ArcaMax

If you're registering for gifts for a major event like a wedding or a housewarming, consider registering at a landscaping center for plants. Large balled trees, flowering bushes and other landscaping plants can be expensive. But over time, they'll mature and add beauty to your yard and also help provide a habitat for wild animals. Plus, think of...Read more

Do you enjoy drinking hot green tea? Before you toss those used tea bags, give them a second life as an easy at-home spa treatment. Green tea is rich in polyphenols and antioxidants, including EGCG, which have soothing and anti-inflammatory properties that can help calm irritated skin and leave it feeling softer and refreshed. After brewing your...Read more

If you've squeezed the last few drops of toothpaste out of the tube, grab some scissors and cut it open. You can use the residual paste inside to help with a myriad of household tasks. Stains on the carpet? Just rub the paste on top and scrub away with an old brush to help lift the stain and brighten the fibers. Watermarks or coffee stains on ...Read more

Don't let completed jigsaw puzzles collect dust in a closet. Instead, trade them with fellow puzzle lovers through the Jigsaw Puzzle Swap Exchange, an international community where members send puzzles to one another and receive a new one in return. The exchange has a library of more than 5,000 puzzles and has facilitated more than 13,000 swaps....Read more

Got a smelly fridge? Upcycle a squeezed lemon and place it cut-side-up on a small plate inside. The citric acid can help neutralize some odor-causing compounds, while the lemon's natural oils provide a fresh citrus scent. It won't replace cleaning up spills or spoiled food, but it's an easy, natural way to freshen things up. You can leave it ...Read more

If there are airlines or hotels you don't use often but have accumulated a small stash of frequent-flyer miles or hotel points, consider donating them to charity. Many airlines and hotel loyalty programs allow members to donate miles or points to nonprofit organizations, which can use them for flights, hotel stays and other travel needed for ...Read more

Windows are some of the biggest culprits in bird deaths. When birds fly, they don't always see a window; instead, they see the reflection of trees or the sky. This confusion can lead to birds thinking it's a clear path to fly, causing them to hit the window at high speed and mortally injure themselves. If you find a certain window is prone to ...Read more

Smoke alarms are essential, but when yours reaches the end of its roughly 10-year life, consider replacing it with a photoelectric model. Unlike ionization alarms, photoelectric alarms use a light sensor to detect smoke and contain none of the radioactive americium-241 found in older models. They're a cleaner choice that provides excellent ...Read more

If you give money to nonprofit organizations or charities, why not see if your financial donation can be doubled in just a few easy steps? Many corporations have little-known matching programs that match the money you give to charity. All you have to do is ask your human resources department if it has such a program. It usually works like this: ...Read more

Before freezing temperatures arrive, bring your garden hoses indoors for the winter. Leaving them outside can cause water trapped inside to freeze and expand, leading to cracks, splits and leaks. Disconnect your hoses, drain them completely and store them somewhere dry and protected, such as a garage or shed. A little effort now can help extend ...Read more

The automatic dishwasher is the most energy- and water-efficient way to clean dishes when you wash a full load. But did you know that pre-rinsing plates and utensils isn't just a waste of water -- it actually can harm your glassware? Modern dishwashers and dishwashing tablets are designed to work with soiled plates. The detergents are activated ...Read more

Want to make a difference in education? Instead of buying another gift for someone who has everything, help our public school teachers through AdoptAClassroom.org. The nonprofit connects donors directly with teachers who need everything from basic school supplies to technology and educational materials. Teachers can use donations immediately to ...Read more

Buying pre-owned shoes is an easy way to shrink your environmental footprint; extending a product's life avoids the resources, energy and emissions required to make a new pair. But if you wonder about disinfecting them before you wear them, try this: Give used shoes a fresh start by removing and washing the insoles, then lightly misting or ...Read more

When you're buying a single-use beverage, reach for an aluminum can instead of a plastic or glass bottle. Aluminum can be recycled again and again without losing its quality, and recycling it uses about 95% less energy than producing new aluminum. Cans are also lightweight and stackable, making them more efficient to transport. Glass may be ...Read more

Are you part of the movement to live a more plastic-free life? It's easy to think about skipping plastic straws, single-use bags and disposable cups, but what about some of the less obvious plastic hiding in your everyday life? Take wine bottles. Not all wine stoppers are created equal: Some are made from natural cork, a renewable and ...Read more

It may not be realistic to give the inside of your refrigerator a deep cleaning every week, so if you do just one thing, focus on the drawers that hold meat and vegetables. These areas can become breeding grounds for mold and harmful bacteria such as salmonella and E. coli, especially when juices and other substances drip onto the textured ...Read more

Here's another reason to swap bottled body wash for bar soap: You're getting a more concentrated product. Bottled body washes are often made primarily of water, while bar soaps contain little to no water, meaning their other ingredients are far more concentrated. And that's not all: Bar soap requires no plastic bottle, is lighter to transport (...Read more

Never, ever flush conventional dental floss down the toilet. Nylon floss is non-biodegradable, can wreak havoc if it reaches our waterways, and can even damage plumbing. Once flushed, floss can twist and tangle around hair, toilet paper and other organic matter moving through the pipes. Those clumps can form blockages that build up over time, ...Read more

Opt for vintage or antique gemstones and jewelry whenever possible. Reusing stones already in circulation eliminates the need for new mining, which can displace enormous amounts of earth, disturb habitats and pollute waterways. Unlike newly mined gems -- and even lab-grown stones, which require substantial energy to produce -- vintage gems give ...Read more

Don't toss old cookware in the trash. If a pan is made entirely of uncoated metal -- such as cast iron, stainless steel, carbon steel or aluminum -- take it to a local scrap-metal yard or specialty recycling center, since most curbside programs don't accept pots and pans. Nonstick or ceramic-coated pans generally aren't recyclable, because their...Read more