Banish squirrels from bird feeder
If you’re battling to keep hungry squirrels from completely emptying your bird feeder, the nonprofit Humane Society of the United States has a solution. One of the key ways to stop squirrel poaching is to hang your feeder from a tree branch with a wire that’s at least 10 feet long. They’ve estimated that length makes it nearly impossible for squirrels to maneuver down the wire. You also should hang the feeder at least 8 feet away from the trunk of the tree or other structures from which they can leap. If you can find the perfect spot that meets these measurements, you should be good to go.
MOUSE DETECTOR
Some of the most common entry points for mice entering your home include where outside utility pipes or wires come in, if there’s any rot or deterioration of your home’s siding or if there are cracks along the foundation. Take the time to do an inspection outside your home to see if you have any of these, and seal them up. One thing you can do if you think a mouse is entering your home through an entry point is sprinkle baby powder on the ground; if you see tracks, that’s an entry point that needs to be sealed up.
CRACK SEALERS
When sealing up cracks around the house, resist the urge to use only rubber or silicone caulk. While these materials do seal up holes, they also can be easily chewed through by wild animals like mice. Instead, plug the cracks with a bit of wire mesh from things like pot scrubbers. Then fill the openings with something called “expanding foam insulation.” The combination of the two will both insulate your home and make it completely unappealing to wild animals.
PET SUFFOCATION
Believe it or not, one of the most dangerous things your pet can eat isn’t a food at all:
it’s the bag your favorite chips or snack foods come packaged in. When you’re done eating your BBQ potato chips, a few remnants of the snack remain in the bag. If you leave the bag where your dog can find it, they’ll naturally stick their head in. A Facebook page called “Prevent a Pet Suffocation” says many animals actually suffocate when they trap themselves in the bag and are unable to breathe. To prevent this, simply cut the bottom of the bag open before throwing it away.
TISSUE WRAP
During the holiday season, many of us get gifts that are wrapped in tissue paper. And while tissue paper is technically recyclable, it can be hard to find a recycler that accepts it. When it comes to unbleached and white tissue paper, you can actually compost it. The fibers are short, it’s usually made from recycled materials and it degrades easily into beneficial mulch. If you can’t reuse it, compost it and you’ll keep some holiday waste out of the trash.
GROUND SHIPPING
If you can plan ahead, one easy way to help reduce carbon emissions is to opt for ground shipping of purchases made online. Ground shipping may take a bit more time, but it usually does not involve gas-guzzling airplanes to guarantee your package is delivered overnight. Instead, it uses a fleet of trucks that have been programmed to deliver packages in the most fuel-efficient way from Point A to Point B. If you must overnight something, try to use the shipping company’s own packaging; many companies not only use packaging created from recycled materials, but then it can be reused.
MINI CLEANSERS
Got a little leftover shampoo or body wash? Or maybe you have a stash of little hotel bottles of these things in your junk drawer? You can use them for a few things around the house! One handy way to use them is as a stain remover on upholstered furniture; just dab some liquid soap right onto the stain and use a damp cloth to work the suds (and stain) out. Or use it as a detergent for handwashing delicate items in the sink. Finally, try shampoo to degrease kitchen cabinets; just use it full strength as a degreaser on the cabinets and wipe it off with a damp towel. Good as new!