4/20/12

If you use chlorine bleach to keep your whites whiter and disinfectd, be sure to use the exact amount listed on the bottle. While using a little extra bleach here and there may sound like an easy way to make sure your clothes are superclean, using extra bleach actually breaks down your washing machine faster over time. Chlorine bleach speeds up the deterioration of the plastic seal around and inside the washing machine, which, over time, makes the machine ineffective.

4/19/12

On a warm, sunny day, use the sun's rays to disinfect and deodorize your mattress. Completely strip the bed, open the bedroom windows and let the sun's rays pour onto the mattress. The ultraviolet light will help clean the bed. While you're at it, vacuum the top, sides and bottom of the mattress to collect dust, pollen and dander. And wash the mattress cover in hot water to sanitize it as well. That night, you'll have a fresh, clean mattress that will be almost as good as new.

4/18/12

Tired of squirrels or raccoons raiding the bird feeder or digging through the recycling bin for food scraps? Try this simple trick: sprinkle in red pepper flakes. Rodents hate the taste of the peppers and will quickly learn to avoid stealing the food. Birds can't detect the flavor and will love to devour it up. Sprinkling red pepper flakes throughout your recycling bin stops animals from rummaging. It's a great, natural deterrent, and it doesn't hurt the animals that ingest it. It really works!