1/17/13

The kitchen is one of the biggest energy hogs in the home, so every little bit you can do to save energy helps lower your utility bill. One easy tip is to defrost frozen food before cooking it. By remembering to place your frozen meal in the refrigerator for a few hours before cooking, you'll use up to 50 percent less energy to bake it. Bonus tip: Defrosting in the fridge helps your refrigerator use less energy because frozen items give off cold air.

1/16/13

After brewing a pot of coffee, there are so many uses for the old coffee grounds. Here are two simple ideas: Rub some grounds between your hands with liquid soap to create an instant exfoliating scrub for your hands -- it'll buff away dead skin and leave them baby soft. You can also dump grounds into a greasy skillet and use them to scour the pan clean. A few tablespoons of coffee grounds are fine to go down the kitchen sink; just remember to toss the rest into the compost heap.

1/15/13

Many car air fresheners are loaded with synthetic fragrances and plasticizers like phthalates, which can create an unhealthy environment in your car. An eco-friendly way to deodorize your car requires you to raid your grill: Fill a large tea strainer (the kind for a whole kettle of tea) with charcoal, then hang it on the rearview mirror or place it in a side pocket in the car. The natural deodorizing properties of the charcoal will absorb odor and help your car smell like nothing at all.