ArcaMax

Instead of poisons or glue traps to keep field mice out of your home, try prevention to live in harmony with them. Use a flashlight outside your home at night to try to find small holes or cracks mice may find to enter. Plug those holes with steel wool or insulation; doing this not only prevents entry for mice, but it also helps insulate your ...Read more

Whether you're using ground turmeric, dried rosemary or fennel seeds, all the seasonings in your spice rack should be organic. Conventional dried herbs and spices are grown with chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Worse, they are often irradiated to kill bacteria. Organic herbs and spices, on the other hand, are cultivated without chemicals and...Read more

Putting brightly colored paper into the recycling bin is like tossing a red sock into a load of white clothes. Colored paper can contaminate paper recyclables and cause a whole batch to be thrown out. If you want to use reams of colored paper, avoid the deeply saturated or super-bright papers; instead, look for pastel sheets. Paper recycling ...Read more

An infestation of spiders, ants and beetles in your home during the winter months could be traced back to one source: firewood. Keeping firewood stacked up or in a basket by your indoor fireplace could be the source. With warmer temperatures inside your home, nesting insects inside the wood become active and flourish. Even keeping firewood by ...Read more

Did you know that standard paper cups -- the kind used for coffee and other hot beverages -- are designed to handle liquids up to 190 degrees F? Since boiling water reaches 212 F, pouring it straight into the cup can cause the plastic lining to soften or melt, potentially releasing chemicals into your drink. If you don’t have a reusable ...Read more

Love having houseplants at home? Be sure to use a peat-free soil mix. Peat moss is harvested from peat bogs -- unique ecosystems that store carbon, regulate aquatic systems by acting like natural sponges, and support diverse wildlife. Removing peat disrupts these habitats and contributes to environmental damage. Instead, choose soil mixes made ...Read more

When composting, the general rule of thumb is no cooked foods go into the pile. But that isn’t always the case if you have leftover cooked vegetables and grains. If you saute or fry vegetables using pure vegetable oils, you can easily compost the leftovers; if you use butter or have other animal products like cheese on top, don’t. The same ...Read more

Sure, it’s a superfood, but turmeric is also a super-stainer. If you get turmeric on fabric, don’t worry: You can get the deep orange color out. First, don’t try to rinse it out with hot water; this will only set the stain and make it nearly impossible to remove. Instead, mix a combination of equal parts dish soap and white vinegar and ...Read more

It might seem odd to stock a bag of dried liver and dog treats in your car, but there’s a good reason. If you ever come across a dog or cat that might be in harm’s way and needs to be rescued, these strong-smelling foods can lure the animal to come closer to you and help you retrieve it. Without the treats, it’s very easy for the animals ...Read more