Set your printer to extend the life of your ink cartridges
Do you feel like you’re constantly replacing the cartridges in your inkjet printer? There are some easy things you can do to extend the life of those cartridges. First, make sure your printer settings are set to “fast normal” or “draft” for printing documents when the quality isn’t important. Ignore the “low ink” warning on your printer; it’s a warning, not a notification the cartridge is empty. And if you rarely use your printer, take the cartridges out and seal them up in an airtight container to keep them fresh.
SEAL WINDOWS
It may not be the most attractive bit of home decor, but applying a clear plastic film over your windows and sliding glass doors can help insulate them and reduce your heating bill in winter months. If you’d rather not coat your main windows with film because it isn’t aesthetically pleasing, consider applying it to windows in little-seen or rarely used rooms. You can reduce your heating bill by as much as 14% by doing that, and the film is a cinch to install.
MICROWAVES MORE EFFICIENT
Around 40% of Americans enjoy a cup of hot tea every single day, so the question is: Is it more energy-efficient to heat water in a tea kettle or in the microwave? The ecoeasy answer is the microwave. According to Energy Star, a program of the Environmental Protection Agency, heating a mug of water to make tea is 80% more energy-efficient than using a traditional stove. The reason is simple: Microwave heat waves concentrate solely on what you’re warming, and you are only heating exactly what you’re drinking instead of a whole kettle of water. The same energy savings also works when reheating leftover foods.
SPACE HEATERS WORK
Using a space heater is an energy-efficient way to bring warmth to where you need it most instead of raising the thermostat to heat your whole house. When shopping for a new space heater, look for one that is the right size for the room you intend to use it in. Also, look for one with an “auto” mode function. That function will automatically turn off the heater once the desired temperature is reached in the room. That means it won’t be running constantly, and that can help you save electricity in the long run.
REGROW GARLIC
Here’s a fun experiment to try at home with a leftover garlic clove: Grow a new garlic plant! Fill a small pot with potting soil and stick the garlic clove into the soil so the root end is immersed and the top part is right below the surface of the soil. Water and place in a warm, sunlit spot in the house (like the kitchen window counter). In a few weeks, the garlic clove will root itself and start growing new shoots, and over time, the bulb will multiply until you have a whole new garlic bulb you can rinse and use for cooking.
TRIM HOUSEPLANTS
If you see a houseplant with yellowing leaves, one of the most important things you should do is trim them off. Yellowing, almost dead leaves won’t revive and turn green again, so it’s better to help the plant by removing them so the plant can dedicate its energy to generating new leaves. When done pruning, be sure to wipe the pruning blades with rubbing alcohol. That will disinfect the blades so you don’t transfer diseases to other plants.
UNPLUG EXERCISE EQUIPMENT
If you use exercise equipment at home that you need to plug into the wall, like a treadmill, elliptical or exercise bike, do this one thing when you’re finished working out: Unplug the machine. Because power surges can happen at any time, a surge can break or seriously damage pricey gym equipment. Plus, leaving the machine plugged in also draws a small amount of electricity, even when not in use. Skip using a surge protector. When the machines are on, surge protectors can send an error message to the machine’s motherboard, even when nothing’s wrong.