5 Things You Should Know – Part 11

Here are this week’s 5 Things You Should Know.

01. Escalator Etiquette

In most major U.S. cities, it is common courtesy to use the right-hand side of an escalator for standing and the left-hand side for walking. This is less of a fact and more of a common courtesy that is shared in many U.S. cities, and different cultures may handle this different ways, so I am just speaking about the United States here. Typically, the right-hand side of the escalator should be reserved for people who don’t feel like walking up or down the escalator. The left-hand side should be left open for people who wish to walk up and down the escalator to get where they are going more quickly.

02. If you make less than $50,000 a year

You can get your taxes done for free at a Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) site instead of paying a fee at a place like H&R Block. You can call 211 or 311 to find out where the sites are in your city. Every year many people are lured into paying to get their taxes done because they are unaware that the IRS sponsors these free assistance services in most cities.

03. Lilies are HIGHLY toxic to cats

Even a small amount of leaves or pollen can quickly result in kidney failure and be fatal. Also watch other things in the lily family, such as onions and garlic. Those are all poisonous to cats.

04. WD-40 is a solvent, not a lubricant

Mistaking it as a lubricant will only mask the problem, not solve it. For some tasks around the house, WD-40 offers the job of both cleaning and lubricating. However, using WD-40 on a job that specifically needs lubrication will not yield the results you desire. It does have an oily texture, but it does dry out and it won’t keep things lubed up forever. Now, cleaning a surface that had oil or grease on it with WD-40, and then using some Tri-flow is probably your best bet.

05. Ninite.com

This is a website to safely, quickly, and easily download programs without bloatware. Pick from a selection of the most common programs and it will install all of them automatically. Even stripping out any adware that’s normally bundled.