4/28/10

While many air purifiers do a good job at cleaning the air, it's not what they take out that should be of concern, but what some re-emit back into the air: ozone. Ozone is an air pollutant that the EPA says can cause chest pain, coughing, shortness of breath and throat irritation. Some air purifiers are so bad that the EPA has advised consumers against using them. The simplest tip is to avoid using these so-called "air purifiers" altogether and use common sense instead. On a breezy day, open the front and back windows of the house to cross-ventilate the air; the "wind" tunnel effect will flush the toxins out.

4/27/10

The conventional wisdom used to be that prerinsing pots, pans and dishes before placing them in the dishwasher made them cleaner. With advancements in dishwasher technology and automatic dishwashing tablets, though, the detergents and machines actually need dirty dishes. The detergent is designed to attack grime and grease; clean pots and pans means the detergent will attack the glassware more aggressively, leaving them scratched and cloudy. If you have baked-on food, simply scrape it off and then place the dish in the dishwasher.

4/26/10

Upcycle old plates, cups and saucers into a beautiful tiered tray in minutes. Grab mismatched tableware pieces that you no longer use (or raid the local Goodwill store to find secondhand pieces) and stack them into a tiered tray. Start with the largest plate at the bottom, add a cup, then another plate and so on. To keep everything secure, use a very strong adhesive -- I like a brand called E-6000 -- and allow the glue to dry thoroughly before using the tray for any festive occasion.