DON'T THROW AWAY DRYER SHEETS YOU FIND IN YOUR MAILBOX

New York Post

 

People keep finding dryer sheets in their mailboxes — here is why you shouldn’t touch it

By Mary K. Jacob

Published July 22, 2026, 3:17 p.m. ET

 

A dryer sheet tucked between the bills and the junk mail sounds like a prank. It isn’t, and tossing it in the trash could be a mistake.

 

Across the country, homeowners are opening their mailboxes to find a Bounce or Snuggle sheet sitting inside, left there deliberately by their letter carrier.

 

The practice has quietly persisted for years, and it comes down to one thing, keeping wasps out.

 

Mailboxes make ideal real estate for stinging insects. They’re dark, sheltered from weather, and often go untouched for hours at a stretch, which is exactly what a paper wasp looks for when scouting a nesting spot.

 

“Insects are always going to be looking for food, water, and harborage,” Brandon Runyon, an entomologist with Swat Pest Management told Realtor.com.

 

He added that pests gravitate toward wherever those conditions exist, and mailboxes check every box. Runyon said he has personally discovered paper wasp nests inside his own mailbox.

 

The dryer sheet trick traces back to a 2010 study that tested Bounce’s “Outdoor Fresh Scent” sheets on fungus gnats, an experiment inspired by gardeners who claimed tucking a sheet in their pocket kept bugs away. Researchers found the sheets held up as a repellent, at least against gnats.

 

Runyon said the science lines up with what’s inside the sheets. Dryer sheets are loaded with linalool and beta citronella, compounds that occur naturally in lavender, mint, and rose geranium, plants long known to keep insects at bay.

 

Manufacturers use those same compounds to give laundry products, lotions, and candles their floral scent, pleasant to people, repellent to bugs.

 

Runyon was careful to note the fungus gnat study doesn’t prove sheets work on wasps specifically, since little formal research exists on that front. Still, postal workers keep swapping the tip on social media, and local news segments keep running it every summer.

 

Scent may matter more than the sheet itself. A 2015 study found that Victoria’s Secret Bombshell perfume fended off mosquitoes for a full two hours after being sprayed on, while some fruity fragrances appear to draw insects in rather than push them away. One online commenter swore by Dove bar soap as a substitute.

 

But Runyon isn’t ready to crown the dryer sheet a real solution. He said the concentration of linalool and beta citronella in a typical sheet is too small to meaningfully affect most bugs, and whatever impact it does have will fade fast.

 

He said a sheet stuffed into a crack where ants are entering a kitchen might scramble their scent trail temporarily, but the insects will eventually reroute or simply wait the smell out.

 

For anyone serious about keeping insects away, Runyon pointed to sturdier options.

 

Planting lavender and mint near doorways, window boxes, or garden sheds provides a repellent that doesn’t wash out after one wash cycle. Sprays containing DEET or picaridin work fast, while cedar and lavender oil sprays offer a gentler alternative, provided shoppers match the product to the specific pest they’re battling.

 

Traps, too, can help, so long as they’re designed for the right target, since ant traps, fly traps, and mosquito traps aren’t interchangeable.

 

As for the mailbox itself, Runyon’s advice is simple. Close the lid. No opening means no wasp can slip inside, and no unlucky letter carrier gets stung reaching in to drop off the mail.

ETIQUETTE EXPERT REVEALS FIVE COFFEE SHOP HABITS CUSTOMERS NEED TO STOP

New York Post

 

Etiquette expert reveals 5 common coffee shop habits that customers need to stop

By Deirdre Bardolf, Fox News

Published March 8, 2026, 4:11 a.m. ET

Originally Published by: Fox News

 

Coffee shops may feel cozy and casual, but one etiquette expert says too many customers forget they are still shared public spaces.

 

“Coffee shops may feel like our living rooms, but they’re really shared living rooms, and shared spaces work best when everyone remembers their manners,” California-based etiquette expert Lisa Mirza Grotts told Fox News Digital.

 

In a recent blog post, Grotts said even well-meaning customers often break unwritten rules without realizing it.

 

“Public spaces require extra awareness,” she said.

 

Here are five common habits she says customers should stop.

 

1. Going to the counter unprepared

 

Customers should decide on their drink — including size and any sweetness adjustments — before stepping up to the counter, Grotts said. “Awareness saves everyone from unnecessary tension.”

 

She advises following what she calls the “three P’s.”

 

“Be prepared, present and polite. Know what you want before you reach the counter, put your phone away — unless you’re using it to pay — make eye contact, and say ‘please’ and ‘thank you,'” she added.

 

2. Using your phone while ordering

 

“Coffee shops operate on flow,” Grotts said in her post. “When one customer hesitates at the counter, it disrupts the rhythm for everyone behind them. A moment of awareness keeps the line — and the mood — moving.”

 

Good manners are really about awareness, Grotts said.

 

“Recognizing that baristas are working hard and that other customers are waiting their turn. You’re one in a line of many.”

 

Grotts said these small courtesies help keep the line moving and make the experience better for everyone.

 

3. Treating the café like your personal office

 

The coffee shop is not your living room or personal office, Grotts said.

 

“Shared spaces come with shared responsibility,” she said. “Clean up after yourself, keep conversations at a reasonable volume and treat staff respectfully. These small behaviors show that you recognize you’re part of a community; not the only person in the room.”

 

4. Overcomplicated orders

 

Coffee culture has made highly customized drinks the norm, but Grotts said timing should guide how elaborate a request becomes and that courtesy matters most when others are waiting.

 

“Etiquette is really about reading the room and recognizing that your choices affect other people’s time,” she added.  “If the line is long, keeping your order simple is thoughtful, especially if you’re ordering something you get regularly.”

 

5. Camping out without buying

 

“It’s rude when a café becomes a rent-free workspace,” Grotts said. “The unspoken agreement is simple: You purchase, they welcome you. You linger, you replenish. Repeat as needed.”

 

A good rule of thumb is to order something when you first sit down and to make another purchase about every hour you stay there, she said. During busy times, customers should also be prepared to give up their seats.

 

“In the end, good manners aren’t about rules. They’re about respect,” Grotts said.

AH: Sad our society has gotten to a point where we need to be informed of some of this stuff.

WHY THIS MCDONALD'S, OPEN SINCE THE SEVENTIES, HAS NEVER SERVED A SINGLE CUSTOMER

Daily Mail

 

Why this McDonald's open since the 1970s has never served a single customer

By JACK TOLEDO

Updated: 11:04 EDT, 23 April 2026

 

A McDonald's in California has been somewhat open for more than 50 years without ever serving a customer.

 

Hungry folks who stumble upon what appears to be an ordinary outlet tucked away in the San Gabriel Valley's City of Industry would have to get past a ten-foot steel fence while being recorded by several security cameras, only to discover that no employees are there to take their order.

 

That is because the building is not exactly a restaurant but has instead been used as a filming location for countless McDonald's commercials.

 

In 1978, the McDonald's Production Center was built for $1 million, giving the fast-food chain a place to film without disrupting an actual restaurant's business, according to the Los Angeles Times.

 

Despite its appearance, the restaurant has notable differences that set it apart from your local McDonald's.

 

The outlet noted that the ceilings are slightly higher to easily accommodate lighting fixtures, and that the downstairs is equipped with a dressing room for talent.

 

Additionally, the trees outside are in movable planters, and the McDonald's sign itself can rotate in any direction.

 

Even the intimidating gates can be adjusted for filming, which the outlet said would, every now and then, result in customers rolling in and honking at the drive-thru for service.

 

Before the location was built, the company would have to pay a franchisee $5,000 per day in lost sales for using their restaurant to film, according to the outlet's 1988 report.

 

In addition to the classic McDonald's a customer would visit in the suburbs, there is another building which replicates one of the company's restaurants in a city setting, according to the SF Gate.

 

The filming site was chosen for its proximity to Hollywood and its talent and was available to movie productions for free.

 

However, while not serving customers, the mock McDonald's is still able to operate and serve its classic fast food.

 

There is a kitchen stocked with equipment, such as fryers and griddles, within the facility, according to Los Angeles Magazine.

 

Linda Magruder-Briggs, who was the advertising production manager for McDonald's, told the Times in 1988: 'We could be open for business tomorrow if we wanted.'

 

Roadside America noted that, over the years, the filming site has knocked down the model McDonald's to reflect the restaurants at the time.

 

The worldwide food chain opened in 1940, roughly in San Bernardino, 49 miles away from the production site.

 

According to McDonald's, it is the largest global foodservice retailer, with over 44,000 locations in more than 100 countries.

WHY TOILET SEATS IN PUBLIC WASHROOMS HAVE GAPS

New York Post

 

The real reason why public toilet seats have gaps in them — and it’s not as gross as you might think

By Fabiana Buontempo

Published May 24, 2026, 2:55 p.m. ET

 

This is news for those who skeeve public toilet seats.

 

There are many unspoken, strange things in a public restroom — the gaps in toilet seats are one of them.

 

And while you might think it’s a manufacturing error, there’s actually a very real, legal reason why public toilet seats look the way they do compared to your porcelain throne at home.

 

Since 1955, that center gap in a public toilet seat has been required in every public restroom across the country, thanks to the American Standard National Plumbing Code, which states, “Water closets shall be equipped with seats of smooth non-absorbent material. All seats of water closets provided for public use shall be of the open-front type.”

 

If you’re someone who meticulously lays down toilet paper or squats over the bowl, not to come in contact with it for hygienic reasons, rest assured that the reason for the U-shape seat is actually contact elimination.

 

“A closed oval seat creates a continuous surface where skin presses against plastic that thousands of strangers have already sat on. Removing the front section eliminates that contact zone entirely. Fewer shared square inches, fewer bacterial transfer points between users,” X user, @aakashgupta wrote in a now viral X post, with over 5.2 million views.

 

The second reason? To make it easier for women to wipe their privates without accidentally skimming the gross toilet seat. “The gap is sized for a hand to pass through cleanly,” Gupta explained.

 

And for men who don’t know how to aim properly, “The open front also eliminates the surface where urine pools at the front of the seat, so the next user sits on dry plastic instead of someone else’s miss.”

 

Of course, X users had a field day with this news, many scratching their heads at this news.

 

“You don’t sit on the opening anyway but the rest of the seat so I don’t get this point,” one wondered.

 

“I always thought it was for men who failed to lift the seat up,” quipped someone else.

 

While someone else chimed in, writing, “In Italy right now, I really miss American toilets.”

MANLY NOTES: SPORTS AND MORE

My pastor thinks Montreal will win the Stanly Cup within the next three years.

It'll be odd not to have the Whitecaps in Vancouver anymore.

It takes a gentle man to use a plastic fork without breaking it.

Men keep track of the events of their lives through what car they owned at the time. 

WHAT LIFTS MY SPIRITS ABOUT SPRING

There are two things that lift my spirits about spring.

The first is the spring peepers. I have to confess I'd never even noticed these little frogs and their parents till a few years ago. I'd heard tree frogs

in late May and early June, but, while I enjoyed them, I'm not sure how much I even cared about hearing this other breed of amphibian.

I first became intentionally conscious of the spring peepers about four years ago after reading the biography of a blind mechanic named Eric Davidson.

Spring peepers and croakers were one of his favourite things. One night in late March I went out to my backyard to take advantage of the comparatively

warmer temperatures after winter. I heard the high-pitched peeping and knew what was making that sound.

Since then, this time of year I make an effort to get out every night to listen for at least a little while.

The second thing that lifts my spirits about spring is getting to wear rubber boots. I guess this hearkens back to being a kid. Rubber boots, and a new

pair at that, always meant springtime, which also meant the end of winter and the soon approach of the summer holidays.

One other possible reason for my fondness for rubber boots is we wear them for a fairly short period of time, between the snow boots of winter and the

shoes that come with the ground drying.

WHY DID THE TRANSATLANTIC ACCENT DISAPPEAR

Fascinating! I always wondered about this. Link below.

 

Why Did the Transatlantic Accent Suddenly Vanish? | Make This Make Sense 

THE HILARIOUS SLANG USED IN LONDON 300 YEARS AGO

Daily Mail

 

Revealed: The hilarious slang used in London 300 years ago – so, do YOU know your 'fuddle cups' from your 'cackling farts'?

By SHIVALI BEST, SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY EDITOR

Published: 06:39 EST, 23 January 2026 | Updated: 08:35 EST, 23 January 2026

 

From '6,7' to 'vibe–coding', new slang words and phrases seem to pop up on an almost daily basis.

 

But it's time to wind the clock back, as a 327–year–old dictionary reveals the slang used in London in the 17th century.

 

The glossary of terms, titled the 'New Dictionary Of The Terms... Of The Canting Crew' was published in 1699 to help stop naive visitors to London from getting mugged or even killed.

 

Author B.E Gent documented hundreds of slang words that street criminals used to communicate with.

 

The vast majority of the terms have long gone out of use – including 'fuddlecups', 'catch–fart' and 'fat cull'.

 

However, others – such as 'banter', 'mumble' and 'rabble' – have stood the test of time and are probably familiar to many people.

 

So, do you know your 'muck' from your 'baggage'?

 

Scroll down to test your knowledge of 17th century London slang.

 

The rare copy of the dictionary is going up for sale on January 28 at Dominic Winter Auctioneers of Cirencester, where it's expected to fetch between £3,000 and £4,000.

 

A spokesperson for the auction house said: 'This is a first edition of the first comprehensive dictionary of slang, and a rich source for the colourful language of England's low life and underworld.

 

'This dictionary is perhaps the most important dictionary of slang ever printed, since it had such an influence on later compilations.

 

'Little is known of the author, B.E. Gent, but from his dictionary one gathers that he was an antiquary.

 

'Some of his words bear no relation to slang or cant, but merely gratify his whim for his curiosities.

 

'It is an interesting piece on British social history.'

 

The cover of the dictionary states that it was 'useful for all sorts of people, especially foreigners, to secure their money and preserve their lives'.

 

Meanwhile, the inside is filled with hundreds of unusual slang words and phrases, alongside their definitions.

 

17th century London slang

Adam–tiler: pickpocket's camerade

Baggage: a whore

Butter: to double or triple a bet

Cackling–farts: eggs

Catch–fart: a footboy

Fat–cull: a rich man

Fuddle–cup: a drunkard

Hedge–bird: a scoundrel

Jenny: a shoplifting instument

Muck: money

Muddled: drunk

Simkin: a fool

Vampers: stockings

Wooly–crown: a fool

Yellow: jealous

 

The dictionary explains that an 'Adam–tiler' is a pick–pocket's camerade, while a 'baggage' is a whore.

 

While it sounds rather rude, 'cackling–farts' are merely eggs, while a 'fat cull' is a rich man.

 

Further through the dictionary, we learn that a 'jenny' is an instrument used by shoplifters.

 

'An instrument used to life up a grate and whip anything our of a shop–window,' the listing explains.

 

Meanwhile, one of the most comical phrases in the book reads: 'We'll go and suck our faces, but if they toute us, we'll take rattle and brush.'

 

The author explains that this means: 'Let's go to drink and be merry, but if we be smelt by the people of the house, we must scower off.'

 

The news comes shortly after experts from language learning app Preply discovered a spike in once–forgotten slang.

 

This includes 'lass', which has surged in popularity by 211 per cent, as well as 'owt' and 'scran'.

 

'Regional slang such as "gaff", "owt" or "scran" is often specific to certain regions, holding a unique cultural significance and sense of identity to those who use them,' explained Anna Pyshna, a spokesperson for Preply.

 

'While many of these terms were traditionally confined to local, regional communities, they are now starting to spread wider into everyday conversations.

 

'As these phrases gain popularity, they’re becoming a fundamental part of modern conversation, embracing the diversity of British regional dialects.'