The next time you get a bouquet of flowers, reach for the mouthwash in your medicine cabinet to help extend the life of the fresh stems. Adding just 1 tablespoon of mouthwash to a vase of filtered water will naturally act as a fungicide to keep water fresh, and the filtered water will help your flowers stay hydrated. The mouthwash stalls bacteria growth, which should add a few extra days to your arrangement.

Laundry detergent can be expensive, and using too much soap can break down the fibers in your clothes. So try this all-natural hack instead: Add a little baking soda to your washing machine. Baking soda softens the water, so you can use a little less detergent to do a load of laundry. It naturally helps brighten whites and colors, too. All you need to do is add half a cup of baking soda to top-loading machines and just 1/4 cup to front-loading machines.

When reaching out to your elected officials, it may be easiest to send a tweet or post a message on their Facebook wall, but the reality is that those interactions often get ignored. According to former congressional aide Emily Ellsworth, the two best ways to get your opinion noticed are to write a letter and to make a phone call. If you can do only one thing, make the call. Your comments get recorded and shared with those who relay constituent concerns with the elected official.