April 2010 Keep-It-Together Checklist

Don’t feel obliged to take a feather duster to your philodendron every time you wipe down the TV screen, but most houseplants do benefit (and breathe easier) from having their leaves cleaned once or twice a year. The quickest way: Pop them under a soft shower, or spray them gently with the garden hose.

Look into lesser-known tax deductions. For instance, if your doctor prescribed a weight-loss program, you can add it to your medical deductions.

Establish good posture at your desk and sit with your back against your chair and your feet flat on the floor. When you look at a computer screen, your eyes should be level with the center of it. If they aren’t, raise or lower the monitor.

This will sanitize the inside and clear away soap scum.

Minimize frizz and maximize shine with these easy tips for drying hair: Predry and section your hair, dry the bottom and then the top layers, style the ends, and set with a blast of cold air.

The average shopping trip takes 77.9 minutes. To make yours shorter, go on a Tuesday or Wednesday morning, when malls are least crowded.

In the hours after exercising, apply ice for 20 to 30 minutes every two hours. Compress (wrap lightly in an elastic bandage) and elevate the area.

Wipe the dust off of your food processor and employ it to slice potatoes, grate carrots, puree peas, and make short dough. Need to come up with a quick science project with the kids?

Subscribe to the following companies so you never miss an online deal again: @amazondeals, @overstock, @cheaptweet, and @couponbot.

Add Dr. Bronner’s 18-in-1 Pure-Castile Liquid Soap ($6, drbronner.com) to your bathroom cabinet. This multiuse soap cleans hair and skin and even laundry, dishes, and floors. And pack Smith’s Rosebud Salve Tube ($6, beautyhabit.com) in your purse to soothe chapped lips, paper cuts, ragged cuticles, and rough heels.