On good days, use your outside clotheslines for drying instead of the dryer. Air-drying your clothes can reduce the average household’s carbon footprint by 2,400 pounds a year. And even if you only line dry half the time, you can save over $60 in a year!
To clean more of the dirt, chemical residues, and waxes from all varieties of fruits and vegetables, use baking soda. Shake some onto wet produce, scrub, then rinse. Works better than water alone.
To keep weeds from growing through cracks in your patio, deck, or driveway, pour salt in the cracks. Salt dehydrates the weeds. It’s an inexpensive and Earth-friendly way to kill them on a small scale without harsh chemicals!
Deter slugs from your garden naturally with this easy hack: Simply bury a small glass or plastic container halfway in the soil and add a cup of beer. Slugs fall in and don’t come out!
Add two teaspoons of white vinegar to the simmering water before adding the eggs. This helps keep the whites together but does not affect the flavor.
Place loose nails, screws, and bolts on a piece of masking tape while working.
Store spices at room temperature but away from the heat and steam of the stove. They will keep their flavor and potency longer.
When measuring sticky ingredients, such as peanut butter, honey, molasses, and syrup, lightly coat the inside of the measuring cup with cooking spray or cooking oil. The oil will allow the ingredients to slide out easily. Makes clean-up a snap!
While preparing a meal, keep a large bowl on the kitchen counter. Put all your scraps, peelings and other discards into it, thereby reducing trips to the garbage can or compost bin. Just empty it once when full.
To ensure food safety, your refrigerator temperature should be 36-39 degrees Fahrenheit (approx. 4º C), and the freezer should be 0-6 degrees Fahrenheit (-18 to -14º C).
