Having an in-ground swimming pool involves a lot of maintenance and responsibility, and it also can be a death trap for wild animals that accidentally get into the water and have no means to escape. One way to help small critters like frogs get to safety is to install a buoyant water-exit device. It's sloped on the sides and lets them leap, hop or climb their way to freedom. If you do find a wild animal in the pool, the Humane Society of the United States recommends using a skimmer to help lift it out, then release it back into the wild.

Many of us will use a backyard fire pit to warm up a chilly night or roast marshmallows. And many of us will use balled up newspapers and magazines or even paperboard boxes as firestarters. But it's best to avoid using paper products in your fire pit. There are chemicals in printed paper products; when burned, they are released into the air. Even worse, paper products can easily turn into flying ash, which drifts into the air and can cause problems like brush fires and other fire dangers.

If you use aluminum foil for baking or cooking, the good news is that it is easily recyclable. Foil is made of 100 percent pure aluminum, and it's the same material used to make soda cans. The trick to recycling aluminum foil is to make sure it's clean and not covered in food. Ball it up, and keep adding used aluminum foil to the ball. Smaller pieces can get sorted incorrectly at the recycling facility and could end up with paper products instead. Make sure the aluminum foil ball is at least 2 inches in diameter to avoid this.