If you have old jackets, apparel and hiking boots you're unable to donate and would like to see recycled, North Face wants to help you. The retailer is allowing customers to bring in any brand of clothing and drop it off in free recycling bins in their stores. North Face then sends the clothes to a recycling center, where master recyclers sort the items into 400 categories. The apparel and footwear is then recycled into products like home insulation, carpet and even fibers to make new clothes.

One of the easiest and prettiest ways to clean the air in your home is to utilize houseplants. Studies have shown putting one average houseplant (those that come in 6-inch pots) per 100 square feet of your home can remove up to 87 percent of indoor air pollutants. The key is to place the plants where they have access to sunlight and are in the most-visited rooms, like the office, living room or bedroom. If you have trouble keeping plants alive, look for houseplants marked “plants of steel” at the nursery. These are plants that can thrive on low light, low humidity and even if you forget to water them from time to time.

Replacing a refrigerator, stove or dishwasher in your home? Wondering what to do with the old one, especially if it's still in working order? GE Appliances (geappliances.com) wants you to donate it, and the company is making your charitable quest easy. Just search “donate” on the website, and you'll see a listing of nonprofits that will take your working appliance from you. Nonprofits like The Salvation Army, St. Vincent de Paul and Habitat for Humanity are listed as sources that will pickup and resell or use your appliances toward their good works.