11/15/13

If you’ve ever felt bad throwing away leftover oatmeal, here is a clever way to reuse it: Oatmeal is a great natural deodorizer, so place your excess in the fridge -- it will absorb and neutralize odors. Place cooked oatmeal in food storage containers that have traces of last week’s marinara sauce; it’ll absorb the smell, and it works better the longer it sits in the container. You can also make a paste using oatmeal, extra water and soap to give your pooch a bath. The oatmeal will help soothe his irritated skin and deodorize his fur. A little goes a long way, though, so use just a few spoonfuls.

11/14/13

When smoke detectors need to be replaced, don’t toss the broken safety devices into the trash; recycle them. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the majority of smoke detectors in the U.S. contain a minute amount of a radioactive element called americium-241. It can take 432 years for the element to decompose safely in the ground. First Alert, the leading manufacturer of all types of detectors, will recycle its detectors free of charge. Mail the detector to 3920 Enterprise Ct., Aurora, Ill., 60504; mark the package, "For disposal only."

11/13/13

Did you know that paper envelopes with plastic windows are 100 percent recyclable? When waste paper is recycled, the recycling process at the factory takes out the plastic windows and the adhesives on the envelope before the paper is pulped. You can also recycle envelopes from FedEx and UPS that have the plastic sleeve on the front -- no need to remove the sleeve since it will be pulled off at the recycling plant. The one type of envelope you can’t recycle is the kind padded with bubble wrap. Reuse them instead!