10/27/13

When an electronic gadget or appliance breaks, most people simply toss it and buy a replacement. But what if you could try to repair it yourself first? A new website, ifixit.com, is an online community where people share tips, tricks and tutorials about how they fixed their electronics, and how you can, too. Whether it’s a smartphone, gaming device, computer or iPad, you can search the database of free repair manuals. If you're successful, you keep once-broken items out of the waste stream and save hundreds -- if not thousands -- of dollars fixing it yourself.

10/26/13

We’ve all done this: You drop someone off in front of a store so they can run and grab something quickly, so you sit there in the car and let it run idle. If the errand is less than 10 seconds, that’s fine, but any more than that, and you waste gas. That’s according to the Environmental Defense Fund, which says motorists who sit idle for more than 10 seconds waste more fuel and money than turning the engine off and on. Park your car and turn off the engine next time. And don't be tempted to "warm up" the car in the cold winter months -- you waste too much fuel.

10/25/13

Oil-based stains on clothes can be impossible to remove since grease can penetrate the fibers of clothes and become permanent. One way to effective degrease clothes is to use a heavy-duty remover normally used to degum items like sticky labels. Brands like Goof Off and Goo Gone are made with microemulsion formulas that quickly break down greasy messes without leaving any residue or markings behind. Simply saturate the clothing with the remover, allow to soak for at least an hour and wash as normal. It'll be as good as new.