3 ways to extend the life of bar soap
Now more than ever, it’s important to use soap to wash our hands to keep ourselves clean and healthy. To help extend the life of a bar of soap, you can follow these simple tips. First, look for triple-milled or “French milled” styles of soaps. They are denser, harder soaps with less air inside, so they dissolve much more slowly than other types of soaps. You can also cure your bar soap by unwrapping it and letting it air dry; this will help remove excess moisture and make the soap denser. Finally, you can cut a large bar of soap into smaller pieces and use only what you need when you need it.
REFRIGERATOR FIXES
If your refrigerator isn’t as cold inside as it used to be, there’s no need to immediately order a brand-new one. First, check to make sure the thermostat hasn’t been accidentally turned up; often, they get bumped and need a simple readjustment. Then clean the condenser coils at the bottom of the fridge, which can get clogged with dirt, dust and other debris. Finally, is your fridge overpacked? If the back is full of stacked food, you might have a blocked vent. Just spread the items around until the fridge is cool again.
PRINTER INK
Big-box office supply stores gladly take your empty ink and laser printer cartridges, often giving you a credit of a few dollars you can use toward a new purchase in return. But did you know you can make a lot more selling them directly to recyclers? US Recycling (usrecycleink.com) pays up to $23 for empty cartridges. Just fill out a short form on their website and take a picture of your empty cartridges. They’ll make you an offer within an hour, and if you accept, they share how to ship to their recycling facilities. Either way, never toss your empty cartridges away; they can be recycled at stores or through recyclers like this.
INCENSE STICKS
It may seem serene and peaceful, but burning incense inside your home can actually lead to poorer air quality — even worse than cigarette smoke. When lit, incense sticks can release more than just fragrance into the air; they also release ultra-fine particles and smoke that can be damaging to your lungs. If you want to add fragrance to the air, consider using completely natural essential oils with misting machines that gently release small amounts of fragrance into the air with water particles.
DRYER VENT HOSE
Do you want your clothes to dry more quickly, and use less energy in the process? It might be time to shorten the dryer vent hose. That long, metal, accordion-like tube that connects from the wall to the dryer is often too long when it’s installed in your laundry room. Simply shortening the hose so it still reaches the dryer can significantly increase the efficiency of your dryer and decrease drying time by as much as 20%. A shorter distance for your dryer to have to pump out moisture-heavy air equals better efficiency.
HOT WATER
Did you know water needs to be around 140 to 145 degrees Fahrenheit in order for it to be hot enough to properly disinfect your cups, dishes and utensils? That’s one more reason why a dishwasher is better for your health than washing by hand, since most of us can’t handle those extreme temps at the kitchen sink. For things you can’t put in the dishwasher, like crystal, knives and cast iron, fill up the sink with the hottest water and let them soak. For cast iron, rinse and let it dry on a hot stove, so it heats up, dries out and disinfects itself at the same time.
FRESH FLOWERS
Fresh-cut flowers are a simple way to add color and joy inside your home. One easy hack to keep these stems looking alive longer is to use a little mouthwash in the water. Just a few tablespoons of disinfecting mouthwash is enough to keep bacteria from growing inside the vase. Bacteria are known to speed up the decay of cut flowers, so this simple trick can help your arrangement look fresh much longer.