6/27/11

Do the plastic shopping bags you bring back to the supermarket for recycling really get recycled? You bet they do. One of the largest recyclers of these bags is Trex, maker of the eco-friendly outdoor decking product. The company recycled more than 3 billion plastic grocery bags in 2010 to make their products and did it in part by collecting them through supermarket recycling programs.

6/26/11

When your front door lock struggles to open with your key, you may want to run to the locksmith to order new keys. Try this trick first: Rub the key with a pencil so the graphite powder coats the entire outside of the key. Then try the key in the lock again; the graphite should help reduce friction inside the lock and make everything almost as good as new.

6/25/11

When you're done painting a room, any drips around the top of the can will make it harder to seal the lid back on airtight. One simple trick is to run a rubber band over the top of the paint can so it's stretched across the center. Then, each time you dip your brush, you can rub it across the rubber band so the excess drips back into the can and not on the sides.