That blue bin at the curb feels like a promise. Toss it in, and it becomes something new. Unfortunately, it does not always work that way. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency warns that putting items in the bin that cannot be recycled can contaminate the recycling stream. The agency’s frequent questions about recycling says non-recyclable … Read more
Clutter rarely arrives in one dramatic wave. It sneaks in a pile of mail at a time, a box in the corner, a drawer that will not quite close. Gabriella Dyson, writing for Homes & Gardens in September 2024, describes what experts call clutter blindness. It is when people become so used to the disorder … Read more
Most of us have done it. A little leftover grease goes in the pan, a few coffee grounds get rinsed away, and we run the hot water to chase it all down the drain and call it a day. Plumbers say that habit is how slow drains start. Using guidance from the plumbing manufacturer Oatey … Read more
Cleaning out the basement and dropping a carload at the thrift store feels like a good deed, and usually it is. Some items, though, should not be handed to another family without a closer look. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission puts it bluntly in its guide for resellers. Resale stores, resellers and people who … Read more
Open the cabinet under your bathroom sink and take a slow look. Odds are good that a few things in there have been waiting longer than you remember, tucked behind the cotton balls and the spare soap. Here is the good news. Several federal agencies and health groups have published plain, specific guidance on when … Read more
The cabinet under the kitchen sink is the most convenient storage spot in the house. It is also the first place a curious toddler, or a puppy, will check. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has warned for years against keeping poisons where small children can reach them. In an archived CPSC poison-prevention publication, the … Read more
Laundry is one chore most of us have done thousands of times. That is exactly why bad habits sneak in and stay for decades. AARP’s 2023 Smart Guide to Laundry, written by Jodi Helmer, gathered advice from fabric care experts, a Consumer Reports appliance expert and the host of a laundry show. The AARP guide … Read more
That cardboard box of old toys in the closet looks like clutter. To a collector, it might look like a treasure chest. Auction results show that vintage toys, especially complete ones in their original packaging, can sell for real money. The examples below come from AuctionDaily’s roundup of collectible toys, which lists sale prices with … Read more
The garage is where we park the things we might need someday. A bike nobody rides, a set of weights from a New Year’s resolution, a box of hand tools that belonged to Dad. Some of that stuff could be putting cash in your pocket instead of costing you rent on a storage unit. A … Read more
The dishwasher feels like a miracle machine. You load it, press a button, and walk away. But Consumer Reports, the nonprofit product-testing organization, has published lists of things that should never go in the machine, and some are items many of us have loaded for years. The advice below comes from a Consumer Reports segment … Read more