ArcaMax

Do you want to add houseplants to help beautify your home and purify the air? One option is to buy them at your local florist or home improvement center; another option is to get them totally free. The website Freecycle is like Craigslist, but without money ever changing hands for goods. And when people move from an old home to a new one, one of...Read more

Have an old fur coat in the closet? You can put it to good use to help wild animals in need. The nonprofit animal advocacy organization Born Free runs the Fur for the Animals Campaign, which uses old fur coats (and hats and blankets) to help orphaned and injured wild animals. The items are sent to wildlife rehabilitation centers around the ...Read more

Everyone loses socks. So what do you do with the stray single sock you have left? Don't toss it -- you can reuse it around the house! Fill a sock with cedar shavings, tying it off at the top; since socks are porous, the cedar scent will permeate the air inside a closet and keep moths at bay. To keep your car windows from fogging up, fill a sock ...Read more

Cardboard is a highly desired and easily recyclable item that can be recycled around 5 to 7 times before the fibers lose their strength. One way to extend the life of cardboard boxes is to find a few extra-strong ones and use them over and over again when you go grocery shopping. Just put the boxes in your cart and fill them up. Use them to ...Read more

Adding landscaping to your home is a great way to increase value and also create a habitat for wild animals. But be aware that not all outdoor plants are the same. Fast-growing bushes and trees like the popular Bradford pear also have a shorter lifespan and will need to be replaced. Common plants like English ivy and bamboo actually can be too ...Read more

Do you know what a “snag” is? A snag is a dead tree left to decompose standing upright, and snag trees are vital to keeping the delicate ecosystem thriving in your backyard. According to the National Wildlife Federation, dead trees provide needed nourishment and shelter for up to 1,000 species of wildlife. It’s easy to create a snag: Just ...Read more

Did you know the shelf life of dried spices is about two years? It can be hard to remember when you bought herbs and spices, so be sure to mark the month and year on the jar when you bring home new containers. When it’s time to replace spices, don’t toss them into the trash. Old spices can be used to make all-natural aromatherapy sprays or ...Read more

If you’ve purchased a new washing machine, listen up: Don’t use DIY laundry detergent for your machine. While handmade detergents are a good all-natural alternative, they have a tendency to clog modern-day washing machines. As household appliances become more high-tech, untested detergents can cause internal havoc. Using a DIY detergent can ...Read more

Here’s one tip to save money and help save your eyes, too: Reduce the brightness on your computer, phone and TV screens. Our digital screens are often set to the highest levels of brightness; the brighter the screen, the more power is used, which raises energy costs and drains batteries more quickly. Simply reduce the screen brightness in the ...Read more

You might be surprised to know that more than $5 billion dollars loaded onto prepaid credit card gift cards never gets used. If you have a stash of gift cards with a small balance on them -- even just a penny -- you can donate the leftover balance to help make the world a better place. Many nonprofits, like the Salvation Army and the American ...Read more

If you have a credit card that has cash-back bonuses on it that give you a percentage of your charges back in the form of credit or cash, here's some good news: The bonuses are not taxable income, according to the IRS. But here's even better news: If you choose to donate your cash-back money to a nonprofit, that money is tax deductible. Save ...Read more

We all recycle, but there are ways to make it easier and more efficient. Labels on glass bottles and jars do not need to be removed; in fact, they help keep the bottles intact and prevent breakage. When glass is recycled, the labels are removed or burnt off during the melting process. If you happen to set your flattened cardboard boxes out at ...Read more

When you explore the beautiful natural landscapes of another country while traveling abroad, be sure to have your hiking boots cleaned before you head to the airport for your return flight. The deep treads of hiking boots can be filled with contaminated soil, seeds and other items that create a "biosecurity risk" by bringing non-endemic species ...Read more

When in doubt as to what to give someone as a gift, think potted plants. Some easy-to-grow plants that are nearly impossible to kill include snake plants, jade plants, peace lilies, succulents and, of course, cacti. Repot the plant in a pretty ceramic pot with drainage holes and tie a bow around it (be sure to leave the care instruction tag most...Read more

Can padded envelopes with plastic cushioning embedded inside be recycled? Yes! The next time something fragile is mailed to you in a padded mailer, feel free to toss it into any recycling bin that accepts mixed paper like magazines, junk mail and office paper. It can be recycled at the paper recycling facility where the plastic parts will be ...Read more

Yes, it really matters what kind of vacuum you use in your home. Ironically, using the wrong vacuum can make your home dirtier. When you have a vacuum that does not have a HEPA filter integrated in its design, you risk stirring up mold spores that can be sucked up and scattered around the room, making the mold problem worse. Vacuums with HEPA ...Read more

After you've brewed a cup of morning joe, don't toss the used grounds down the drain. Try soaking an old cotton T-shirt in cold coffee, then use it to wipe scratched tables and see the small nicks, dents and dings disappear. Or scrub your hands clean with old grounds and hand soap; the grounds will buff away dead skin, and the soap will ensure ...Read more

Did you know an outdoor sprinkler can put out up to 300 gallons of water per hour? It’s incredibly wasteful. To save water outdoors, invest in a good hose nozzle that can be turned on and off easily. Always water plants at the right time of day: When the sun is low (morning and night) and the winds and temperatures are lower, water evaporation...Read more

It’s easier than ever to find organic cotton bedding in big-box stores and shopping sites online. But other than helping farmers who grow cotton organically, what’s the real benefit of sleeping on organic sheets? Conventional cotton bedding is often bleached and then dyed using heavy metal dyes that can have formaldehyde resins. And if you ...Read more

It’s no surprise that one of the easiest ways to keep your home as healthy as possible is to leave your shoes at the door. Shoes can drag in pesticides, chemicals and dirt, so going barefoot inside is a simple way to keep it clean. But before you take off your shoes, be sure to give them a good wipe on a doormat outside. By placing your ...Read more