Over 1.3 billion tons of perfectly good food -- pastries, sandwiches, fish, produce, you name it -- are thrown away every year because it’s simply surplus for stores. A new app wants to help fight food waste from supermarkets, restaurants and food purveyors by connecting their leftover food with people willing to buy it at a steep discount. It’s called YourLocal, and it’s simple: In the last few hours of business, retailers post their surplus to YourLocal and sell it at up to 70 percent off. You claim it, buy it and pick it up. You’ll be saving money and the planet, too.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

Having clothing dry-cleaned is not only expensive, it also can be bad for the environment. But you have no choice but to dry-clean items like delicate cashmere sweaters, right? Actually, you can machine wash those, too. Just choose the delicate setting and place the sweaters inside a mesh bag, which will prevent them from snagging inside the machine. When you’re done washing, roll up the freshly washed sweaters in towels, then lay flat to dry.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

One of the attributes of vodka is that its high alcohol content and neutral smell and taste can help neutralize odors. Spray a little vodka on things that are hard to clean, like throw pillows, blankets and mattresses, to help refresh them. But also try this: If you applied too much perfume, there’s no need to shower again to remove the smell. Simply wipe vodka where you sprayed too much. It’ll tone down the scent as it evaporates off your skin.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION