Do Just One Thing

Here's an old wives' tale to avoid: Don't leave dryer lint outdoors in the hopes birds will use it to feather their nests. Dryer lint contains chemical detergents from your clothes that can harm birds; even eco-friendly laundry detergent can irritate their sensitive skin and feathers. If you want to help birds, leave piles of dried grass (untreated with chemical fertilizers or pesticides), hair clumps (human, horse and dog fur, also untreated) and the good old basics: twigs, moss and pine needles. Just leave them wherever you think birds may find them, and they'll weave them into a nest for their young.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

Can you recycle a greasy pizza box with your cardboard recyclables? Yes and no. If a portion of the box is covered in grease, cheese and other food debris, it can contaminate a load of recyclable cardboard, so tear off the greasy part and only recycle the clean cardboard. To prevent greasy boxes, ask the pizzeria to place a sheet of aluminum foil on the bottom of the box with the pizza on top. This helps keep the grease from seeping into the cardboard, and it even keeps the pizza hotter, longer. And don't forget: Aluminum foil is recyclable, so if it's clean enough, just crumple it up and toss it into the recycling bin!

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

Any HVAC technician will back up this claim: Your thermostat is not a gas pedal. Pushing the setting way up over your target temp does not get your home warmer faster. It does not create larger volumes of heat; a thermostat is just a switch that turns the heating system on and off. The best practice is to find an appropriate lower temp you're comfortable at and leave it there. This will make your heating system run as efficiently as possible.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION