Blog Posts by Reader s Digest Magazine

A wet pumice stone will clean a dirty oven faster than any spray-on product.
Trust us.

Vacuuming bathroom mats is a nightmare.
Toss them in the wash every week or two instead.

To damp-mop wood floors, use plain water or a water-based floor cleaner like Bona.
Don't use vinegar. The acid in it will pit your polyurethane finish, can void your warranty, and may reduce shine over time.

PLUS: 13 Things Your House Cleaner Won't Tell You

Seventh Generation dish liquid diluted with water is a great nontoxic all-purpose cleanser.
Just put two squirts in a spray bottle and fill it with water.

Our biggest secret weapon?
A powdered product called Bar Keepers Friend. We use it on everything. Its active ingredient is rhubarb powder, which really cuts through grit and grime. It cleans glass-top stoves, counters, toilets, porcelain, and more. Your sink will never be shinier.

To clean your microwave oven, microwave a cup of water with some baking soda in it until it's boiling.
That eliminates

Here are some steps to consider to clear the clutter from all areas of your life.

Buy cloth shopping bags and use them to cut down on bags you bring home.

Stop subscriptions to magazines that you somehow never get around to reading. Get an iPad, Kindle, Nook, or another tablet and get everything digitally.

Instead of buying things that you'll use just once or rarely ever, rent them. The rule of thumb from MSN Money is to rent anything you use once a year like power tools. They also suggest renting DVDs from services like Netflix to avoid more clutter.

Mental Steps

Wait. Whenever you're tempted to buy something, decide whether your buying impulse falls into the "worthwhile" or "future clutter" category. The worthwhile items will be just as worthwhile if you wait.

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When was the last time you heard a doctor use the word miracle? Well, wake up and smell the coffee: "It's amazing," says liver specialist Sanjiv Chopra, MD, professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. "Coffee is truly a lifesaving miracle drug."

Though he says it's still a "scientific mystery" how a simple cup of coffee works its wonders in the body, large epidemiological studies repeatedly verify its astonishing benefits. Some recent research highlights:

• More than three cups a day lowers women's risk of developing the most common skin cancer by 20 percent.
• More than six cups a day cuts men's risk of dying from prostate cancer by 60 percent.
• Drinking at least one cup of coffee a day lowers women's risk of stroke by up to 25 percent.
• Consuming at least two cups daily reduces women's chances of becoming depressed by up to 20 percent.

PLUS: 13 Things Baristas Won't Tell You

"Drink it black, or at most put a little skim milk in it" to minimize

Almost 60 percent of people don't know what determines a credit score, according to Visa. Below, the top five factors people think matter - but don't - and five that really do. Plus: 13 Things Your Financial Adviser Won't Tell You

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What happens when you don't sleep enough, skip breakfast, don't exercise, or hold grudges? Find out how these behaviors are harming your health.

What happens when I only sleep five hours?

The inside story: No one knows for sure why sleep is necessary, but there's no doubt that getting too little throws a wrench into your body's works. For example, studies show that a sleep debt lowers levels of the hormone leptin, which helps keep your appetite under control. Implication: Sleep too little, and there's a good chance you'll be soon overeating. Sleep deprivation also boosts levels of stress hormones, which prompt your body to send more glucose into your bloodstream. Too little sleep also makes your body less sensitive to insulin.

But that's just the beginning. Research shows that sleeping too little shuts down production of certain chemicals in the immune system that defend your body against germs. Shortchange yourself on shut-eye and you may want to have a box of tissues and cough

Are you - or your doctor - shrugging off early warnings of brewing blood pressure trouble? The answer is yes if any of these "little" problems haven't prompted you to take steps to lower your blood pressure:

It's "high-normal."

Thirty percent of American adults have slightly elevated blood pressure levels, between 121/81 and 139/89. But this gray zone is no small problem: It nearly doubles stroke risk. Researchers warn that many family doctors see pre-hypertension as a borderline condition that should be watched, rather than a warning that needs prompt attention.

PLUS: 50 Secrets Your Nurse Won't Tell You

It's creeping up slowly

In one eye-opening study, women's blood pressures inched upward 8 to 10 points each decade, and men's by 4 to 5 points, between the ages of 35 and 64. That's enough to land you in the pre-hypertensive or even the hypertensive category - and a good reason for you and your doctor to nip rising blood pressure in the bud.

It's only high in the

1. Beat workout exhaustion
Exercise and sometimes extreme stress cause lactic acid to build up in the body, causing fatigue. Interestingly, the amino acids contained in apple cider vinegar act as an antidote. What's more, apple cider vinegar contains potassium and enzymes that may relieve that tired feeling. Next time you're feeling beat, add a tablespoon or two of apple cider vinegar to a glass of chilled vegetable drink or to a glass of water.

2. Whiter teeth
Gargle with apple cider vinegar in the morning. The vinegar helps remove stains, whiten teeth, and kill bacteria in your mouth and gums. Brush as usual after you gargle. Brush your teeth with baking soda once a week. This will help remove stains and whiten your teeth. Use it just as you would toothpaste. You can also use salt as an alternative toothpaste. If your gums start to feel raw, switch to brushing with salt every other day.

PLUS: 5 Bizarre Weight Loss Tricks That Work

3. Tummy troubles
Sip some vinegar water. If a

1. Cast-iron pan
On a new cast-iron pan, the surface should be uniformly dull pray inside and out and uniformly rough in texture with small grains or "pores." Avoid pans with seams, cracks, or uneven sharp edges. Buy one that is all one piece-not one with a wooden handle. Avoid a ridged bottom; a flat surface conducts heat best.

2. Kitchen knife
If you buy a good chef's knife and care for it properly, you should never have to replace it. Avoid knives that have a serrated cutting edge or those that claim to "never need sharpening." Good knives do need sharpening. Buy one that you feel comfortable handling. Also buy a honing steel and use it regularly to keep your knife honed.

PLUS: 13 Things You Didn't Know About Kitchen Knives

3. Hand tools
Good quality hand tools should last not just one lifetime, but for a couple of generations. Look for forged rather than cast metal, and plastic, fiberglass or metal handles rather than wood.

4. Albums
Look for a baby book, photo album, or