It can be heartbreaking to witness animal abuse, such as a dog living outside in frigid conditions, or a malnourished horse. To help the animal, it's important to snap photos so the agency you report to has evidence. Then call and report the abuse to the local authorities, including the police department, animal control agency or animal shelter in your community. Do not confront the person who is neglecting the animal. And if you wish to remain anonymous, you can: Almost every jurisdiction allows witnesses to report without sharing a name or contact information.

Bringing wool sweaters and blazers to the dry cleaner isn't just an expensive way of maintaining and cleaning them, it can also be an unhealthy choice. Conventional dry cleaning uses a cocktail of chemicals, including the carcinogen often simply called "perc" -- perchloroethylene -- which cleans dirt and odor from clothes. But if you're bringing items to the dry cleaner to get out odors, try this instead: Spray a little vodka on your clothes. The vodka will disinfect and kill the odor-causing bacteria to bring back freshness. Just don't replace vodka with rubbing alcohol; it won't do the same thing, since rubbing alcohol has additives in it that make it much less effective.

Replacing your worn-out old comforter? Yes, you can recycle it -- and it's easy. Whether it's down feather, polyester or a combination of both, all you have to do is bring your old comforter to a textile recycler, or even easier, Goodwill. Almost any kind of fabric or textile can be recycled. The recyclers tear apart old clothes and items like comforters and turn the materials into things like upholstery filling, cleaning rags, carpet padding, building materials and insulation for cars. Anything that can't be recycled is safely disposed of in a landfill. But the best part? Goodwill makes money for their charitable works by selling your old comforter to textile recyclers.