Take care with foods for compost

When composting, the general rule of thumb is no cooked foods go into the pile. But that isn’t always the case if you have leftover cooked vegetables and grains. If you saute or fry vegetables using pure vegetable oils, you can easily compost the leftovers; if you use butter or have other animal products like cheese on top, don’t. The same rule applies to cooked grains like rice, pasta and even bread if they’ve been prepared without any animal fats whatsoever: Go ahead and compost them.

TEA STORAGE

True tea connoisseurs say the best way to enjoy tea is to brew loose-leaf tea. When storing tea, be sure to keep it in airtight containers and away from heat and light. But also make sure to choose the right container. Wooden containers or those with rubber seals can actually impart unpleasant odors into tea leaves. Choose ceramic containers to store your loose-leaf tea so it doesn’t absorb other scents. If you store it this way, the quality should remain consistent over time.

LEAVE VOCS OUTSIDE

It sounds like a smart idea: Use stainand water-resistant outdoor furniture inside the house. And why not? Many outdoor furniture pieces are gorgeous enough to work inside. The problem is that the fabric used to be tough-asnails outside is treated with chemicals that are high in volatile organic compounds. These VOCs can be emitted into the air and cause pollution indoors. Leave furniture and fabric designed for outdoor use outside, and instead look for natural materials like wool, canvas and cotton for indoor use.

HEATER SAFETY

Many of us use a space heater as an energy-efficient way to add supplemental heat to warm up a room. Although the design of these little heaters has changed over the years to improve their safety, they still can pose a fire hazard. One important tip from the Consumer Product Safety Commission is that if you need to use an extension cord with your heater, use the 14-gauge heavy-duty kind. This type of cord (usually designed for outdoor use) ensures the electricity is properly grounded when you operate the heater.

FIND AN OIL LEAK

It can be difficult to detect if your car is leaking oil, especially if your garage is poorly lit. One way to check is to lay clean newspaper on the ground underneath the car overnight. Wait for a dry day with no rain or snow, and make sure the floor beneath the newspaper is clean and dry. The next morning, check to see if any oil has leaked onto the newspaper; if it has, you’ll know to take your car to your local auto care shop to have the leak investigated and repaired.

SHOWER VS. BATH

Which is more water-efficient: a shower or a bath? It all depends on how long you shower. A shower puts out roughly five gallons of H2O every minute; so if you take a five-minute shower, you’re using approximately 25 gallons of water. A typical bath uses about 30 gallons of water to fill up the tub. Gallon for gallon, the five-minute-orless shower is more efficient. But if you prefer to luxuriate and linger when you clean up, the bath becomes the more water-efficient choice.

LEAVE THE LIME

If you enjoy a cold beer with a lime and you leave the lime inside the empty bottle, can you still recycle the bottle? When it comes to small food waste in your recyclables, something like a lime wedge is totally fine. In the recycling process, glass bottles are collected, crushed and melted; any residual waste (limes, paper labels, caps) are sorted out or incinerated. So go ahead and enjoy your Corona with lime, and be sure to recycle the bottle when you’re done.