Using wood chips as mulch around the house is an eco-friendly and natural way to control weeds and lock in moisture for your landscaping and gardens. But not all mulch is the same. When choosing wood mulch, consider cedar as an option for your home. In addition to looking beautiful and being long-lasting, it also emits a natural repellant called “thujone,” which can help prevent invasive insects like termites, carpenter ants and even cockroaches from entering your home.

It’s believed that this spring and summer may be one of the worst years for tick infestations, which can lead to Lyme disease. One tip to stave off ticks is to actually dry dirty clothing first before washing. Ticks do not like very hot, dry environments. So after you come home from an area you suspect has ticks, rather than putting unwashed clothing in the hamper or in the laundry room, throw all of it right into the dryer. Let it dry for at least 10-15 minutes to eradicate any ticks.

The next time you do a load of laundry, consider adding just a tablespoon of regular table salt with your laundry detergent. The hero ingredient in salt, chloride, is a natural sealant that protects clothing, especially brightly colored fabrics. And if your garments go through repeated washings, this one little addition of regular table salt can help extend the life of your clothing and help it look newer, longer. If you are concerned that new clothes might bleed dye into your wash, add more salt -- about 1/2 cup -- to help prevent that from happening.