If you’re battling to keep hungry squirrels from completely emptying your bird feeder, the nonprofit Humane Society of the United States has a solution. One of the key ways to stop squirrel poaching is to hang your feeder from a tree branch with a wire that’s at least 10 feet long. They’ve estimated that length makes it nearly impossible for squirrels to maneuver down the wire. You also should hang the feeder at least 8 feet away from the trunk of the tree or other structures from which they can leap. If you can find the perfect spot that meets these measurements, you should be good to go.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

Weird but true: Your kid’s favorite beverage can actually clean your toilet. The citric acid in orange-flavored beverage mixes is strong enough to break down stains inside a toilet bowl. Just sprinkle the contents of the powdered beverage packet (the sugar-free kind) inside the bowl. Swirl it with a toilet brush so the powder dissolves, and keep the family dog from drinking it. Let it sit for a few hours or overnight, and voila! You’ll have a sparkling clean toilet!

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

Are those gift boxes that have the thin plastic “window” on the front recyclable, or not? The good news is yes, they are. But you have to do just one thing to prepare them for recycling: Peel off the plastic sheet (it’s usually barely adhered), then flatten the box for recycling. The paperboard boxes are recyclable in most curbside programs. Leaving the plastic on can be a problem for recyclers, since it can muck up the recyclables during the pulping process.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION