Have hard-to-recycle items like oil-based paint, fertilizer, pesticide, varnish, lacquer or paint thinner? Whatever you do, don't put them in the trash. Lowe's wants to help. Just use the Recycling Center Locator at Lowes.com. Simply type in your ZIP code and check what hard-to-recycle item you need to dispose of. Within seconds, a list of local recycling and reclamation centers will appear with addresses, phone numbers, websites and complete lists of what these centers accept, along with notes of special events, hours and more.

During the hot summer months, a central air conditioning system can be a simple way to keep your home cool. By choosing an Energy Star-rated model, you know you're using the most energy-efficient model possible to save electricity and money. But if you have an older central air conditioner, swapping it out for a new one can be a very costly expense. Instead, one affordable way to tune up your older model is to install a modern, high-efficiency compressor. The compressor inside the air conditioning unit is designed to circulate the refrigerant into the hot air it pulls in. Older models work harder to cool the air, while newer models will do it more efficiently.

LED light bulbs have taken over as the greenest choice when it comes to lighting your home. They are long-lasting, mercury-free, energy efficient and cast a soft, white light. But when shopping for LED bulbs, it can be tough to determine which one is right for your house. To figure it out, look for the lumens rating on the package. This is a measurement to determine the output of light from the bulb. Figure out what old-fashioned incandescent bulbs worked in what fixtures, and multiply the wattage of that bulb by 10. So, a 40-watt bulb times 10 would be a 400-lumen LED bulb.