Ticket Amnesty Programs

'Tis the season — to get a deal on those old traffic tickets that are hanging over you!

If you have old tickets that are preventing you from registering your car or renewing your driver’s license, you may be eligible for a ticket amnesty program. Occasionally, counties offer amnesty programs that allow you to pay a significantly smaller amount to clear your tickets. In some cases, you may even be able to do community service hours in lieu of a cash payment. However, most traffic courts require an appearance in court or special arrangements in order to perform community service hours. In California, the current rate is a $10 credit for every service hour. Therefore, if you owe $1,000 in fines, you must perform 100 hours of work for an approved non-profit agency or organization.

Please be aware that every county and state have different qualifications and procedures, so I can really only recommend that you go to your county's website and look for “Ticket Amnesty” programs. If one is not offered at this time, keep your eyes open, since these programs can save up to 50% on those old fines.

In California, many programs run from January until June. DUIs are NOT included in any amnesty program.

Link:
http://www.solano.courts.ca.gov/GeneralInformation/TrafficAmnestyProgram.html

How to Clean Animal Urine Off a Book

I've had the unfortunate experience of little dogs who think that a box is a thing to pee on -- and that box was full of books. Being a fanatic about my personal library, I had to devise a method of salvaging my precious old books from the ravages of animal urine. If only the cover and a couple of pages are affected, this method works pretty well. If the entire book is contaminated, well, you can probably get another copy of the book on Amazon or at your local used bookstore.

Step 1
Wipe the book off with paper towels.

Step 2
Spray outside of book lightly with vinegar. Wipe it off with paper towels. Repeat until the urine is gone. Let the book dry completely.

Step 3
Immerse entire book in a box filled with baking soda. Leave it there for several days. Carefully give it a sniff test.

Step 4
Repeat as needed.

WARNINGS:
The baking soda may fade the cover cloth, especially if the box is still damp when placed in the box.

Despite what well meaning friends or family may tell you, do NOT use ammonia to clean up urine. The stench is from ammonia in the urine. If you use ammonia to clean it up, you will simply attract more pet accidents. Vinegar neutralizes ammonia.