If your garbage disposal smells funny, don't pour toxic chlorine bleach down the drain. Instead, think tomato soup. Tomatoes can neutralize odor -- like washing the family dog with canned tomatoes after he's been sprayed by a skunk -- so they'll do wonders for your garbage disposal. This is an excellent thing to do when making or heating up tomato soup for lunch or dinner; just water down the leftovers and try this hack (to avoid food waste). Let the soup sit in the drain for a while before washing it away with regular tap water.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

Did you know that for every extra 100 pounds of things in your car, you reduce the fuel efficiency of your automobile by around 2%? While that may not sound like a lot, over time that adds up to a significant amount of gas (and money) wasted hauling around those never-used golf clubs and boxes of office papers. Take the time to clean out the car. You’ll be surprised what’s in there that you don’t need, like snow-removal equipment when it’s hot and sunny outside, or bags of clothing that never quite made it to the donation bin. Lightening the load helps improve efficiency, and it also declutters your car.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

You might think that because a coffee maker heats up water in its tank, all that scorching hot water is enough to kill the germs and bacteria inside. However, because the water never reaches a boiling point, it’s just under the temperature needed to naturally disinfect. But it’s easy to clean your automatic coffee maker. Just fill the carafe with a 50/50 mixture of water and white vinegar and run it through as if you’re making a pot of java. The acidic water will clean and disinfect. Run a clean pot of water to remove any residual vinegar, and you’re good to go.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION