It’s finally spring! Depending on where you live, you may only know that because of the calendar, but many places also note the change in season with the return of the farmers market. Now you can find a farmers market where you are, or wherever you may be going, thanks to the USDA’s National Farmers Market Directory. Continue reading
Category Archives: Home
9 Common Asthma Triggers and How to Fight Them
Any number of things in the home can trigger an asthma attack or discomfort, forcing suffers to turn to inhalers or other medications for relief. But the best “treatment” for asthma sufferers is prevention, and the Environmental Protection Agency has identified nine common asthma triggers in the home and suggestions for how to combat them. Continue reading
Earth Day Eco-Jargon: It May Not Mean What You Think It Means
Biodegradable. Recyclable. Earth Smart.
Those three terms are the most used by marketers to demonstrate that their products are Earth-friendly. But using “green” words does not necessarily make an item green in practice, because there’s frequently a difference between what a marketer intends and what happens to a product in real world use. Continue reading
There’s No Such Thing as Zero VOC Paint
Volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, are compounds that evaporate at room temperatures, and some are harmful to your health as well as to the environment. Interior paints historically have contained significant levels of VOCs, but Sherwin-Williams and PPG Architectural Finishes had been selling what they called “zero” VOC paints with some success. Continue reading
Quick Guide to Paint Sheens
Nothing can change the look of a room like a new color, or even just a fresh coat, of paint. Deciding which paint to use can be difficult, though, given the variety of paint finishes, or sheens, available. But once you understand how the different sheens are intended to be used, the task is much less daunting. Continue reading
The Best Ways to Clean Stuffed Animals and Other Plush Toys
Stuffed animals and plush toys are so adorable that kids as well as adults love the way they look and feel. Because of their softness and plush qualities, they have an almost magnetic ability to attract dust and other particulates from the air. That can cause problems for anyone who suffers from asthma or allergies. Continue reading
Home Energy Saver Helps Save Money and the Environment
A typical U.S. family spends about $1,900 a year on home utility bills, and a large part of that energy is wasted. Beyond your pocketbook to the environment, electricity generated by fossil fuels for a single home puts more carbon dioxide into the air than two average cars.
Whether you want to save some cash or do you bit for Planet Earth – or both – Department of Energy’s Home Energy Saver that can help. Continue reading
Preparing for Extreme Cold Means Being Ready Indoors, Too
Extreme cold isn’t limited to the outdoors. If there’s a power outage or an overworked heating system breaks down, or the home isn’t sufficiently insulated, families not adequately prepared can be in real danger. Even if everything seems to be working, dangers can lurk.
The Center for Disease Control recommends that before the temperature starts to drop, make sure you have an easy to read thermometer. Especially if there are young children or elderly people in your home whose bodies may be more susceptible to lower temperatures, depending on the often hard-to-ready thermostat thermometer can let it get dangerously cold. Also, having thermometers around the house makes it easy to see where it’s getting too cold before the thermostat, usually kept in a warmer interior room, gets the message. Continue reading
Top 10 Smells People Want Out of Their Homes
The smell of cookies baking is thought to be so universally loved that real estate agents often bake some in a home before an open house to add some warm fuzzies to the event. But that may just be a myth, according to recent survey by the makers of the Blueair air purifier.
Make no mistake, cookies, brownies, bread…most anything baking…are my personal favorite aromas. But according to research conducted by Blueair in late December, those smells rank at the top of list of “bad” odors people most wanted out of their homes.
Here’s the entire list: Continue reading