INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Whether you’re shopping in a store or online, look for candles that are made with pure essential oils (not just fragrance). Also select candles that are made from beeswax or soybeans, not paraffin (a petroleum byproduct). Also check for a “lead-free” label when you purchase candles.  Look for cotton wicks when you are shopping for candles. Keep your wicks trimmed to 1⁄8 in (0.32 cm). This lessens the amount of soot the candle produces while it’s burning. This process involves hot wax, so proceed with caution. Light a tea light candle and allow the wax to melt. Extinguish the flame and then add 3-5 drops of your essential oils into the wax. Stir with a toothpick and allow the wax to cool and harden again. Experiment with the concentration of essential oil in your DIY candles until you get the result you want. Whether you are using a store-bought or homemade candle, you want to burn it long enough for the entire top layer of wax to melt. This will ensure that your candle burns evenly and will last as long as possible.  Look for candles with multiple wicks. This will help speed up the melting process, diffusing oils more quickly and efficiently. Just like with oil burners, don’t burn your candles all day long, every day as this can have negative health effects. Burn until the wax is evenly melted, then take a break. The exact times will vary based on the size of your candle.

SUMMARY: Buy clean-burning essential oil candles to prevent indoor air pollution. Make your own essential oil tea lights. Burn your candles long enough for it to melt all the way across.


INPUT ARTICLE: Article: A couch is a big investment, and ordering it sight unseen is a big risk. Deciding whether a couch is to your exact taste and can stand the test of time is almost impossible to do with pictures alone.  That being said, online reviews are helpful for learning other people’s thoughts on the comfort and durability of potential couches. Make sure you are comfortable with the return policy of the couch distributor and the quality of customer support you’re likely to get if you experience troubles with your purchase.  You may have to pay shipping if you order online, and will probably need to be present when the couch is delivered. Contact the couch company immediately if you find any problems. Sit how you normally would on the couch, then see how you feel. Different couches have different softness, and factors like seat depth and armrest height make a difference, too. Lower arms are good for curling up and getting comfy while watching TV, while multi-cushion sofas might be harder to nap on and firm seat backs are more supportive if you usually sit upright. Swaying, creaking, or squeaking indicate poorly installed springs or a weak frame. Lift one side about 6 in (15 cm) off the ground. If the leg on the other side is still touching the ground, the frame is weak. The couch legs should be attached to the frame by screws and pegs, not just glue, staples, and nails. They should be tight and close together, but not feel like they are poking through the fabric. If the sofa has only webbing or mesh, it will probably be uncomfortable and flimsy. Feel free to ask the salesperson for a swatch of the upholstery to bring home, where you can see how the fabric looks in artificial and natural light and test how easy it is to clean.  Cotton and linen upholstery is reasonably priced and easy to clean, and microfiber blends can act like cotton and are stain resistant. Leather looks nice and lasts a long time, but is extremely expensive. Natural blends with polyester can snag and wear out overtime. Silk gives the couch a sleek look but is very hard to care for. The average couch sells for $1,000 but designer couches can cost $10,000. The couch should compliment the space you are going to put it in, and feel like a piece you’ll want in your home for many years to come. Discuss the price for delivery up front, and make sure you can get a full refund if the store doesn’t deliver on time.

SUMMARY: Test the couch in person, even if you plan to order it online. See how comfortable you find the couch. Assess the sturdiness of the frame. Press the springs through the upholstery, if there are any. Experiment with lighting and by staining the couch fabric. Buy your couch or sofa.


INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Keep important dates in a calendar or planner that you can access at any time. Make sure you keep your planner organized, and check ahead during the week to see upcoming dates and activities. You can also use a plain notebook as a planner by converting it into a bullet journal. Use the calendar function on your phone to remind you about an event or appointment. Set the reminder for a few hours or days before the date so you don’t forget. Then, all you have to do is remember to carry your phone with you!  Sometimes things like email programs will have a calendar that you can mark important dates in, like birthdays. Some will send you an email notice within 10 days of the birthday so you can remember to get a present or make reservations. You can even make a little “notice board” for sticky notes to hang in your kitchen, office, or bedroom, and you can make a habit of looking at it every day. If you know you’re likely to forget something important, like watering your plants or grabbing your keys before you leave the house, ask whoever is with you to remind you. Saying the task out loud will help you remember, and they might be more likely to remember. For example, if you have a friend’s birthday coming up, you might ask a different friend to text you a reminder when they buy their gift so you can remember to buy yours. When you get a reminder or remember to do something, try to accomplish the task immediately when you think about it. If you can’t do it right away, set another reminder for a time when you know you’ll be free to do it. For instance, if you set a reminder to tell you to put a book in your backpack, move the book to your backpack as soon as you see the reminder. After you complete a task, you might have trouble remembering if you did it or not. Use your phone to snap a quick picture, and when you start to question yourself later, check your photos to see if you did it already. If it isn’t in your photos, you’ll know that you didn't do it.  This is especially helpful for daily tasks, like closing the garage door or locking the front door. You can make a habit to delete these photos at the end of the day so your photo roll isn’t cluttered. When the task or information is so vital that something bad could happen if you forget, organize a back-up plan in case you do. Plan for the worst-case scenario, and use the buddy system to hold you accountable. For extremely vital tasks, set many reminders and use the buddy system to remind you to do it. For example, if you’re in charge of buying concert tickets for a group of 4 people, but you forget to wake up early enough and they sell out, you should have a back-up plan in place. In this case, your back-up plan could be buying the tickets secondhand on a re-selling website.

SUMMARY:
Write down information in a notebook or planner that you carry with you. Set a reminder on your phone for an important date. Ask your friends or family to remind you of the matter. Address the matter or set another reminder as soon as you remember it. Take a picture so you remember what you did. Make a back-up plan in case you do forget.