A clean house is a fresh-smelling house, and it's key to keep artificial fragrances and chemicals at bay to achieve this. One natural essential oil that packs a powerful punch is eucalyptus oil. Eucalyptus has antibacterial and antifungal properties, plus it has a naturally pleasing scent. When polishing wood furniture or floors, add two tablespoons of eucalyptus oil to a gallon of warm water. Then polish, mop and clean away. It'll disinfect, clean and deodorize the home all at the same time.

Many of us have switched from manual toothbrushes to electric ones when it comes to dental care. But when it's time to replace the toothbrush, how do you recycle it? The good news is that electric toothbrushes have an integrated rechargeable battery. And the nonprofit Call2Recycle has tens of thousands of free recycling boxes across the United States where you can drop off rechargeable batteries for recycling -- including electric toothbrushes. Just put the old toothbrush in the box, and the organization will handle the rest. Learn more at call2recycle.org.

One of the great urban myths is that birds that eat uncooked rice die because the rice expands in their stomachs. The reality is many wild birds feast on rice -- to the dismay of rice farmers -- and it is a perfectly fine carbohydrate for them to eat. But many wedding venues ban rice from being thrown into the air because of lawsuits from people slipping and falling on the grain. To keep legal eagles at bay and to offer birds a more nutritionally complete meal, toss dried millet into the air instead. It's inexpensive, a finer grade and a whole grain that all types of birds love to eat.