4/29/10

Upcycle the kids' used crayons into new ones. Grab an old muffin tin and toss unwrapped crayons of all shapes and colors together into each individual compartment. Bake in the oven at 300 degrees for about 10 minutes until thoroughly melted; swirl and cool in the freezer. They'll pop right out when solidified and can be used just like new crayons.

4/28/10

While many air purifiers do a good job at cleaning the air, it's not what they take out that should be of concern, but what some re-emit back into the air: ozone. Ozone is an air pollutant that the EPA says can cause chest pain, coughing, shortness of breath and throat irritation. Some air purifiers are so bad that the EPA has advised consumers against using them. The simplest tip is to avoid using these so-called "air purifiers" altogether and use common sense instead. On a breezy day, open the front and back windows of the house to cross-ventilate the air; the "wind" tunnel effect will flush the toxins out.

4/27/10

The conventional wisdom used to be that prerinsing pots, pans and dishes before placing them in the dishwasher made them cleaner. With advancements in dishwasher technology and automatic dishwashing tablets, though, the detergents and machines actually need dirty dishes. The detergent is designed to attack grime and grease; clean pots and pans means the detergent will attack the glassware more aggressively, leaving them scratched and cloudy. If you have baked-on food, simply scrape it off and then place the dish in the dishwasher.