Tag: home
Three Efficient and Natural Ways to Get Rid of Ants
I love how spring awakens nature, adorns the trees with brand new clothes and allows all living creatures escape from their winter hideaways to enjoy the sun. But what is natural outdoors often turns into a problem indoors. Look at ants. They are an important part of the environment and helping keep the ecological balance by feeding on pests, dead insects and decomposing tissue from dead animals. But who wants them at home?
Here are three efficient and natural ways to get rid of ants.
We discussed natural ways to keep mosquitoes away, and there are similar solutions for ants? Instead of using pesticides made with toxic chemicals proven to have long-term effects on Earth’s natural balance and are expensive, I offer you 3 of the most efficient and natural ways to keep ants away from your home.
Herbs
Sprinkle salt, basil, red/black pepper or cinnamon along the ant paths in your house, across the doorway or window sills. You can also place bay leaves in cabinets and you will never see ants again (or at least until the end of the season). The Bay leaves also will help keep cockroaches away, a real bonus.
Vinegar
Wipe down the counters, walls, doorways and floors with a 50-50 mixture of white vinegar and water. The strong smell repels the ants. Remember ants also use a scent trail to find food other ants have found. The vinegar destroys the vapor trail forcing ants to find food elsewhere.
Cucumbers
Place cucumber peels in areas you see ants and very soon they will disappear. Cucumber peels are toxic to the types of fungi ants feed on, and are avoided by ants. This is a good deterrent before ants become a problem so use this solution at the beginning of ant season and change them out often.
Do you know a different and efficient way to get rid of ants naturally? Share it with us in the comments.
[CC Photo via Kanelstrand]
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Three Efficient and Natural Ways to Get Rid of Ants
Carlos Fresh Salmon
This week over at the Back Burner, we are sharing recipes from restaurants, that have stayed with us. I, took a trip down memory lane, to a favorite little Italian restaurant, Carlo’s. Carlo’s was an intimate Italian bistro in San Rafael, CA. It was owned by a quirky Italian couple, Carlo and Marie Avola. The witty personalities filled the small dining room nightly, and their home-cooked Italian food kept you coming back for more.
A highlight of mine was the gently poached salmon. Carlo poached it in sparkling wine, and it was lightly seasoned with garlic, rosemary and fresh vegetables. It was like butter … melting on your tongue with each bite. This recipe is perfect for a romantic evening at home or even as a bridal luncheon.
Head over to read more stories from the talented recipe developers of the Back Burner; they will be taking us all down memory lane this week.
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Carlos Fresh Salmon
Do You Suffer from Computer Vision Syndrome?
The more technology advances, the more time we spend gazing 20 inches or so from a computer screen. But we were not made to live a sedentary life, even less so, to limit our eye-sight to objects in close distance for indefinitely long periods of time. On average, we spend more than 6 hours a day in front of a computer screen which can lead to a condition called Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS).
Here are symptoms to look for and information for lessening the effects of CVS.
Symptoms for Computer Vision Syndrome
Symptoms present as headache, dry eyes, blurry vision, and long-term nearsightedness. Further aggravating these symptoms are improper lighting conditions (glare or bright overhead lighting) or air moving past the eyes (overhead vents, direct air from a fan). According to the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, computer vision syndrome affects some 90% of people who spend three or more hours a day at a computer.
How to Avoid the Computer Vision Syndrome
There are ways to lesson or avoid CVS. Sometimes rearranging your work environment creates better ergonomics reducing eye strain and other vision problems related to CVS. By taking regular breaks, adjusting the brightness settings on your computer and positioning the screen correctly you can take better control over the health of your eyes.
Reworking your Technological Environment for Better Eye Care
The following infographic by Mezzmer Eyeglasses will give you some additional information on what might be wrong with your current computer settings, as well as how to put less strain on your eyes. It’s great information to keep handy at work, post in your home office and share with co-workers and loved ones. Don’t forget to consider children and young adults. These graphics can help them set up a healthy work environment early on.
[CC photo via Christopher Octa]
Do you suffer from Computer Vision Syndrome? What types of things do you do to put less strain on your eyes?
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Do You Suffer from Computer Vision Syndrome?
Be an Eco Friendly Appliance User
The appliances that are in our homes – washers, dryers, fridges and stoves – play a major role in our lives. They do a lot for us, from cleaning dishes, clothes, storing food, and more, but what you may not realize is they add to your monthly electric bill and they put increasing power demands on your local power company.
Buying energy efficient appliances and using your existing appliances in a more responsible and eco friendly manner will help you to lower your monthly power bill, take pressure off your local power company and help reduce your impact on our environment. Here are some tips and suggestions about making your appliances as eco-friendly as possible whether that involve buying new appliances or using and maintaining them in an environmentally friendly and responsible way.
Ready to Buy
Buying a big ticket item like a new home appliance is a major commitment. When you’ve decided that it’s time for a new appliance then look for a few things that will make your appliance eco friendly:
Features/Settings: The latest appliances have a lot of extra features, buttons and settings that you may or may not need or want. A few common energy efficient features you will need are: cold water setting on the washer, air drying for the dishwasher, and energy saving for the dishwasher.
Size: The larger the appliance, the more power that will consume when working, so think twice about getting that heavy-duty washer.
Energy Star: This program was designed by the US Department of Energy and the Environment Protection Agency. The label appears on many home appliances that these two agencies have designated as being more energy efficient than their older counterparts. Appliances with the Energy Star label can cost more than 40% higher than regular appliances; however, they will reduce by half your daily energy usage.
Energy Saving Tips
Your current appliances can be transformed into energy efficient machines by looking at how they are used in your household.
Disconnect: Appliances such as the coffee maker, microwave and other devices continue to draw power even when you hit the ‘off’ switch. This is a known energy waster referred to as phantom loads. You are paying to power these devices that are supposedly ‘off.’ Unplug the appliances that are not being used.
Frequency: Start with taking a calendar and for one week write on it what appliances were used. Now, ask yourself a few questions: Could those dishes have been hand washed? Do I really need to do laundry on three different days? Depending on your family/lifestyle it can be possible to cut down on the frequency you use your appliances which will help to power your energy and power consumption. For example, only run the dishwasher, washer/dryer when you have full loads of items that need to clean. Instead of using the stove’s burners for boiling water, dig out the electric kettle or use the microwave (microwave’s use much less power than the stove). Use the microwave to reheat leftovers.
Settings: Most of our appliances have a lot of features that you may or may not need to use. For example, if you pre-rinse your dishes before putting them in the dishwasher then there is no need to use that setting on the dishwasher. Also, select the no-heat drying option as the dishes will dry in the dishwasher like they would air drying on the counter.
Laundry: Laundry is a common chore that is a big user of water and power in our home. To help lower the power bill then here are a few suggestions: Wash clothes in cold water to reduce power consumption. When you wash clothes in hot water about 90% of the power goes to heating the water. Instead of using the dryer to dry clothes, hang them outside and give your clothes that clean fresh smell. If you have more than one load to do each day then do them together to use the heat from the first load to dry the next – thereby reducing the power used to dry the next load.
Care and Follow-Up
Be aware that your appliance use is a big part of being an eco friendly appliance owner. This is important to provide your appliance with a long and happy life.
Appliance Checkup: You take your car into the garage for regular maintenance, so why not give your appliances a proper tune up? Read your appliance’s owner manual, as it will explain regular cleaning you can perform to maintaining your appliance such as, cleaning out the dryer vents, vacuuming the fridge’s coils, using vinegar in the dishwasher, coffee maker as a natural cleaning product.
Repairs: When your car has a bad spark plug you don’t get a new car – you fix the plug. The same principle applies to your appliance. If the dishwasher starts acting up (i.e. not cleaning the dishes) then begin by researching the problem. You will be able to locate information about the issue and discover the steps to help you get your dishwasher or any other appliance back in tip top shape. Repairing your home appliance will keep it around that much longer, and it’s one less item that ends up in the landfill.
Being an eco friendly appliance owner means being aware of the decisions we make and the impact they have in our lives. Making small modifications to our lifestyle will go a long way to helping our precious earth and future generations. Start today to make changes to help build a greener future and a brighter tomorrow.
Jeremy Godfrey works at EasyApplianceParts as a Community Coordinator. He is passionate about the environment, saving money and doing it yourself.
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Dye Your Easter Eggs Naturally
The closer Easter gets, the more excited I am to try all the new and natural ways for dyeing Easter eggs. No Easter has passed in our home without vividly colored eggs and this year will make no difference except for the fact that for the very first time we will be using all natural ingredients to get the colors.
- Red – red onion skins, red beetroot, red pepper, almond leaves, chilly powder.
- Yellow – yellow onion skins, lemon peels, birch leaves.
- Orange – orange peels, carrot tops, carrot juice.
- Green – spinach, parsley.
- Blue – red cabbage, cranberries, red wine.
- Brown – walnut shells, black tea.
Whichever way you choose to dye your Easter eggs, consider nature, which not only has all the colors in store but needs protection!
[CC photo via Kanelstrand]
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Dye Your Easter Eggs Naturally
Evernote: A Marvelous Earth-friendly Family Command Center
For us, the family command center was a book of all the things we may need, from addresses to home inventory lists. Through the years I also used it to hold all the magazine clippings and pictures I’d snap of things I wanted. The book quickly exploded beyond the three-ring binder especially after adding recipes. But once Evernote entered my world, organization and family commanding became so much more fun and eco-friendly.
Filing cabinet to the heavens
How Evernote Works
Well used address book
Family Information Book
Inspirational magazines
The Idea Book
Cook books
Your Culinary Best Friend
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Evernote: A Marvelous Earth-friendly Family Command Center
