Clutter and Dust Busters

08/10/2026

Back to School!
Ways to help kids of all ages stay healthy and ready for the school year.
Use gentle hair and body products, maintain good hygiene, and support children's daily wellness with nutritious foods and supplements. Koala Pals hair and body wash, Omega-3's, probiotics, and healthy snacks are all a great way to go.

08/10/2026

Stay hydrated this summer!
Did you know that 66% of your body weight is water? Keeping your body hydrated is one of the most important things you can do for your daily wellness. Proper hydration can improve your sleep quality, brain function, mood, joint function, and much more.
Kidneys and Urinary system; staying properly hydrated helps your kidneys and urinary system filter and get rid of waste efficiently and reduces your risk of kidney stones and urinary tract infections.
Digestive System; it relies on adequate water to avoid constipation and support saliva production, stomach acid balance, and nutrient absorption.
Brain; your brain alone is 73% water. That's why even mild dehydration can reduce your focus, memory, and mental clarity and increase feelings of fatigue, anxiety, and irritability.
Heart; your blood volume depends heavily on the water levels in your body. Stay hydrated can help you maintain proper blood pressure and a healthy heart rate.
Joints; water helps your joints move smoothly while reducing normal wear and tear.
How much water should you consume every day? Take your current weight and divide in half.
Stay hydrated especially if you are exercising, live in a hot and dry climate, eating a high-protein and high-fiber diet, consuming coffee or alcohol, sweating, energy is low, feeling thirsty, and experiencing headaches and brain fog.

07/20/2026

Daily lavender inhalation improves anxiety, sleep, and blood pressure.

A randomized, placebo-controlled study from National Chung Cheng University in Taiwan examined whether inhaling Lavandula angustifolia (English lavender) essential oil could improve anxiety, sleep, fatigue, and blood pressure in adults with hypertension. Fifty-eight participants inhaled either lavender oil or a placebo for 15 minutes daily. After just one session, the lavender group experienced a dramatic reduction in anxiety compared to the placebo group. After seven consecutive days, participants also showed improvement in sleep quality, reduced fatigue, and lower systolic and diastolic blood pressure.

Researchers believe these benefits are linked to lavender's active compounds, linalool and linalyl acetate, which may help calm the nervous system, reduce stress hormone activity, and promote relaxation. Although the study was relatively small and the authors consider the findings exploratory, the consistent improvements across multiple health measures suggest lavender aromatherapy may be a promising complementary therapy. Choosing 100% pure Lavandula angustifolia essential oil, preferable steam-distilled, since this specific species has been the focus of the research on lavender's calming effects.

07/18/2026

gotta love a cancellation 🤷🏻‍♀️ back to bed I go! 🤣

07/13/2026

Harsh household cleaners send a child to the ER every 35 minutes.

From 2007 through 2022, more than 240,800 children aged five and under were treated in US emergency rooms for injuries caused by harsh cleaning products. That's one injury every 35 minutes!
The injuries followed predictable patterns. Bleach and detergents together accounted for nearly 60% of cases. Single-use detergent packets drove a rapid spike in injuries after their 2012 introduction, and by 2022 they still accounted for a third of all detergent-related cases. one-year-olds were most at risk, accounting for 43% of injured children. Most injuries were poisonings, followed by chemical burns and skin or eye irritation.
The researchers called for stronger packaging standards. But chemistry matters just as much as the container. Parents can control where products are stored but they can't always control when a toddler finds one. What's in the bottle determines how dangerous that moment is. When choosing a cleaning product look for formulas built on plant-derived ingredients and enzyme action rather than chlorin bleach or caustic ammonia. Botanical disinfectants that use active ingredients like thyme oil or citric acid meet EPA registration standards without the chemical profiles, which often linger in the air or on surfaces.

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07/11/2026

4 items you should never keep on your coffee table

Few pieces do more heavy lifting in a living room than the coffee table. It grounds the seating area, provides a place for drinks, books, and decorative objects, and often serves as a focal point within the room. But when too many items compete for a limited amount of space, it can quickly appear cluttered rather than chic. Before you know it, the surface is crowded to its limits with remotes, mail, candles, and miscellaneous odds and ends. Instead, a well-styled coffee table requires a balance of both beauty and function, with open space, intentional arrangements, and items of varying heights, shapes, and materials.

To know what to keep on your coffee table and what to store away, it's important to first consider how you use it. Which items are true necessities that you use daily, and which are less essential—or simply fluff?

What Not to Keep on Your Coffee Table
Generic Decor
Just like other surfaces in your home, a coffee table is a chance to showcase your style. Include items with meaning rather than those that simply take up space. For example, don't display a coffee table book just because you think you should. Instead, choose books you actually read, those with beautiful imagery, or subjects that genuinely resonate with you. Rather than filling the table with multiple decorative trays, opt for one that contributes to the overall composition. The same can be said for faux flowers. While they can look nice, a few stems of your favorite flower will almost always feel more thoughtful and personal.

Anything Too Tall or Too Small
Avoid placing anything on a coffee table that blocks the view of the surrounding furniture. A large vase or sculpture may be the perfect fit for a console table, but on a coffee table, it can throw off the proportions of the space. The same can be said for oversized plants and decorative items that disrupt the visual connection between the seating area and the rest of the room. On the other hand, a collection of small trinkets will also make your table seem disjointed and messy.

Work Items
Laptops, chargers, and other work items should absolutely be kept off a coffee table. If you work from the couch, it may be convenient to leave them there until the next day, but you'll never find a well-styled coffee table brimming with cords, Post-it notes, and pens.

An Abundance of Magazines
A coffee table is a natural location for a magazine collection; however, it can easily get out of hand. A multitude of stacked magazines is not only a visual disruptor, but it also adds an unnecessary sense of disorder to what may otherwise be a minimalist setup. Keep it to two or three neatly stacked magazines—ones that are either timeless, new, or that complement the style and color palette of the items around them.

What to Keep on Your Coffee Table
A Tray for Organization
If you have multiple items on a coffee table, an intentional tray can be an excellent way to keep clutter at bay. Instead of choosing one that covers the entire table, opt for a small or medium tray, ideally with texture and/or color, to infuse personality and function.

A Memento with Meaning
When styling a coffee table, include items that have personal meaning, whether that's a favorite book, a framed photo, or a beloved scent. While you can always refresh the styling, incorporating pieces that bring you joy makes it more likely you'll love the arrangement for years to come.

Coasters
A coffee table is a landing spot for morning coffee, evening drinks, and movie nights, so coasters are a must. Keep a set of four to six within easy reach—six if you frequently entertain. Choose a material or pattern you love, whether that's marble, woven rattan, wood, or lacquer, and stack them neatly to keep the surface tidy.

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07/11/2026

These 7 common buys are secretly cluttering your home, according to pro organizers

Key takeaways
Toys & Kids' Items: Children quickly outgrow toys, leaving unused clutter. Consider toy rotation or gifting experiences instead.
Kitchen Gadgets & Appliances: Many small appliances serve single purposes and crowd countertops. Only buy items you’ll use regularly.
Impulse & Trend Purchases: Fast fashion, makeup, and novelty items often lose appeal fast, creating household chaos. Shop with intention and avoid buying just for trends.

Trust the pros when they say you really don't need these things.

Key Takeaways
Kids' toys, kitchen gadgets, and trend items often end up unused, adding to household clutter.
Makeup, fast fashion, and bulk buys can create chaos if purchased impulsively without intent.
Souvenirs like shot glasses and keychains serve little purpose; opt for meaningful mementos or photos instead.
You know how it feels right before you buy something new. Your heart rate picks up and you’re breathing a little faster, smiling as you imagine all of the different ways this recently discovered thing will be used and cherished. For some items, the rush was real: As the years go by, you return to these pieces again and again. But for other purchases, as painful as it may be to admit, they often lose their spark quickly. Before you know it, you have a collection of clutter.

“I have noticed that rushing leads to cluttered homes,” says Katrina Teeple, professional organizer and founder of Operation Organization. “When we are running from one thing to the next, we don’t have time to put things away properly. But when you can slow down a bit, you become more mindful of what’s in your home and can take the time to care for it.”

If you have slowed down recently or simply noticed the situation happening on nearly every surface of your home, then you know that a decluttering session is probably in your future. And while there’s definitely a streamlined way to go about that—namely, by deciding what to trash, donate, or keep—these experts want to help you avoid clutter once it’s gone. Michelle Hobgood of the Tidy Trainer and Annie Schmidt of Schmidt Organization Systems join Teeple in sharing tips on the things you should stop buying for a more organized and relaxed home.

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07/11/2026

20 things you may be recycling by mistake, and why you shouldn't be
©Lindsey Nicholson/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
Recycling standards vary across the US, with municipalities often setting their own unique rules.
Recycling the wrong material or including wet or dirty items can contaminate the waste stream.
Some items may need to be dropped off at specific locations instead of having them collected.
Many of us have been guilty of "wish-cycling" — that is, tossing just about every piece of paper, plastic, metal, or glass in the blue bin, assuming it should be recyclable.

Unfortunately, recycling is more complicated than that.

What belongs in curbside recycling bins varies widely in the US. "There are literally thousands of recycling standards across the country," Rajesh Buch, a professor at Arizona State University, where he teaches a course on sustainable business, told Business Insider.

That's, in part, because recycling systems that can sort through piles of discarded items can cost tens of millions of dollars. "In most communities," he said, "they don't have the resources to have these fully loaded, full-capacity systems."

The disposal of household batteries, for example, is a common point of discrepancy and confusion in different towns, states, and regions across the US. While the EPA recommends single-use household batteries should be sent to specialized battery recyclers, they also say that "in most communities, alkaline and zinc carbon batteries can be safely put in your household trash."

For residents of New York City, however, the Department of Sanitation's guidelines declare this is illegal and dangerous, citing risk of fire and explosion. New York City residents are required to dispose of their batteries at waste drop-off sites or accepting stores.

Conflicting standards can be confusing, but dumping every container or scrap can contaminate the waste stream, Buch said. The EPA's estimate put recycling's contamination rate at 25%.

Therefore, it's necessary to check with your municipality to see the types of recyclables it's equipped to handle. Earth911 has a recycling locator that can help you find where to dispose of certain recyclables, or you can pay a company like TerraCycle to do the work for you.

That said, there are some items that almost always need to go in the garbage or a special recycling facility.

This Earth Day, get caught up on which items you may be recycling by mistake.

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