One of the biggest sources of air toxicity in your home comes from your garage. A Canadian health study found that homes with attached garages had high levels of benzene (a chemical from gasoline), while homes without garages had little to none. To prevent toxins from leaking into your home, never start up a car in a closed garage, and don’t start lawnmowers, motorcycles or chainsaws, either. Keep the door from the garage to your home closed, and make sure the seal is as tight as possible.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

When your microwave oven is beyond repair, how do you dispose of or recycle it properly? It’s not as easy it as seems, since many communities do not allow you to throw it away in your curbside trash. Microwaves are considered e-waste, much like old computers and televisions. Since there are some hazardous materials inside a microwave oven, the best approach is to drop it off when your community has a household hazardous waste (HHW) collection day. Store your old microwave in a safe place (in a dry, covered area, like the garage) and wait until your next HHW day to properly dispose of it.

When you’re putting used office paper into the recycling bin, be mindful of one thing: Keep deeply dyed or brightly colored paper out. Imagine a new red sock going into a load of white laundry. Brightly colored paper will leave ink all over the white pulped paper, making the recyclable paper worthless. This means keeping construction paper and crafting paper supplies out of the recycling bin. The only kinds of colored paper that are really acceptable are lightly colored in the pastel shade color spectrum. But you know the rule: When in doubt, toss it out.