BusinessVoice News Network

You can de-clutter your life by remembering the three Ps — paper, phone and purge. Toss paper records more than a year old but keep financial files for seven years and sign-up for paperless billing. Put phone apps in folders by category and leave only a handful of favorites on the home screen, and purge your home of stuff you don’t need by donating, selling or tossing it. Source Link

Most people wouldn’t brush with a good burgundy, but researchers say the antioxidants in wine can prevent bacteria from sticking to the gums. That’s what causes plaque, cavities and gum disease. And that same bacteria can enter your bloodstream to increase the risk of heart disease. Source Link 

What can you do with an old USB stick? Load it with portable applications that can be used on any PC without installing them. Create a rescue kit with apps that find malware or help recover from common computer problems. You can even load a complete portable operating system onto a thumb drive that can be used without needing to change a computer’s current setup. Source Link

Why not buy name brand items on Amazon? Because it’s often a bad deal. Costco’s Kirkland brand, along with Ikea and Trader Joe’s products are often marked up in price by Amazon resellers, and some may even be counterfeits. You can buy many name brand products from retailers directly online and skip the Amazon up-charge. Source Link

Letting your toothbrush air dry is how you keep it clean at home, but that’s not always possible while on vacation. The solution can be using a resealable plastic bag that keeps your toothbrush separate from everything else in the luggage. When you get to your next destination, open the bag and let your brush air dry. Source Link

Every 11 seconds, an elderly American suffers a fall. To reduce your risk, talk to your doctor and review medications that can make a fall more likely. Have your vision and hearing checked once a year because these can affect balance; remove home hazards like loose rugs and add grab bars in the bathroom, and find an exercise program that helps build your stability. Source Link 

Amazon will help you recycle small consumer electronics for free instead of tossing them in the trash. Any brand of cellphone, e-reader, tablet, chargers, cables, keyboards, mice, and even video game consoles are on the list of accepted items. You provide a box and Amazon gives you a free shipping label for drop-off at any UPS Store. Source Link

Cleaning your glasses isn’t something you should do with a shirt tail or sleeve. Cloth, paper towels, napkins, tissues and toilet paper can scratch lenses. Use a microfiber cloth, but skip the household glass cleaner and your hot breath which can damage lenses or make those smudges worse. Plain water or a lens cleaning spray will do the best job. Source Link 

Many people will agree that flying these days can bring you to tears, and it’s not just the stress of it all. The air pressure inside a plane at cruising altitude is similar to when you’re a mile or more above sea level. That reduces the oxygen in your blood and combined with the effects of dry air can heighten emotions and make it more likely you’ll cry during that sad in-flight movie. Source Link

What can you do when your phone battery never makes it through the day? You’ll save power by reviewing Location Services to limit apps that can use GPS and by turning off background refresh for apps that don’t need it. You can also conserve your battery by disabling push notifications for email, Facebook and Twitter. Source Link

When you’re aiming to reorganize and reduce the stuff in your home, don’t purchase these things before you purge. Baskets, bins and dividers are great for organization but don’t buy new ones until after you’ve sorted. Otherwise, you’ll find yourself filling those new containers with things that should be going. Source Link 

You’re hearing a song you can’t get out of your head — and you’re not alone. Nine out of 10 people say they often have “earworm” songs playing on endless repeat. Researchers think earworms are triggered by experiences that connect you to the song. The remedy may be finding a mentally demanding task that keeps your brain busy. Source Link

Here’s a quick list of familiar food myths. All fat is not bad, canned and frozen fruits and vegetables can be just as nutritious as fresh, plant-based milks are not more healthy than cow’s milk, and eating soy-based foods will not increase the risk of breast cancer. And roasted, baked or air-fried white potatoes eaten with the skin on are a healthy, affordable food. Source Link

You don’t need to have a little one at home to put baby wipes to good use. They’re great for cleaning computer keyboards, removing makeup and wiping away excess nail polish, cleaning switch plates, removing latex paint from your hands, and cleaning stains from clothing and carpet.. A baby wipe can even sub for a Swiffer sheet the next time you sweep. Source Link 

Could people who suffer with anxiety and depression get a boost by being kind to others? Those who started adding small acts of kindness into their day showed an improvement in symptoms and better feelings of social connection. Being kind to others may help people with mental health symptoms stop being preoccupied with suffering. Source Link

You want a snack but don’t want all those calories? You can stay under 100 calories with a salty treat like two tablespoons of guacamole and five tortilla chips, or get some crunch with three cups of air-popped popcorn. Satisfy a sweet tooth with two tablespoons of frozen yogurt sandwiched between two graham crackers or get tart with six ounces of no-fat lemon yogurt. Source Link

Your dishwasher needs some help getting things clean and the solution may be in the soft drink aisle at the grocery store. A monthly acid bath using unsweetened powdered lemon Kool-Aid can help remove lime scale, soap scum and other stains. Put one package in each detergent cup and run the empty dishwasher for a complete cycle. Source Link 

It’s time to thin out the massive Camera Roll on your phone, but where do you start? Begin by ditching all of the multiples or mistake shots. Now review the rest and give each a quick “Yes” or “No” and send the losers to the trash bin. And don’t forget about pictures from previous phones that may be hanging around in your cloud storage account. Source Link