Vacuuming your carpets and area rugs regularly is a no-brainer. But there are plenty of places in your home you see every day but never notice how much dust is accumulating. Not only can that lead to a dirty house, but it can also have health implications for people with respiratory conditions like asthma or allergies. So break out the vacuum attachment for these places in your home you’re missing.

By the way, here are some more spots you might be missing around the house.

Your baseboards

If you use an upright vacuum, it just bumps up against your baseboards. That’s where dust, pet hair and dead insects can accumulate. “You don’t see it at first, but over time, that’s when you notice this black line following your baseboards between the carpet,” says Debbie Sardone, the co-owner of Speedcleaning.com. She recommends you clean that area at least once a year with a vacuum attachment. Also, make sure you’re not making these other cleaning mistakes that will make your home dirtier.

Blinds

Wooden and metal blinds can both become dirt magnets if you’re not cleaning them regularly. “If you dust them every week with a flexible duster, then they stay clean, but most people don’t.” She recommends using your attachment to vacuum the blinds at least a couple of times per year to remove heavy dust. For some inspiration, check out these secrets of people who always have a clean house.

Upholstery

Just because you might not have pet hair on your couch doesn’t mean it’s clean. Dust, sand and grit can blow in from open windows and doors and settle on your upholstery. Then when you sit down and gets up, you grind the particles into the furniture. “It’s like sandpaper to your fabric,” Sardone says. That’s why it wears faster and you get little pills on the fabrics. The best way to avoid that? “Pull the cushions off, vacuum both sides of the cushions and use your upholstery tool from the vacuum and get into the crevices, especially the backside,” says Jotham Hatch, vice president of training and development for Chem-Dry.

Intake vents

Another area people don’t think to vacuum are the intake vents in your house. “There they are, sucking fresh air in and spitting dirty air out,” Sardone says. And the metal slats on vents can be sharp, so cleaning them with your hands can cause injury. Instead, give them a vacuuming of your every three months. Here are some other places you probably haven’t cleaned in a while, but should.

Silk plants

Many people clean silk plants with traditional household cleaners. But that can ruin them. Instead, use a vacuum attachment to get rid of dust. Pro tip: Slip a pair of pantyhose over the end nozzle to make sure you don’t suck leaves up into the vacuum. And make sure your vacuum isn’t clogged and start out with a fresh bag so you get the most power out of your efforts, Sardone says.

Drawers

When grime builds up in your makeup drawer or silverware drawer, you might not even notice it. “My silverware drawer was filled with dust and particles and crumbs and I was like, ‘oh my gosh, this is disgusting,’” Sardone says. She recommends putting your silverware drawer on your checklist for spring cleaning. The same thing with the makeup drawer. “I just get out the vacuum, hook on the attachments, vacuum all the edges and crevices and then wipe everything off before I put it back in,” she says.

Carpeted stairs

Dirt also has a tendency to accumulate on carpeted stairs, where the step meets the next step. “The edges and the crevices get extremely dark from dust,” Sardone says. “It’s because the usual hand vac doesn’t get deep into the crevices and the edges where it collects.” But targeting the area can really help. Check out these cleaning secrets from professionals.

Under the beds

If you’ve got allergies, you know that keeping your house clean is particularly important. Another place you should put on your to-vacuum list is under the beds in your home. Dust mites and allergens gather and can build up there, Hatch says. Pro tip: Change out your bag when it’s two-thirds full so the vacuum operates at full efficiency. This is the best way to clean your house if you have allergies.

Mattresses

You likely clean your sheets often, but how about your mattress? “Vacuuming your mattress can make a huge difference, especially to people who have any kind of respiratory issues,” Hatch says. He recommends you vacuum mattresses on a monthly basis. If you’re particularly concerned about dust, you may also want to consider a vacuum with a microfiltration system, Hatch says. “It may sound a little overkill, but these better vacuums are going to do a better job than just picking the dust up and then putting that into your breathing zone,” he says. For recommendations, check out the Carpet and Rug Institute, which tests and rates vacuums. You might also consider using a vacuum with a HEPA filter, which is particularly effective at removing dust.

The post 10 Places You’re Not Vacuuming—But Should Be appeared first on Taste Recipes.

Shop online

If you don’t mind making a purchase without seeing an item in person, consider an online membership. For a $10 annual fee, the membership comes out to less than $1 a month. While not all of the items in the clubs are available online, you can still score some deals on online-only clearance items. Not sure why you might want a membership? Here are some good deals at BJ’s.

Get a one-day pass

Want to check out the selection at an actual warehouse club? Head to the customer service desk and ask for a one-day pass. With that, you can fill up your cart for one day. As a non-member, you will have to pay a 20 percent surcharge on what you buy. But should you decide to invest in a membership within seven days of using the one-day pass, you can ask for BJ’s to apply the surcharge to your membership fee.

Look out for a three-week trial

In an effort to increase membership, BJ’s has held open houses that provide people with a free, short-term membership. Even better: The warehouse club doesn’t assess the surcharge during these promotions. Keep an eye out for the deals in your local media, or ask at the club’s customer service desk if they’re offering any free trials. Considering other warehouse memberships as well? Check out this breakdown of BJ’s, Costco, and Sam’s Club.

Buy alcohol in certain states

Certain states have old laws on the books that allow you to buy alcohol at warehouse clubs—without a membership. The states where you can do so at BJ’s? According to Consumer Reports, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Indiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Texas and Vermont. Read on to find out some other secrets about shopping at BJ’s.

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Why? Long a staple of families with fussy eaters, chicken nuggets are now appearing less and less on menus. The reason may be a combination of three things, according to CNBC: health concerns about processed meat, media attention and new competition.

Yes, that’s right. Consumption of chicken strips—widely viewed as a more grown-up and healthful choice than chicken nuggets—is on the rise. In the same quarter that nugget sales went down, sales of chicken strips increased by 16 percent.

Does that mean people are trading their nuggets for strips? Not exactly. The nugget-making process was in the spotlight a few years ago when footage that alleged McDonald’s made their nuggets with pink slime, or beef trimmings treated with ammonia, went viral. Find out some more facts about McDonald’s chicken nuggets.

And customers are willing to pay a little more for chicken strips, CNBC reports. That means a higher margin for restaurants that serve them.

“Chicken strips have long been a consumer favorite, but when you take something that consumers already love and deliver value, or elevate the form as some fast-casual concepts have, you have a strong platform for growth,” says David Portalatin, a national analyst for the NPD Group. Here’s why Chick-fil-A’s chicken sandwiches are so good.

That said, chicken nuggets aren’t likely to disappear anytime soon. Americans still ordered 2.3 billion servings of nuggets in restaurants in the year that ended in September 2018. Meanwhile, they ordered 1.5 billion servings of chicken strips during the same time frame. But did you know that McDonald’s chicken nuggets only come in four shapes?

The post People Are Eating Fewer Chicken Nuggets—Here’s Why appeared first on Taste Recipes.

First, make sure you’re storing fresh fish the right way: Remove the paper wrapping and seal the fillets in plastic bag, squeezing out the air. Then, place the plastic bag with the fish in a bowl of ice water in the fridge. Here are 11 more foods you’ve probably been storing wrong this whole time.

In general, two days is a safe bet for how long you have to cook fresh fish you’re storing in the fridge. The FDA recommends you keep fresh fish, shrimp, scallops and squid for just one to two days in the fridge.

That said, you may have a little more leeway with different types of fish and how fresh they are. Bass, flounder, tuna, swordfish, trout and salmon can keep from three to five days. However, oily fishes like mackerel, bluefish and sardines have a slightly shorter window. You should make sure to cook and eat them within three days. Take a look at the proper way you should be cooking fish.

Of course, once you’ve prepared the fish, you may have some leftovers. How long will those stay good? You can keep cooked fish for two to three days in the fridge. Now that you know how long you can keep fish in your fridge, all you need to do is decide which kind you’re going to eat for dinner—these are our best seafood dinner recipes.

The post Here’s How Long You Can Keep Fish in Your Fridge appeared first on Taste Recipes.

Following shoppers in the parking lot

Costco is a busy place, particularly during the holidays. But while zeroing in on a shopper leaving the store might seem like a good strategy, it can also be creepy. “You’ll see drivers trailing shoppers returning to their cars, waiting for three or four minutes while they load up their trunk, wrestle with seat belts, and glacially back out of their parking space,” the Oregonian reports. “In the time these parking lot vultures waited for a space closer to the store, they could have parked farther away, made it into the store, while logging an extra hundred steps on their Fitbits.”

Not liking employees checking your card

It might seem annoying to present your membership card every time, but as Costco employee and Reddit user mbz321 notes, it could save you time in the end. “The point of checking your card is to make sure you have it when you get to the checkout, as the only way a cashier can start a transaction is by scanning a membership card. Yes, it can be looked up, but that involves a supervisor taking a license over to their computer and running back, which holds up the line and makes everyone mad.”  Check out these 10 strange things you didn’t know you could get at Costco.

Abusing the store-return policy

Yes, sometimes in the rush to get in and out of Costco, you grab something in the wrong size. That’s why the company’s generous return policy is a good thing. “But there’s always someone standing in the returns line with half-used products or items that went south because they were left overnight in the car during a summer heatwave,” the Oregonian reports.

Meandering through the aisles

You’re finally inside, and there’s a lot to look at, from five-pound bags of coffee to a 65-inch TV. But just like when you’re driving, stopping in the middle of an aisle could lead to a pile-up. Try to allow other customers who are trying to get in and out of quickly by pulling your cart over to the shelf. Find out whether a Costco membership is worth it.

Joining the herd

Shoppers sometimes congregate in front of a particular area of interest, forming a herd. “This slow-moving mass is the only thing that stands between you and that 64-ounce bottle of salsa,” notes the Oregonian. Again, be sure to pull over and yield whenever possible. Here are some Kirkland items you should always get at Costco.

Getting too used to a routine

Some people are creatures of habit and don’t appreciate it when stores rearrange their inventory. “When I go to Costco I know what I want and the route to take to get it, it’s like a military operation. So when I show up to get detergent and now it’s bottled water, I get annoyed,” writes Reddit user OOIIOOIIOOIIOO. Moving stock around is actually a method Costco uses to get you to walk about the store more and discover new items. Find out 14 other secrets Costco employees won’t tell you.

Expecting stuffing in July

“I ask where things are and am told, ‘Hmm, that must be a seasonal item…’” writes Reddit user Inigomntoya. “Items like oatmeal. And protein bars. Sometimes I think they just don’t want to admit they didn’t order enough of something.” Costco employee mbz321 says that while oatmeal and protein bars should be available year-round, “some items are seasonal and people ask for them all the time, like stuffing mix, coleslaw/potato salad, etc.” And Costco employee Pawn01 notes that individual stores don’t have the control you think they might over what they stock. “My store gets certain chips at certain times, we expand office supplies, electronics, etc. at certain times as there is a selling season for them. Consider it a rotation.” 

Expecting premium service at a warehouse store

Don’t forget, Costco is a warehouse store with inventory that changes all the time and may be different in different stores. But that doesn’t sit well with some customers. “No windshield washing fluid and squeegees at the gas pumps. Drives me insane. They have them in Montana. Why not in Washington?” writes Reddit user mistamo42. And PapaDuckD weighs in that “the bread out of the bakery is fantastic. But they are always unsliced. I simply cannot use an unsliced loaf of bread. The weather down here in Houston is so hot and humid that the loaf gets moldy before I can use it all….No slice = no buy.” Don’t miss these things you can buy from Costco even if you don’t have a membership.

Complaining about too much of a good thing

For others, the expansive selection can be overwhelming. Reddit user Theo_dore lives by the Salt Lake City Costco, which he says is the biggest in the world. “They sort of divide the store between ‘normal people stuff’ and ‘restaurant/business stuff,’ which is pre-packaged and pre-made stuff like whole frozen lambs and boxes of packaged pastries and industrial kitchen equipment like walk-in freezers and pots. But sometimes it’s all just too much! I can’t walk through every aisle the way I like to because it would take me forever (probably two miles of aisles, honestly), and it takes me so long just to find the things I know are there already.”

Overloading your cart

Costco is a bulk shopper’s dream, so we understand that items like paper towels and gallons of olive oil can load up your cart pretty quickly. But trying to make your way through a crowded store with precariously perched items is a recipe for “cleanup on aisle four.” Bring someone else to push another cart if you’ve got a lot to buy, or make a return trip. These tips will save you a ton of money at Costco.

Eating a meal’s worth of free samples

Costco is known for its unlimited free samples and frankly, a little nibble can be nice in the middle of shopping. But plenty of customers literally dine out on them. Costco employee SirWaddlezALot confirms this: “The store I work at, there are a couple of retired guys who have told me they have a membership just to come eat every day for free.” Find out what Costco’s free sample employees wish you knew.

Littering

Once some customers have downed their samples, instead of appreciating the freebie, they leave their paper items on store shelves or in the cart for the next customer to deal with. The refuse problem may also be a symptom of not enough places to get rid of trash, however. Reddit user TGMcGonigle notes that his biggest pet peeve is the lack of waste receptacles in the checkout area. “While I’m standing in the long checkout line it would be convenient to start cleaning up my cart and throw away cups, napkins, debris from samples, etc., but there are no wastebaskets. The cart wranglers frequently complain about the trash left in carts but at the two stores I frequent trash containers are few and far between.”

Lacking decisiveness in the food court

Waiting for food in the middle of a busy store is no time to be indecisive about whether to get a hot dog or slice of pizza. Figure it out before you get to the front of the line.

Thinking you can check yourself out faster

After experiences of waiting in long lines, it’s tempting to think that checkout would proceed faster if we could just do it ourselves. But it takes time to check out an entire cart and it’s not going to endear you to the person behind you who has only three items. Reddit user feurie writes: “It’s great when it’s not crowded because you’re in and out. But when the lines get longer you have people with an entire cart trying to self-checkout. It doesn’t work because there literally isn’t enough room to unload the whole cart while scanning. So someone has to come over and help anyway and use the portable scanner.” Here’s the real reason Costco doesn’t have express check out lanes.

Getting impatient in the checkout line

That said, other customers get antsy when the regular checkout line isn’t moving fast enough. Reddit user Thadius writes: “I don’t like when they don’t have enough checkout staff on hand. I know this is a rush/wait system, but when they have 15 checkout tills and only seven are open and the lines are seven people deep I get irritated.”

Abandoning your cart

This is bad behavior wherever you shop. We know you want to get out of there, but it’s usually a quick walk to the cart carousel. Feeling lazy? Think about how unhappy you’d be if you came out of the store to discover a wayward cart had nicked the paint job on your car.

Ignoring pedestrians in the parking lot

You’ve finally made it out with your purchases. Success is no reason to abandon common sense, however. The parking lot is probably as crazy as it was when you were looking for a spot. As Reddit user dick_wool notes: “I can’t tell you the number of times people have nearly reversed into me as I’m walking towards the entrance. And don’t get me started on driving in the parking lot.” Costco employee SirWaddlezAlot echoes the safety concern: “I used to ride a motorcycle. I felt safer on the freeways here than in the parking lot.” Next, find out why Costco’s pizza is so good.

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