4/18/09

Experts agree that it's best to wash your bedding at least once a week. But in the real world, that can be too much of a chore, so do the next best thing and swap out the pillowcases. Stock up on organic cotton pillow cases and change them once a week, and wash your sheets every other week.

4/17/09

Create a fun dress-up closet for your kids. Grab some unwanted jewelry, fancy shoes, hats, clothes and other accessories and dedicate a small closet to their make-believe closet. They'll have a great time using their imaginations. When the kids lose interest, you can still gather up the clothes and donate them to a local Salvation Army or Goodwill.

4/16/09

Keep gutters and downspouts working hard to protect your house from water damage. Clean leaves, sticks and pine needles from gutters. Scoop up the debris with a gloved hand and add it to the compost. Also, if you need to replace the gutter, choose steel over aluminum or vinyl. Aluminum expands when the weather gets hot and contracts when it gets cold, causing nails and screws to weaken. Vinyl gutters usually come in 10-foot lengths, so there are lots of seams that could leak.