Monday, September 7, 2009
Simple Green Tip of The Month September 2009
1. Make a nail pouch. Cut away the pant seat but leave it attached to the waistband. Hold the seat to your waist and fasten the waistband in the back. Fill pockets with nails.
2. Hold Your Pencils. Cut out one back pocket and nail or glue it to the side of your shop cabinet as a pencil holder.
3. Repair a Rust Spot. Got a hole in the floor of your old beater? Buy a quart of liquid fiberglass, dip a swatch of denim in it, then smooth it over the hole. Once it cures, the fabric will become a rigid patch.
4. Bolster insulation. To close small gaps around framing, soak cut-up jeans in a mixture of borax and water. It will dry into fire-retardant, mildew-resistant, insect-repelling insulation.
5. Make a shop weight. Cut off one pant leg and sew up the bottom end. Fill with sand, and then sew the top end closed to make a sandbag that can steady a workpiece.
Blue jeans never go out of style, nor does the earth. They are both just cool!
Remember there is no planet "B".
Be Green-
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Simple Green Tip Of The Month August 2009
Forget about salad dressing. This inexpensive kitchen staple—the distilled white kind, that is—can multitask in any room of the house. Here are 5 smart ways to use it.
1. Peel off Wallpaper. Using a sponge or spray bottle, saturate wallpaper with a solution of equal parts vinegar and water. Let stand for several minutes, then start scraping. The paper should come off easily.
2. Revive Old Paintbrushes. Soak gunked-up nylon brushes in hot vinegar for up to 30 minutes to remove paint and soften the bristles. Afterward, wash them in hot, soapy water, brushing off paint as needed, then rinse and let dry—good as new.
3. Remove Mineral Deposits from Showerheads. Pour ½ cup of warm vinegar into a resealable plastic bag. Drop in the showerhead, making sure the holes are submerged, and seal the bag. Let sit for 1 hour. Rinse and wipe clean, then reattach.
4. Keep Paint from Peeling. Before painting galvanized metal or concrete, wipe down the object or surface with vinegar, using a sponge or lint-free cloth. This little trick will help your paint job last longer.
5. Banish Decals and Stickers. Dab vinegar onto stubborn price tags and stickers affixed to glass, plastic, or wood. Scrape the surface clean, then rub the area with more vinegar to remove any sticky residue.
Forget about expensive cleaners that are toxic to your family and the environment.Remember there is no planet "B".
Be Green-
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Simple Green Tip of the Month July 2009
Your racket may be gathering dust in the attic, but don’t throw away its partners in crime. Here’s how to use tennis balls without ever hitting the court.
1. Erase scuff marks. With a utility knife, cut an X in a tennis ball and slip it over the end of an old broom handle. Rub the ball over scuff marks on your wood floors; they’ll come right off.
2. Protect a padlock. Cut a slit in a tennis ball with a utility knife and slip it over an outdoor padlock to prevent water from getting into it and freezing.
3. Remove a broken lightbulb. The bulb broke off in the socket? No problem. Carefully clear away any shards of broken glass, then gently push a tennis ball against the light socket and twist it to remove the bulb’s embedded stem.
4. Cushion the blow. Cut an X in a tennis ball and slip it over the head of a hammer so you don’t ding up walls, wood, or other fragile materials while you’re pounding away.
5. Install a parking guide. Hang a tennis ball from a string from the ceiling of your garage so that the ball touches the top left corner of the windshield when your car is properly parked. Now you’ll know how far to pull in each time you come home.
Everything you place in a trash can ends up in a landfill. Be creative and reuse products.
Remember there is no planet "B".
Be Green-
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Simple Green Tip Of The Month June 2009
Uses for Carpet Scraps
1. Move Heavy Furniture
Slide pieces of carpet pile-side down under-neath the legs of a bureau, bed, or dresser, then push it across the floor—much easier than lifting.
2. Get Your Mower Going
Does your riding mower get mired in the spring mud? No problem. Wedge scraps of carpet under the front edge of the trapped wheel, which will provide traction to dislodge it.
3. Cushion Your Knees When Gardening
Roll up a scrap of carpet and kneel on it when spreading mulch, planting flowers, or weeding.
4. Scrub Window Screens
Dip a clean piece of carpet into warm, sudsy water, and rub the pile side onto screens to get rid of gunk, dust, and buildup.
5. Muffle Your Washer and Dryer
Place scraps of carpet underneath the feet of laundry machines to dampen thumping noises.
Coming Next Month! Great Uses For Old Tennis Balls.
Remember there is no planet "B"
Be Green-
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
The Eco Agent Volume 2
Friday, February 20, 2009
The Eco Agent Volume 1
Afraid of Change
With all the talk of "Going Green" everyone's initial reaction is, "How much will this cost me?" or " I live in an old home, there is nothing I can do." The fact is everyone can do something with little or no cost. Encourage people about going green. Even using a power strip (tip #1 above) which most of us already do anyway, can save both money and energy. In fact you are going green right now! Yep instead of reading this information on paper print, which destroys our forests, you are reading it on the Internet.
HOT TIP OF THE MONTH
By replacing all of the "fixture" lights in your home with energy efficient light bulbs, you can now advertise the home as "energy efficient lighting that will save you money on your utility bills". In a tough market, offering real savings and appealing to a wider audience may be just the thing to get your home sold. For an investment of less then $100 dollars, in most cases, you may realize a quicker home sale and avoid discounting the price of your home. Ask yourself, "How many sellers are doing this?" and you will have your answer. Stand out in the crowd!
Be Green-