11/3/13

Have stinky bath towels? It's not because you're not washing them enough -- you're washing them too much. Because bath towels are so absorbent, when you use regular laundry detergent on them, they absorb the soap particles into the fibers of the towel. That buildup gives towels a musty mildew smell that gets worse the more you wash them. Instead, wash all of your towels with just a few cups of white vinegar and hot water. That's it. The mixture will rinse the soap buildup away and give you fresh towels.

11/2/13

It may seem like a green thing to do, but don't use used gift wrap to start a fire in the fireplace. The high levels of inks, dyes and metallic flecks in gift wrap can emit harmful chemicals into the air when burned. Many paper recycling facilities cannot recycle glossy paper, and adding old gift wrap to the used paper stream can contaminate it, making a whole load of recyclables useless. Instead, when disposing of shiny and colorful wrapping paper, either reuse it or throw it away. When wrapping presents in the future, think less is more: Simple recycled kraft paper can do the job and is totally recyclable and perfectly fine to use as a firestarter.

11/1/13

Are pesky insects eating away at your household plants? There's no need to spray them with chemical insecticides. Instead, head to your pantry and grab self-rising flour. Sprinkle a light dusting of the flour on the plant and leave it alone. When insects attempt to eat the leaves from the plant, they'll ingest some of the flour. The natural leavening agent -- baking soda -- expands when in contact with moisture, so insects die since it expands in their stomachs.