Did you know modern-day dishwashers and detergents depend on grease and grime on your dishes to work as efficiently as possible? It’s your dirty dishes that help activate the compounds that get everything clean. So if you’re pre-rinsing all of your dishes before putting them in the dishwasher, stop. First, it’s not necessary anymore; you can scrape the remaining scraps into the trash or compost before you load up your dishwasher. And second, it’s a waste of water, to the tune of approximately 55,000 gallons over the life of the appliance.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

Warm weather is the time to change the direction of your ceiling fans for maximum efficiency inside your home. In the winter months, fans running clockwise help push heat down to keep a chilly room warm. In the warmer months, switch the direction so fans run counter-clockwise to help push cool air down and create a nice breeze inside your home. Most fans have a switch on the side to easily reverse the rotation of your ceiling fan blades.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

Too much fun in the sun? To help soothe sunburn naturally, look no further than your own refrigerator. The antibacterial properties in yogurt help heal burned skin, and the coolness provides relief as well. It’s easy to use: Simply spread plain yogurt on sunburned skin and let it do its magic for about 10 minutes. Then rinse it off to reveal more moisturized, less inflamed skin. You can try this trick with yogurt only, or you can add a little soothing chamomile oil.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION