When it comes to dry-clean only garments like silk, wool and cashmere, you don’t have to waste money -- or use chemicals -- to keep them clean. They can be washed at home by hand in cold water with gentle detergents like baby shampoo or delicate laundry detergent. Once you soak these garments, never ring them out to remove excess water. Instead, toss a piece into a salad spinner and spin away; it’ll force excess water out of the fibers without ruining the shape. Then lay the item flat on a towel, fold the towel over, roll it up and press. Lay the garment flat or hang it to dry and voila! -- a clean “dry clean only” piece done at home.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

The next time you go clothes shopping, think less about how you look in the new garments and more about how long you’ll wear them. It turns out that the average person in the United States tosses about 90 pounds of textiles per year into landfills or donation bins. Much of it is barely worn -- and a lot still has tags! When shopping, consider two things: Will you wear the piece at least 30 times, and is it well-made enough to stand up to 30 washings? If the answer is yes, then it’s a good investment piece. If it’s not, steer clear from buying this “disposable” fashion.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

The World Wildlife Fund is urging consumers to avoid palm oil in products because it’s grown in tropical rainforests where clear-cutting of land for palm oil plantations has led to devastating losses of critical wildlife habitat. Bio-diverse forests are lost, and endangered species like orangutans, tigers, elephants and rhinos are threatened. Palm oil is found in items like lipstick (it helps hold color and doesn’t have any taste), instant noodles, pizza dough, detergent, soaps and even packaged breads. Read product labels closely, and try to avoid items with palm oil.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION