX: If your vinyl or metal blinds are covered in a layer of sticky dust, you’ll need to take them down to clean them. Lay them in the bathtub, spray them with Krud Kutter ($13, amazon.com), and run the shower to rinse, says Jan Dougherty, the author of The Lost Art of House Cleaning. Dry them front and back with a soft cloth before rehanging. To keep the blinds gunk-free going forward, says Melissa Maker of CleanMySpace. com, follow this routine four times a year: Vacuum both sides using the brush attachment, then wipe with a microfiber cloth (or a sock) sprayed with all-purpose cleaner. And when you’re springcleaning, do windows first, then blinds, then sills, so you don’t reintroduce dirt to areas you’ve already addressed.

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