A lot of us avoid personal-care products that contain parabens, the chemical preservative that has been linked to a whole host of health concerns. The good news is that paraben-free products are easier to find; the bad news is that the shelf life for these items is not as long. One way to help extend and preserve the life of your all-natural moisturizers, shampoos, makeup and other personal products is to refrigerate them. For day-to-day items, there's no need to store them in the fridge since they will be used quickly. But for infrequently used items, keeping them in the fridge will inhibit the growth of bacteria and lengthen the shelf life of the products.

Are you one of the millions of home cooks who have replaced their Teflon-coated nonstick pans for chemical-free alternatives? While it may seem like a good idea to donate your old pans to charity, if you won't eat food cooked in them, why give them to someone else? The good news is that these pans are recyclable. Some curbside recycling programs will take any type of cookware with any coating, as long as the body is stainless steel or aluminum. But some communities don't take coated pans. When in doubt, seek out a scrap metal yard -- it will likely take the pans.

Our cars are like a second home for many of us, so why hang artificial air fresheners from the rearview mirror? These fresheners, along with plug-ins and sprays, are loaded with chemicals and often with phthalates that contribute to unhealthy air quality. If you want to keep your car smelling fresh, reach for charcoal. Charcoal is a natural odor neutralizer, and it's long lasting, too. Fill a large tea strainer with pieces of charcoal and place it in the cup holder or hang it from the rearview mirror. The real smell of clean is no smell at all -- not "pine."