Did you forget to water a houseplant, or go away for a long time and come home to what looks like a dead plant? Before you toss it, give it a second look. Many plants will drop their leaves and flowers in an effort to stay alive. The plant does it to protect the root system, which really is the nerve center of a plant. (This is also true for many plants that are accidentally left outside in the frigid cold all winter.) To revive a plant, simply trim off all the dead leaves and flowers. Then give it a good soak of water and place it in a warm, sunny spot. In three weeks, you'll know if the plant is truly dead if it does not sprout any new leaves.

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.