African elephants are often illegally hunted by poachers for their ivory tusks. Obviously, one way to help protect elephants is to never buy products made from ivory. But unlike intricately carved ivory tusks, statues and jewelry that are clearly made from ivory, there are many home items also made from ivory that aren't clearly marked. Things like billiard balls, dominos, fans, piano keys and carved collectibles can also be made from ivory. The easiest way to tell if an item is ivory (and not bone) is to run your fingers across it. If it's smooth like butter, it's likely ivory. If it has any texture or pockmarks, it's likely bone. When in doubt, move on.

What if you could not only clean but disinfect your entire home using just water and a reusable towel? Microfiber towels have individual woven strands that are about 1/200th the diameter of human hair -- hence the world "microfiber." These tiny fibers are incredibly effective at picking up dirt, grime and grease from surfaces, and it gets rid of up to 99 percent of bacteria using just water. The small fibers are like magnets -- they pull all the grimy, germy messes into the towel. And when you're done, they are machine washable and reusable.

Smartphones, laptops, digital cameras and other technological products have become a ubiquitous part of our daily lives. But unlike clothes, you can't toss them into a washing machine to keep them clean. For products that have a touch screen, the simplest way to kill germs and bacteria on them is to freeze them. Just place the device in a freezer bag and into a freezer for one hour. Then let it come back up to room temperature before using it again. The cold temperature eradicates germs and doesn't interfere with the touch-sensitive screens.