If you take vitamins, it's important to make sure they are stored properly so they maintain their potency. Avoid high heat, bright light and fluctuating temperatures; bathrooms are the worst place to store them. And while a refrigerator may sound like a perfect place (it's cool and dark), it's also humid inside. Only truly airtight containers will protect your vitamins in the refrigerator. The best place is a cabinet that's dry, high and away from heat sources. It's also a safe place to keep them out of small hands.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

Around this time of year, carpenter ants invade homes and can be a nuisance. While they don't bite, they are busily looking for food sources in your home. To naturally repel these ants, first remove all sugary items from surfaces and secure them in a safe place, like a refrigerator. Then make a mixture of boric acid and white powdered sugar and leave it where they tend to gather. The ants will feast on the mixture and take it back to their colony. The boric acid is a natural insecticide and will do in the entire colony. In no time, no ants.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

Remember when you needed to sort your recyclables based on material, such as newspaper, glass, paper and metal? Now the materials may be commingled in one bin for recycling. Trash companies and recyclers opted for what's called "single-stream recycling" for both convenience and to increase recycling. In comparison to "source-separated" recycling, the commingled system wins hands down. A Waste Management survey showed a 300 percent increase in recycling participation when people didn't have to sort. That's a big increase to reduce waste.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION