A raw potato that’s past its prime to cook can still be used as a handy cleaning ingredient in the kitchen. There’s natural acid in potatoes that’s excellent at dissolving rust naturally, so items like cast-iron pans can be cleaned up in a jiffy. Just slice the potato in half and sprinkle some salt on the cut surface, then rub away; the salt and potato acid will remove rust with just a little scrubbing. When finished, just wipe or rinse with water and dry with a clean towel.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

If you think about it, bath towels are designed to absorb excess water to dry just-washed skin, so they really aren’t dirty when you put them in the washer. The musky smell actually comes from mildew that grows on towels if they are too damp and don’t air-dry quickly enough. To wash towels, use half the amount of laundry detergent you normally would. Too much will linger in the towels and eat away at the fibers. You can even skip using detergent once in a while; the warm water will be enough to freshen the towels and keep them clean.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

Ever wonder why it’s important to rinse out your recyclables before putting them in the bin? It’s because cleaner cans, bottles and containers are worth more on the recyclables market. When recyclers get your trash, they separate it by type of recyclable (paper, plastic or metal) and then those are separated by how clean they are. The dirtier the container, the less valuable it is. By making rinsing a habit, you help keep recycling profitable. But if you’re in a store and leaving a soiled salad takeout box in the recycling bin, don’t worry: It’s less valuable to recycle, but it’ll still get diverted from the landfill.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION