When you buy new electronics or a bottle of vitamins, little packets marked "Do Not Eat" are thrown inside to absorb moisture, which helps preserve freshness and prevents damage. These are called silica packets, and they are made from a porous natural mineral that absorbs water. There's no need to throw away these packets -- you can reuse them to keep things like your toolbox, photos and dresser drawers fresh. And you can reactivate silica packets: Just place them on a cookie tray in a 275-degree oven for about an hour to dry them out.

Want to get free energy-saving LED lightbulbs, night lights and water-efficient showerhead aerators for your home? A program called My Energy Kit by Duke Energy has a goal to save more than 10 million kilowatt-hours of energy in the 2017 school year. To help reach this goal, the company is offering free energy kits to schools and families. Each kit contains both information on how to conserve at home and the tools needed to do it. To see if you're eligible for a free kit, visit myenergykit.org.

The majority of plastic cutting boards are made from a plastic resin known as HDPE, or high-density polyethylene. HDPE is the same No. 2-marked plastic as items like laundry detergent bottles. When it comes to cutting boards, HDPE boards are the preferred choice because they can be sanitized and used to keep food prep healthy. But what you may not know is that HDPE is also recyclable. When it's time to replace your plastic cutting board, toss it into the recycling bin. Because it's a No. 2 recyclable plastic, it can be recycled and turned into new products.