10/12/13

If you have a closet stored with an old computer, including a monitor, mouse, speakers, cords, printer and scanner, it doesn’t have to collect dust anymore. You can recycle your old computer free of charge. Dell’s Reconnect program accepts any brand of computer equipment in any condition and will recycle it for you. There are more than 2,000 drop-off locations across the United States. From there, your computer is analyzed to see if anything can be refurbished. For the most part, most systems are stripped for recyclable glass, metal and plastics. Learn more at dellreconnect.com.

10/11/13

Public libraries often have used book drives where they sell books donated from the community to raise money. If you choose to donate books, be sure to keep these basic rules in mind when giving: Don’t give puzzle, coloring or sudoku books that are used, filled in or already solved. Old high school or college textbooks are not desirable, even if you paid a significant amount for them. Self-published books, old magazines and any books about technology where the information inside is obsolete should be tossed into the paper recycling bin instead. And remember this: A book drive means books -- no old electronics, medicine, clothes or anything that does not make sense at a library.

10/10/13

Many people still store their seasonal clothing with sachets or packets of mothballs in an effort to prevent moths or mold from attacking and ruining their clothes. The chemical often used in mothballs, naphthalene, is possibly carcinogenic to humans if ingested or inhaled, and it can cause everything from liver to neurological damage. If you must use mothballs, avoid storing any kind of infant or children clothing with them; children who wear clothes that have been stored with mothballs risk absorbing the dangerous toxins through their skin. Better yet, don’t use mothballs at all. Natural alternatives, like cedar and lavender, have proven to be effective in deterring moths.