11/22/12

Colder weather can bring an opportunity to detox the things in your home. When the temperature dips below freezing at night, lay out a clean tarp in the garage and place items like plush toys, throw pillows and comforters on top overnight. The freezing temperatures will kill microscopic dust mites and other allergens, giving your plush things a fresh new start the next day.

11/21/12

When children outgrow their winter coats, you can help give a family in need a chance to bundle up and stay warm this winter. One charity that collects, cleans and distributes lightly used children's coats is Baby Buggy. Not only will it accept your coats, it will assess the value and send you a letter for tax deduction purposes. Learn more at babybuggy.org.

11/20/12

If you use a water filtration system at home, the good news is that both portable and faucet systems do a great job of removing harmful mercury, lead and chemicals from your H2O. The bad part? Many of us toss our old filters into the trash when we replace them. Tossing these metal- and chemical-soaked filters in the trash can lead to cross contamination in our landfills. Save the filters and dispose of them with your household hazardous waste (HHW) instead. Ask your local township for a calendar of HHW drop-off days to dispose of your filters properly.