ArcaMax

Face painting is one of the many costume traditions of Halloween, but cosmetics sold at costume shops rarely come with a list of their ingredients, which could mean things like lead, arsenic and even mercury in your face paints. To avoid the possibility of spreading these chemicals on your kid's face, try this DIY solution: Use cornstarch, water...Read more

Instead of poisons or glue traps to keep field mice out of your home, try prevention to live in harmony with them. Use a flashlight outside your home at night to try to find small holes or cracks mice may find to enter. Plug those holes with steel wool or insulation; doing this not only prevents entry for mice, but it also helps insulate your ...Read more

Whether you're using ground turmeric, dried rosemary or fennel seeds, all the seasonings in your spice rack should be organic. Conventional dried herbs and spices are grown with chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Worse, they are often irradiated to kill bacteria. Organic herbs and spices, on the other hand, are cultivated without chemicals and...Read more

Putting brightly colored paper into the recycling bin is like tossing a red sock into a load of white clothes. Colored paper can contaminate paper recyclables and cause a whole batch to be thrown out. If you want to use reams of colored paper, avoid the deeply saturated or super-bright papers; instead, look for pastel sheets. Paper recycling ...Read more

An infestation of spiders, ants and beetles in your home during the winter months could be traced back to one source: firewood. Keeping firewood stacked up or in a basket by your indoor fireplace could be the source. With warmer temperatures inside your home, nesting insects inside the wood become active and flourish. Even keeping firewood by ...Read more

Did you know that standard paper cups -- the kind used for coffee and other hot beverages -- are designed to handle liquids up to 190 degrees F? Since boiling water reaches 212 F, pouring it straight into the cup can cause the plastic lining to soften or melt, potentially releasing chemicals into your drink. If you don’t have a reusable ...Read more

Love having houseplants at home? Be sure to use a peat-free soil mix. Peat moss is harvested from peat bogs -- unique ecosystems that store carbon, regulate aquatic systems by acting like natural sponges, and support diverse wildlife. Removing peat disrupts these habitats and contributes to environmental damage. Instead, choose soil mixes made ...Read more

When composting, the general rule of thumb is no cooked foods go into the pile. But that isn’t always the case if you have leftover cooked vegetables and grains. If you saute or fry vegetables using pure vegetable oils, you can easily compost the leftovers; if you use butter or have other animal products like cheese on top, don’t. The same ...Read more

Sure, it’s a superfood, but turmeric is also a super-stainer. If you get turmeric on fabric, don’t worry: You can get the deep orange color out. First, don’t try to rinse it out with hot water; this will only set the stain and make it nearly impossible to remove. Instead, mix a combination of equal parts dish soap and white vinegar and ...Read more

It might seem odd to stock a bag of dried liver and dog treats in your car, but there’s a good reason. If you ever come across a dog or cat that might be in harm’s way and needs to be rescued, these strong-smelling foods can lure the animal to come closer to you and help you retrieve it. Without the treats, it’s very easy for the animals ...Read more

Do you completely flatten aluminum soda or beer cans before tossing them into the recycling bin? You shouldn't, and here's why. Many recycling facilities use automatic sorting machines that separate two-dimensional and three-dimensional items from commingled recycling bins. When you flatten a soda can, it can often be mistaken by the sorting ...Read more

Yes, leaded crystal containers can release lead into your body when you drink from them. But there are ways to minimize the risks if you have a collection of glasses and decanters at home. First, never store anything in leaded crystal; studies have shown that alcohol and wine left in leaded crystal decanters have significantly higher amounts of ...Read more

Those little silica packets you find in bottles of vitamins, in some packaged foods and in electronics boxes are there to help protect the product you’re buying by absorbing moisture. You can save the packets and use them for a myriad of purposes around the house; but do you wonder what to do with them when they have absorbed their maximum ...Read more

You don’t want unused medications falling into the wrong hands, so flushing them down the toilet might seem like the right solution, but it’s not. Certain medications can contaminate waterways and disrupt fragile ecosystems. Instead, return them to your pharmacy for proper disposal. Many locations even provide secure drop-off boxes for easy,...Read more

When it's cold outside, there are easy ways to fully maximize the efficiency of your home's heating system. One of the best things you can do is to raise the temperature on your thermostat slowly, allowing it to reach the desired temperature one or two degrees at a time. If you raise the heat quickly, your pump uses something called a heat strip...Read more

Want to chop $85 off your electricity bill in one easy step? Consider designating just one room in the house for watching television and not having multiple TVs set up all over the house. On average, a flat-screen TV uses about $7 a month in electricity -- not counting the cable box or other devices like gaming consoles and DVD players. But it's...Read more

Salad spinners are handy kitchen tools that help wash greens and use centrifugal force to spin them dry. But they are also great for a whole host of other cooking ingredients. Want to remove the seeds from canned tomatoes? Just empty the can and break up the tomatoes a little bit, then spin away. Need dried canned beans for a recipe? Just rinse ...Read more

Tree roots that infiltrate your pipes can cause a massive problem for your entire home's plumbing system. One thing you can do to prevent tree roots from growing in your pipes: Flush rock salt down your toilet. Once a month, pour a cup of rock salt into your toilet and let the mixture dissolve overnight. In the morning, flush the toilet. The ...Read more

Ever wonder why yogurt is packaged in hard-to-recycle No. 5 polypropylene plastic instead of the easier-to-recycle No. 1 or No. 2 types? This is because No. 5 plastic can withstand cold temperatures, is more durable, and is the safest option for storing, shipping and delivering yogurt. If your community doesn’t accept No. 5 containers, you ...Read more

Here's a simple way to help keep your home warm in the winter and cool in the summer: Check your ductwork. Many newer homes have ductwork with dampers that are adjustable, and when they are installed, they are often marked with two words: summer and winter. Shifting the switch to the correct season will ensure that the airflow in your home is ...Read more