4/3/14

Think twice about keeping decorative pillows on your bed. If you're in the habit of tossing them onto the floor each night before drifting off, you may actually be making your bed unhealthier and dirtier. Pillows that rest on the floor can collect dirt, bacteria, dust mites and other creepy crawlies. When you make the bed in the morning, you're bringing those unwanted microorganisms right onto your bed. Instead, just keep the pillows you actually sleep with on the bed or place the decorative pillows on a chair or side table instead.

4/2/14

Now that it's spring, it's time to start planting your backyard gardens. One way to make sure your summer harvest is plentiful is to look at your Christmas ornament stash. Find plastic or unbreakable red ball ornaments and bring them outside. When your young plants are growing, the red ornaments will appear to be real food for birds. When they peck away and realize it's a hard, inedible object, they'll learn to leave the plants alone. So come harvest time for juicy tomatoes and other garden treats, you'll have more for you and less lost to wildlife.

4/1/14

The freezer part of the refrigerator is actually the biggest user of energy of all kitchen appliances since it's on 24 hours a day, seven days a week. One easy way to help your freezer be as energy-efficient as possible includes keeping it as packed as possible with frozen foods. The residual chill from already-frozen food will keep the interior temperature cold, allowing the freezer to use less energy to stay cold. Common sense tips help, too: Only open the freezer to get exactly what you need -- so no idling in front trying to make up your mind -- and keep it set between zero and 5 degrees for maximum efficiency.