Reset Your Cat’s Clock, and More

9 Tricks to Improve Your Life*

1 Stop Early Meows

PETS With the longer days and the birds and squirrels up and at ’em at the crack of dawn, your kitty is likely an early riser now. Should you feed him when he meows? No—that will just encourage his untimely entreaties. Instead, install blackout shades or blinds to block the sun. Then stick to strict feeding times: once before you leave in the morning and once shortly before you go to bed.

*From Rd.com reporting

2 Keep Fruits and Veggies Fresh

food Most refrigerators have crisper drawers with adjustable vents that you can close to reduce airflow (and create more humidity) or open (to lower the humidity). The best way to extend the life of your fruits and vegetables is to set one drawer at low humidity and use it for anything that rots easily, such as peaches, avocados, and melons. Set the other drawer at high humidity to store thin-skinned or leafy vegetables such as asparagus, lettuce, and fresh herbs.

3 Let Your Computer Breathe

technology “Don’t put your computer on the carpet or up against a wall,” warns Ben Carmitchel, CEO of Datarecovery.com. “Doing so can cause heat to build up, and if it can’t dissipate, it can damage the hard drive and other components.”

4 Improvise a Corkscrew

entertaining There are few things in life more frustrating than finding yourself with a nice bottle of wine to drink—but no corkscrew. The next time that happens, take out your house keys and drive one of them into the cork at a 45-degree angle until it is all the way in. Slowly twist the key around and up, until you are able to get a grip on the cork and pull it out. Cheers!

5 Stop a Radiator Leak

auto A heat wave has hit town, and your old car radiator isn’t too happy about it. If it suddenly overheats and you think the cause is a pinhole leak, pepper can provide a short-term fix. Simply pour a handful of ground pepper into the radiator. That will temporarily plug the leak and likely won’t cause any damage to your car until you can get it to a mechanic for repair.

6 Take a Photo of Your Passport

travel It may be your most important document, but travel blogger Suzanne Wolko advises against carrying your passport every day while you’re traveling. “I take a photo of my passport and keep it in my e-mail drafts folder so I can access it if needed,” she explains. “When shopping and filling out tax reclaim forms, I’ve used the photo in stores without an issue.”

7 Make a Colorful Arrangement

decorating To create a unique look for your bouquets, fill the bottom of a large vase with buttons, then place a narrower vase inside. Add more buttons to fill the space between the two vases. Finally, fill the smaller vessel with water and arrange your flowers inside.

8 Take a Midweek Break

health Summer may have you dreaming of long weekends, but researchers have found that the best day to take off is actually Wednesday. It interrupts the forced rhythm of the nine-to-five workweek, giving you an extra opportunity to sleep and wake naturally, which is healthier.

9 Fix a Sweat Stain

cleaning Those unsightly yellow stains that show up on the underarms of your shirts are pretty easy to remove. You can crush two aspirin and mix the powder into half a cup of warm water, then soak the spot in the solution for a few hours. Or combine equal amounts of lemon juice and water, then scrub. You can also mix one part dish soap with two parts hydrogen peroxide, then scrub the discoloration and let it sit for an hour. Finally, launder as usual.