Household Tips

It’s not too early to start your New Year’s resolution, and if you’re resolving to be more eco-friendly in 2008, this simple list will be a great kick-start!

– Change Your Lightbulbs - switch out your incandescent bulbs and you will reduce emissions and save money on your energy bills.
– Turn the Lights Off When You Leave a Room - Lighting uses 19 percent of worldwide energy consumption. Even you can help bring that number down.
– Use Less Paper - Cut down on mail by paying your bills online this year. But don’t forget to send your grandmother a handwritten note every once in a while. She will forgive you.
– Recycle - If you haven’t started this yet, it’s about time. Find out what your city is doing.
– Use Paper Bags - Plastic bags are so passé. Consider buying a reusable grocery bag or stick with recyclable paper.
– Turn Off the Water When You Brush Your Teeth - Does it really need to be on when you aren’t using it?
– Unplug Unused Appliances - Just because you are not charging your cell phone doesn’t mean that the charger plugged in to the wall isn’t using energy. Unplug it.
– Take the Bus or Walk - Do you really need to drive everywhere? You can fit a little exercise into your busy day this way too.
– Make Wise Purchasing Decisions - If you are replacing appliances, be sure to buy low flow toilets or energy star appliances.
– Don’t Run Your Dishwasher Unless it is Full - Enough said.

I know, I know… I’ve TALKED about saving energy here. But this list is different! Here are some tips aimed directly at saving energy for the holiday season! (And they’re easy!)

Direct Energy is recommending these measures to reduce usage and maximize efficiency during the holidays:

– Turn down the heat a few degrees. Doing so could save 10 percent on heating bills. Reducing the heat before guests arrive makes sense, too, because all their extra body heat will soon warm up the room.

– Dim the lights and have memorable holiday meals by candlelight. You could even “go organic” and try soy candles.

– Decorate using LED bulbs, which have a rated life of 50,000 hours, representing nearly 20 years of normal usage. That’s a bargain, especially when compared with incandescent lights, which last just 600 to 1,000 hours.

– Wrap gifts with conservation in mind. If everyone wrapped just three gifts in reused paper or fabric gift bags, it would save enough paper to cover 45,000 ice hockey rinks. (NOTE: I really don’t think we should be covering hockey rinks in paper! Who came up with that example!?!)

– Don’t open the oven door to peek at what’s cooking. It can lower oven temperatures as much as 25 degrees, which increases cooking time and gobbles energy. Use the oven light and window instead.

– Remember your other cooking appliances when preparing a holiday meal. Great for cooking or for heating up holiday dinner leftovers, microwaves use about 50 percent less energy than conventional ovens.

– Use your dishwasher for cleanup. A dishwasher requires 37 percent less water than washing dishes by hand.

– Buy miniature decorative lights, which use about 70 percent less energy and last much longer than bigger bulbs. Connect them to an automatic timer to reduce the chance of leaving your holiday lights burning all night or while you’re away.

Want to save money around the house? Want to save more money than you originally spent on yoru car? Then drive it over 225,000 miles. The latest trend in car ownership? Drive it to death. Engine repowering gives you exactly that option — replace the engine, but keep the car. And the money. Read on!

Vehicle owners who trade in their cars every few years may be losing thousands of dollars in savings, according to Consumer Reports magazine. With the housing and credit markets in a state of turmoil, the Engine Repower Council recommends repowering your engine as a way to significantly reduce costs and save money over the long run.

Consumer Reports found that car owners save more money than the original purchase price of the car by keeping the car for 225,000 miles over 15 years as compared to buying that same car new every five years.

“People don’t realize how much money they are losing by buying a new car every few years when today’s vehicles can last over 200,000 miles,” said Steve Rich, chairman of the Engine Repower Council. “A one time investment to repower a car’s engine makes financial sense. It not only eliminates new car payments and higher insurance rates, but repowering also makes the vehicle more fuel efficient, saving money at the pump. In addition, a more fuel efficient vehicle reduces harmful emissions which helps protect the environment.”

With repowering, the engine or an identical one from another like-vehicle, is completely remanufactured/rebuilt. Also, unlike installing a used or junk yard engine, critically important internal parts get replaced with new parts that meet or exceed original equipment performance standards. Consequently, remanufactured/rebuilt engines are frequently even better than the new engines installed at the factory. This is because the original factory engine problems have been revealed through use, and can
then be redesigned or repaired with better quality parts.

Remanufactured/rebuilt engines are dependable, reliable and backed by excellent warranty programs that also usually cover installation expenses.

The Engine Repower Council is a non-profit organization dedicated to educating consumers about the economic and environmental benefits of remanufactured/rebuilt engines. The Engine Repower Council supports the “Be Car Care Aware” consumer education campaign. For more information about remanufactured/rebuilt engines and their suppliers visit the Engine Repower Council at http://www.enginerepower.org.

cars, money, engine, repowering

I live in an old house with what realtors love to call “heart of pine” floors. Supposedly, that means my softwood floors are more like hardwood floors! I love my wood floors, but I also recognize the ethical dilemma people face in deciding on flooring today. On the one hand, wood is incredibly durable (my floors are original — 80 years old!) On the other, hardwood flowers contribute at least in some part to deforestation, right? (And yes, I’m aware of re-planting, etc.) Anyway… This is an interesting and very positive alternative!

During the past few years, many environmentally conscious consumers have been looking for ways to increase the environmental friendliness of the choices they make for their homes. One of the most eco-friendly flooring options available is engineered wood
flooring.

Engineered wood floors are real wood floors that are manufactured using three to five layers of different wood veneers. The layers are referred to as face ply for the top layer, core ply for the middle layers, and back ply for the bottom layer. Each of the layers can be of the same species, or of different species, but the face ply of engineered wood flooring always consists of high-quality wood. The grain of each individual layer runs in different directions, which is called a cross-ply construction process.
This process makes engineered wood flooring very dimensionally stable, meaning that the wood will expand and contract less than solid wood flooring during normal seasonal fluctuations in humidity and temperature.

Engineered floors can be nailed or stapled to a wood subfloor, or glued down to a wood subfloor or concrete slab. This makes engineered wood floors ideal for slab and basement installations, but they can be used in any room in the home.

One of the best benefits of engineered wood flooring is that it requires less lumber to produce the final product. In addition, because the core and back ply layers can include any species, there is less overall waste.

To learn more about the benefits of wood floors, visit the NWFA’s consumer web site at http://www.woodfloors.org, and click on the “All About Wood Floors” link. You also can find a wood flooring professional in your area by visiting the “Find a Professional or Product” link.

engineered wood, floors, hardwood

I’ve been repotting plants this week. We already talked before about adding a small sponge at the bottom of the pot to help with water retention. On top of your sponge, try adding a small layer of tea bags. As they naturally biodegrade, they will provide additional nutrients for the soil.

And they don’t have to be NEW teabags! You can absolutely recycle used bags! Traditional black teas, not herbal varieties, seem to work most consistently!

houseplants, teabags, recycling

My favorite hose attachement is the multi-nozzle sprayer.

I have one on the hose in my front and back yard.

The best thing about this nozzle attachment is that you can water grass in a wide path, and tiny little seedlings up close, you just use the mist mode.

This Scott’s Website discusses techniques for getting the most out of watering your yard.

But!

I have a good shower cleaner.

We just moved into our house last December and in the master bathroom we have a stall shower. It seems people either love or hate a stall shower. You definitely shouldn’t hate your stall shower simply because it collects soap scum and water deposits and looks dingy.

I’ve been using Seventh Generation, Natural Citrus Scent, Shower Cleaner. It costs less than $5.00 and has a very mild natural scent. I really hate some of the overpowering toxic smells from the stronger cleaners, and this one doesn’t make you gag or need to hold your breath.

I spray it on the glass walls of my stall shower and wipe it off with a paper-towel. There is no residue or streaks left behind and it leaves my shower clean and shiny.

I highly recommend this product.

Seventh-Generation is non-toxic and biodegradable. The cleansing agents are hydrogen peroxide for stain removal and citrus-oil for grease removal.

In light of the recent pet food recall this entry will detail how to go about make your own dog food.

I have four cats and a dog and the thought that the food I have been feeding them, high quality-brand foods, like Iams and Science Diet are possibly laced with harmful, fatal chemicals is absolutely overwhelming and very discouraging.

If you want to opt on the very safe side, you can prepare food for your four-legged friend fresh and from scratch in your own kitchen. Here are some instructions to follow when you set out to prepare a balanced and nutritious meal for your dog.

1. Before you change a pet’s diet, check with your vet.

2. Know that dogs need a diet that consists of about 40% meat, 30% vegetables and 30% starch. This ratio (similar to The Zone diet, ironic, no?) is recommended for all canine diets.

3. Always cook meat before serving it to your dog. Raw meat can cause illness and hold harmful bacteria.

4. While it may gross to you, organ meet, like liver and kidneys is very good for dogs. There are a lot of vitamins to be gained by eating these organs.

5. It is a well-known fact in many health-food circles that many commercial brand dog foods are very unhealthy for pets. Frequently, the meat used in these foods is considered unsuitable for human consumption.

6. Start with a mixture of ground turkey, rice and carrots for your dog food. There are also a variety of recipes that include ground beef, brown rice, brewer’s yeast and carrots.

7. Be sure to rotate the meals your dog eats so that Fido gets a variety of nutrients.

8. Add garlic to your dog food. Dogs like the flavor of garlic and it doubles as a natural flea repellant.

9. Include oatmeal, pasta, rice or potato for your dog’s starch needs.

10. You can also grind up some egg shells and add then to your dog’s meal. The eggshells have a lot of necessary nutrients.

11. Keep cooked dog food in the refrigerator and use it within three days.

12. Remember, whenever you change an animal’s diet, you risk stomach upset, including gas and diarrhea. Consider switching to homemade foods over a period of time, mixing commercial food and your homemade food.

13. NEVER EVER feed your dog chocolate.

Are you sneezing and coughing this time of year? It is SPRING and the trees are blossoming, the flowers blooming and the grasses are growing out of control. While this makes a great hillside photo, it can be real hell on you sinuses.

If you or anyone in your home tends to suffer from any kind of seasonal allergy, consider changing your air filter a few extra times during this high-pollen season.

It is well worth your money to get the best quality filter there is. Not only will you benefit from fewer particles and pollen in your air, your house will have less dust on surfaces, and it is more energy efficient.

It is also a good idea to try to change your filter every three months throughout the year.

airfilter, air filter, filtrete, allergies, house maintenance

If your oven looks anything like mine, it isn’t pretty. I can’t ever remember actually cleaning an over, except that one time just after college when I was moving into an apartment where I swear to God I could smell the lead from the seventy years of paint layers. But, that was just a “mild” cleaning.

Now that I am much older, slightly wiser, and far more cynical I am ready and able to clean my oven.

For a just happened spill or overflow, cover the area liberally with baking soda. When the over cools off, you should be able to scoop up the gunk with a metal spatula. The baking soda works by absorbing any liquid and gunk, like, pie filling, or pizza grease. However, it won’t stick to the surface of the over. The key for this home remedy for over cleaning is to catch the spill while it is still wet. Once it gets baked on, you will need a harsher cleaner.

Another earth-friendly over cleaning product is vinegar. Regular old white vinegar is one of the best household cleaning agents out there. It is pure and clean, doesn’t leave a residue and is not toxic. It also leaves a nice pleasant scent in your home without being overpowering.

Vinegar will cut grease and soften the baked on deposits if you cover the area thoroughly. Obviously, as it is a liquid, you can’t just coat your oven with it, as it runs off and that is a mess I don’t want to think about cleaning. It will work really well on the floor of the oven if you can pour a little into the bottom welled-out area. Also, the vapors will soften the gook on the walls after several hours. If you are in a hurry to see your reflection in your oven, try this: mix one quarter of a cup of vinegar and a drop of fresh dish detergent in a pint of hot water. Let it sit for a few minutes and then scrub.

Last, and definitely least on my list of choices is ammonia. Ammonia is not 100% safe. It can cause dryness and irritation of the skin, eyes, nose and throat and it IS toxic if ingested by children or pets. If you are using ammonia and you inhale enough vapors to cause you to cough, you are too close and should seek fresh air immediately. Ammonia is a very harsh chemical that will erode many materials. Glass is safe to use with ammonia. To rid your oven of baked on goo, fill a shallow glass baking dish with ammonia and let it sit in a cold oven overnight. After about 8-12 hours, the grease will scrub off the doors and walls fairly easily.

The best way to “clean” your oven is to not have to scrub it! Line the bottom with foil to catch drips and just replace and recycle it when it gets dirty, and, wash off the front window of the oven weekly, or after baking a particularly messy food.

If you think anyone has ingested anything toxic or potentially harmful, don’t hesitate, call the Poison Control Center immediately. It is a toll-free call! 1-800-222-1222

We all like our four-legged friends to be clean and fresh, no?

I mean, they cuddle with us and sleep in our beds but they also run through the dirt and lick themselves and in the case of my darling miniature pinscher, Hines, have the tendency to pee into the wind. Enough said.

I typically bathe Hines about once a week, usually after he comes home from his one disposable-income-well-spent day at the local doggie daycare. I fill the tub with about six inches of warm water, lift him and use a plastic cup to spill water all over him, carefully avoiding his ears and face, both of which I wash with a warm washcloth. I pour a palmful of Mrs. Meyer’s Pet Clean Day Oatmeal Pet Shampoointo my hand and soap him top to bottom. I spill cups of water over his back and the soap washes off very quickly leaving no oily suds, just a fresh not-overpowering scent.

I stumbled across Mrs. Meyer’s products a few years ago when I was on an earth-friendly/no-harsh chemicals in MY home kick. At the present time I vacillate very uncommitted to any products that don’t guarantee me that they will kill salmonella and E.coli without damaging the earth or my body. It’s a toss up some days.

I digress. Mrs. Meyer’s products all smell fantastic. They don’t make your home smell like toxic waste, but they are gentle, nonabrasive and safe for pets too.

I don’t have experience using this dog shampoo on long haired dog, but if anyone out there does, please let me know.

Mrs. Meyer’s, dog shampoo, bathing a dog, pet shampoo