How to unshrink a wool sweater in five easy steps
It’s a popular belief that if you’ve accidentally shrunken a wool sweater in the washing machine, your only option is to toss it. But you can un-shrink the sweater in just a few easy steps. Start by soaking it for 10 minutes in lukewarm water with 1/3 cup of hair conditioner. Drain the sink and gently squeeze — don’t wring — the sweater to remove excess water. Place the damp sweater on a clean towel, and work the sweater back into shape. Roll it up in the towel to absorb more water, and let it air dry.
SHREDDED CHEESE
Not only is shredded cheese from the supermarket expensive, but it also comes in hard-to-recycle plastic packaging. One way to go green and save money is to buy blocks of cheese from the cheese counter and shred them yourself. To save time, shred the entire block of cheese at once, and store the shredded cheese in a large reusable freezer bag. To prevent the shredded cheese from sticking together, add a tablespoon of cornstarch to the freezer bag, and shake to lightly coat the cheese; the cornstarch will also help keep the shredded cheese fresh longer.
ENAMELWARE
Vintage enamelware serving pieces and cookware are common items you’ll find at flea markets, antique stores and thrift shops. They were common in the late 19th and the early part of the 20th century, and they’re very pretty, too. But are they safe to use now for serving food and cooking? Most likely not. Back in the day, there was little regulation on what manufacturers could use to make enamelware, so vintage pieces often have additives like lead and cadmium. If you do find and purchase old enamelware, use it for display or decoration only.
WINTER PEACHES
Here’s another reason to skip buying mealy peaches in the middle of winter: They have more pesticides on them than any other fruit in the supermarket. Conventional peaches imported from outside the country when they aren’t in season are the fruit most treated with chemical pesticides, according to the Environmental Working Group. Skip peaches when they’re out of season and enjoy them when they are grown and harvested locally. If you really want peaches out of season, consider organic frozen ones. They may not be the freshest, but they are guaranteed to have been grown without any chemical pesticides.
JUNK MAIL
If you’ve gotten junk mail and thought you can just write “Return to Sender” on it and mail it back to the sender on their dime, think again. Junk mail is actually considered third-class mail by the U.S. Postal Service. Because it’s in the lowestpriority category, any junk mail that is re-sent this way is automatically discarded. It’s best to recycle unwanted junk mail and make efforts to remove your name from bulk mailing lists. There are many free ways to register your address to be taken off these mailing lists.
USES FOR ASHES
If you use your fireplace and/or an outdoor fire pit, listen up: Save your ashes! One cord of wood can produce about 50 pounds of ashes, and those ashes have a number of beneficial uses around your property. If you grow tomatoes, sprinkle ashes and rake them into the soil; tomatoes thrive on the natural calcium in wood ashes. You can also spread the ashes as a border around the garden; they act as a natural barrier to damaging slugs and other pests. And finally, save the ashes in a metal garbage container and use them as a natural de-icer for your driveway.
SNOW SHOVELS
When shopping for a snow shovel, go for one with an aluminum or steel blade. Metal shovels can withstand heavier loads of snow than plastic and will keep a clean edge through hard use; plastic ones can chip and shatter, quickly making them unusable. Durable metal shovels last season after season, and perhaps best of all, when they do finally need to be replaced, aluminum and steel blades are recyclable.