Under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), as amended by the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act, EPA evaluates potential risks from new and existing chemicals and acts to address any unreasonable risks chemicals may have on human health and the environment. Note: It is best to grind the spices at home because the volatile substances are preserved better in whole berries and cloves. Many tea chemicals have been categorized into broad groups, and collectively we have some idea of what happens to these groups during processing and what flavors and aromas they are responsible for. Computers, TVs and cell phones fall out of fashion so fast that some folks have collections of old gadgets collecting dust in the basement. Far out in the Pacific Ocean floats an island of garbage twice the size of Texas. Yes, OK, fine, MacGyver was fiction, but you can conjure up all sorts of handy household fixes – no improvised bazookas, sadly – with everyday items that most of us thoughtlessly chuck in the garbage. Known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, it’s an accidental accumulation of millions of tons of floating debris – much of it plastic – trapped in a convergence of oceanic currents.

Canisters that come attached with turbo heads can do an equally great task on carpets as well. Most grocery stores will take back used bags, or you can give them a second or third life through a number of household uses. The single-use plastic grocery bag has been targeted by environmental groups as a ubiquitous symbol of waste. Discarded plastic bags can travel hundreds of miles on the wind and float along rivers and oceans, if they don’t lodge in trees first. Home makes can take the help of professional cleaners and concentrate and invest their valuable time somewhere else. You can buy the same squeeze bottles for your home kitchen or save a couple of bucks and raid the recycling bin. You can also mail eyeglasses to one of 18 Lions Eyeglass Recycling Centers worldwide. In addition to prescription eyeglasses and reading glasses in good condition, New Eyes accepts sunglasses, metal eyewear in any condition, and watches and jewelry that the organization sells to raise money. There are millions of adults and children in developing countries without access to prescription eyeglasses and bifocal reading glasses.

They are easy to use and suitable for cleaning all types and sizes of brushes. Some people would opt for a homemade cleaning solution like adding vinegar to the water. In a spray bottle, pour equal parts of white vinegar and water. If the windows need a little more work, another alternative is to mix ammonia with water (in a 1:10 ratio). Mix equal parts borax and cornmeal in a small container and cover thin-petalled flowers like tulips and roses with the mixture and seal them for two weeks. Local branches of the Lions Club distribute eyeglass collection boxes to community buildings like libraries and schools. Lions Club International has been doing this good work for decades. Trial and error may help you learn which ones work for you. Carpet cleaner is used to help with cleaning carpets. While it can help alleviate symptoms, it is important to combine it with other therapeutic measures, such as therapy and lifestyle changes, to achieve optimal results. Paired with the auto-empty dock, it’s my cleaning dream. Use plastic bags as makeshift gloves when cleaning the bathroom. Perfect for cleaning sand around those outdoor Tiki Bars where cigarette filters find their way to the sand.

The next time you make pancakes, fill a big squeezable ketchup bottle with the batter and squirt out perfect portions without drips or spills. Fill old honey bear bottles with paint for the kids’ art table or dispense hand soap from a former mustard bottle. This is the kind of amnesia you see a lot on soap operas. It’s ultimately a matter of personal preference, but, if you ask us, pre-soaked pads and leave-on treatments are the most convenient. Visual privacy is vital in city homes, so choose window treatments that do the job in style. So it’s important to properly clean a car window to get a streak-free surface. Scissor sharpener: If your scissors get dull, simply cut through a sheet of aluminum foil. You might be tempted to leave this until the last minute, but you could easily get caught up in party prep and end up greeting your guests with wet hair, in a robe and slippers. Binder clips are prized for their strength – if you ever had a fingertip, earlobe or tongue caught in one of these suckers, you know what we mean.