IF you are doing these household chores frequently, now is the time to reconsider. Washing your hair every day It may sound counterintuitive, but if you shampoo too often, you will actually make your hair oilier. Washing strips hair of natural oils, so your scalp produces more, and then you have to wash again. Stick to two or three times a week. Using a gentle, sulfate-free shampoo and conditioner will keep your scalp and hair from drying out too much. Using a top sheet on your bed Save time making your bed every morning by skipping the tangle-prone top sheet. Many Europeans sleep directly under a quilt or a duvet with a cover. Just be sure to make time every week to wash any bedding that touches your body. Searching for lost socks You may swear that gremlins take your socks from the laundry, but in fact, a single sock can slip into the gap between the washing machine door seal and the drum and get pumped away with the water. Prevent this from happening by washing sock pairs together in a wash bag. Ironing hanger bumps out of clothes Those freebie wire hangers from the dry cleaner are notorious for leaving shoulder bumps in tops and creases in pants. Who wants to do all that ironing? Instead, buy better-quality velvet or wooden hangers to save time. Thawing overfrozen food According to the U.S. FDA, your refrigerator temperature should be set at 4 degrees Celsius and your freezer temperature should be -18 degrees Celsius. Setting the temps any lower won’t make your food last longer and will push up your electric bill. Also, to keep things cool, spread the food around in the fridge and freezer so air can flow properly. Opening curtains wide every morning Letting the sunshine in is a lovely way to greet the day, but if you’ll be leaving the house and not returning until after dark, all those rays can fade your furniture and make your air conditioner work harder. South- and west-facing rooms are especially sun-prone, so try leaving those curtains or shades drawn. Sweeping up after you track in dirt In many countries, it’s customary to take off your shoes as soon as you come inside. Adopting a no-shoes policy is an easy way to keep your house cleaner and your family healthier. About 85 percent of all the dirt in our homes is tracked in on shoes, say the experts at Family Handyman. According to a study at the University of Houston, more than 26 percent of shoes carry Clostridioides difficile bacteria, responsible for many cases of stomach distress, into the house. Another small study at the University of Arizona showed that 96 percent of shoes track in fecal matter. A simple solution is to keep a mat or shoe rack just inside your front door. (SD-Agencies) | 