Scott Thompson

If the bristles are fraying it’s already past due - flared tips don’t clean well and can irritate gums, so waiting can cost more in the long run. In hard water, give the head a 10–15 minute soak in white vinegar every couple of weeks, then rinse well; it dissolves mineral scale and keeps the bristles from stiffening and... also ease up on pressure and let the brush do the work - pressing hard is the quickest way to splay bristles. Softer bristle heads tend to last longer and are gentler on gums, too.

Start first scarves with smooth worsted yarn in a light or mid tone, ideally acrylic or an acrylic wool blend with several plies and an even twist, and avoid fuzzy single ply, halo, chenille, and novelty yarns. Use 5 to 5.5 mm needles with simple garter or rib and grab larger value skeins to reduce joins.

For print jobs that sit between uses, you want a cartridge design that is forgiving and easy to recover if you do get a clog. I would go with the Canon Pixma TS6420a. Its black cartridge uses pigment ink for crisp coupon text, and the FINE cartridges have the print head built in, so if a nozzle ever dries you can fix it instantly by swapping a cartridge instead of fighting a permanent head. Leave it plugged in and it will run light self maintenance now and then. Ink cost is higher than tank printers, but for a handful of pages a month it is stress free and reliable. For coupons, use bright white 24 lb inkjet paper around 96 to 98 brightness. It feeds more reliably than flimsy 20 lb and gives coupons a sturdier feel without risking jams. If you want extra durability, 28 lb plain inkjet paper is usually fine, but avoid card stock. One small tip that helps any inkjet sit happily is to print a quick black and color test once every few weeks.