Want To Keep Pests Out? Stop Doing These 9 Things

PLUS: The secrets of PLU codes on produce, how to add widgets to your phone screen, and more. PLUS: The secrets of PLU codes on produce, how to add widgets to your phone screen, and more. March 29, 2022 [View Online]( Good morning! Even the most welcoming of hosts would draw the line at houseguests that arrived uninvited, made a mess, and refused to leave. That’s why household pests are such a nuisance, but the 9 tips in Today’s Good Thing can help you put an end to whatever keeps them coming back for more. Also in today’s newsletter, we’re talking widgets in a new Tech Tip Tuesday. Find out how to add these mini apps to your home screen to make useful information even more accessible. Jillee P.S. Last Call Utah Locals: I am looking for One Good Thing newsletter readers to join me for a focus group on the afternoon of Saturday, April 9th in Heber City. If you're interested in joining us, please [fill out this form](. TODAY'S GOOD THING Want To Keep Pests Out? Stop Doing These 9 Things [Photos of various tips for keeping pests at bay.]( These common behaviors can make your home look like a four-star hotel to household pests. 1. Waiting To Wash Your Fruit. You know to wash your fruit before eating it, but waiting until then can contribute to pest problems. Spiders like to hide in certain types of fruit, so rinsing your fruit—or at least inspecting it thoroughly—when you bring it home can ensure you’re not accidentally inviting spiders into your kitchen. 2. Leaving Food Out. Ants and other critters are just as happy to eat pet food as any other food, so it’s important to keep your pet’s food in a tightly sealed container. Avoid putting any food for your pet directly on the floor, and do what you can to prevent crumbs and other food bits from rolling under tables and couches. 3. Using A Trash Can Without A Lid. Uncovered trash can trigger a chain reaction of pest activity—roaches, flies, and ants love trash, and spiders love roaches, flies, and ants. Keep the lid on your trash can (or get a trash can that has a lid) to make your kitchen less hospitable to spiders and their trash-loving prey. 4. Failing To Seal Holes And Cracks. Nothing says “come in and make yourself comfortable” like an open door, and holes, cracks, and crevices look like open doors to pests. Check your windows, window screens, and doors to make sure there are no holes or gaps that may be giving pests easy access into your home. 5. Piling Dirty Laundry On The Floor. Spiders love a hiding place, so your chances of finding a spider in a pile of dirty clothes are a lot higher than you'd probably like to believe. To prevent unpleasant surprises, make sure to put your worn clothing in a hamper or laundry basket rather than piling it on the floor. [4 More Things To Stop Doing To Keep Pests Out ➜]( Related • How To Get Rid Of... • [Gnats]( / [Bed Bugs]( / [Fruit Flies]( • [Wasps]( / [Sugar Ants]( / [Silverfish]( ⚡️QUICK TIPS⚡️ • This Lemon Blueberry Bundt Cake is one of those rare treats that’s equally tasty made with or without gluten. [Read more ➜]( • This natural antibacterial ointment is perfect for your first aid kit, whether in place of Neosporin or as a backup. [Read more ➜]( • Looking to try a new hobby? Making necklaces is a fun and rewarding challenge with uniquely beautiful results. [Read more ➜]( TECH TIP TUESDAY The Wonderful World Of Widgets [Photos of Jillee using widgets on her phone.]( iPhone users can now add useful widgets to their Home Screens, both alone and in stacks. While Android users have been using widgets—like mini versions of apps that make timely information more accessible—on their phones for years, widgets have only been available to iPhone since the release of iOS 14. Widgets can be really useful, so it’s good to know how to add them to your screen. To add widgets to your Home Screen, touch and hold the screen until your app icons start to wiggle, then tap the Add button in the upper left corner. Choose a widget you want to add, select the size you want, then tap Done. (Don't know where to start? I find the Calendar widget to be particularly useful!) You also have the option to stack widgets on top of each other, which can be a great way to save screen space. You can either create your own widget stack, or add a Smart Stack that displays widgets based on your app usage and when you normally use them. To create your own widget stack, press on your screen until the app icons wiggle, then drag a widget on top of another one to stack it. To edit your custom stack, touch and hold it, then tap Edit Stack. From there you'll be able to add widgets, remove them, or reorder them by dragging them into your preferred order. To add a Smart Stack to your screen instead, following the same steps as I outlined for adding a widget, then look for Smart Stack in the list of widgets. [Learn more about widgets at Apple Support](. COOKING Decoding Produce Sticker PLU Numbers [A photo of the PLU code sticker on a bunch of bananas.]( The number on the produce sticker can tell you more than just how to ring it up at self-checkout. Most of us have a basic understanding of how PLU numbers work from using self-checkout machines at the grocery store, but those numbers aren’t random. In fact, certain numbers in certain positions within that code can tell you more about the food you’re buying. If the PLU has four digits and starts with a 3 or 4 (or if it has five digits and starts with a 0), that indicates the fruit was grown conventionally. If the PLU has five digits and begins with a 9, that means it was grown organically. So if you wanted the conventional variety, but the sticker has five digits and starts with 9, you’ll know you grabbed organic instead. Handy, right? Note: While five-digit PLU codes beginning in 8 were once reserved for genetically modified produce (GMOs), that is no longer the case. The International Federation for Produce Standards [now plans]( to assign those codes to new produce items once they exhaust the remaining four-digit codes. JILLEE'S PICK A Story That Will Stay With You [The front cover of ]( [Night Road]( is another Kristin Hannah masterpiece, and yet more evidence that she's among the greatest contemporary authors of emotionally complex stories. Like the other 6 books I've read of hers, Night Road is a deeply emotional and character-driven story, but this one centers around friendship and family, love and loss. Central to the story is Lexi, a high schooler who has been shuffled from one foster home to another. Things begin to improve when she moves to a new town and is taken in by Jude Farraday, the caring mother of twins Mia and Zach. Lexi and the twins become fast friends. But don't be fooled by this book's seemingly slow beginning, because once the tragic events at the heart of this story take place, this story grabs your heartstrings and doesn’t let go. Moms should prepare to go through the emotional wringer—make sure you have the time and space for a few tears (or if you're like me, a few hundred). But it'll be the good kind of emotional purge, a catharsis that reminds you of our shared humanity and the force of love that drives us. [See Night Road by Kristin Hannah on Amazon ➜]( POLL OF THE WEEK Nonfiction Favorite Q: When it comes to reading nonfiction, which genre do you enjoy most? (Click one of the options below to submit your response.) 1. [History]( 2. [Biography / memoir]( 3. [Science / nature]( 4. [Society / culture]( 5. [Journalism / true crime]( 6. [Self-help / instruction]( Results from last week's poll: Over 1900 of you weighed in on the question “What do you most like to do in your free time?” Here's how you responded: • 38.4% said “Read books” • 18.7% said “Craft or make things” • 13.2% said “Play games or do puzzles” • 12.4% said “Spend time outdoors” • 8.9% said “Something else” • 8.5% said “Cook or bake” A FEW MORE THINGS... Honoring Vietnam Veterans: Today is National Vietnam War Veterans Day, honoring the members of our armed forces who served and sacrificed during the [Vietnam War](. March 29 was chosen in part because it's the day the last US combat troops departed Vietnam in 1973. An estimated 6 million Vietnam vets live in America and abroad, so thank the ones you know today! Tickling The Ivories: It's also Piano Day, an international celebration of the joys of playing (or listening to) the piano. Started by pianist [Nils Frahm]( in 2016, Piano Day falls on the 88th day of the year for the instrument's 88 keys. In just a few years, the celebration has become a global event with over 100 piano concerts planned in 30 countries—perhaps there's one in your area today! 🤔 Wordle: [Solve today's 5-letter word](. What did you think of today's email? [Not good]( | [Just okay]( | [Loved it!]( 🏠[Visit the By Jillee Shop]( 🤗 [Join OGT Free]( Let's connect! [facebook]( [instagram]( [pinterest]( [youtube]( If you have thoughts, comments, questions or a tip or trick you'd like to share, I'd love to hear from you! My inbox is always open, so just hit "reply" and let me know what's on your mind. See you tomorrow! Sending you bright ideas and simple solutions to help you create a home and life you love. My mailing address is: One Good Thing by Jillee 841 S. Main St. Heber City, UT 84032 If you're not happy please reply to this email to tell me why. Update your email preferences or [unsubscribe]( [here](. View our privacy policy [here](.