Natural Spring Cleaners

Spring cleaning has started. It’s time to get the dirt from the winter off and start clean. I’ve found 5 all natural cleaners I can’t live without while cleaning the house. These cleaners are much safer for us and our environment. I don’t have to spray the cleaner and run of out of the room. My house smells clean and fresh with no artificial smells.

1. Natural glass cleaner

• Biodegradable ingredients 

• Non-alkaline

• No phosphates or ammonia

• Contains natural ingredients (like white distilled vinegar) instead of caustic chemicals

• Uses a concentrated formula, so there is less waste going to recycle centers. 

  The concentrated,    biodegradable formula is effective on a multitude of surfaces, including:

  • Glass • Windows • Aluminum • Stainless steel

  • Chrome • Mirrors • Appliances

2. Natural floor/rug cleaner.

• Versatile cleaner replaces need for other, more dangerous cleaners

• No chlorine, ammonia or other caustic chemicals

• No toxic or unpleasant fumes—even when mixed with other EcoSense cleaners

Mixes Well With Others

Unlike many grocery store cleaners, you don’t have to worry about toxic fumes or dangerous reactions when you mix EcoSense cleaners with one another—in fact, it’s encouraged! A mix will tackle even the grimiest barbecue grills, and for taking out greasy stains on clothes.

• No-wax floors • Oven tops • Ventilation hoods

• Lawn mowers • Bicycle parts • Cement pads

• Barbecue grills • Car engines • Garage floors

• Decks • Outdoor furniture

3. Natural disinfectant.

When used as directed it effectively eliminates 99.99% of:

• Salmonella choleraesuis • Staphylococcus aureus (Staph)

• Pseudomonas aeruginosa • Mycobacterium tuberculosis (TB)

• Trichophyton mentagrophytes • HIV-1 (the AIDS virus)

(athlete’s foot fungus)

It’s effective on hard, nonporous surfaces, including:

• Countertops • Sinks • Garbage cans • Toilet seats

• Pet habitats • Prostheses & orthotics • Sports equipment

• Children’s toys • Changing tables • High chairs

• Food preparation surfaces

• Any other surface where bacteria or unpleasant odors are a concern

The patented broad-spectrum, disinfectant formula is EPA-approved for use in a wide variety of residential, commercial, and medical facilities, including:

• Day cares • Schools • Nurseries • Hospitals

• Nursing home • Food storage areas • Zoos & kennels

• Veterinary offices • Kitchens • Restaurants & bars

• Cafeterias • Fitness gyms and Spas • Hotels & motels

• Medical and dental offices • Health professional, chiropractic, &

physiotherapy clinics

4. Natural all purpose cleaner

• No chlorine bleach, ammonia or other caustic chemicals

• No abrasive cleaners that can pit or scratch surfaces

• Leaves behind no sticky residues, is effective on a lot more than just kitchen counters. Put its natural cleansing power to work on

• Countertops • Appliances • Pots & pans

• Lamps • Crafts • Cabinets

• Car interiors • Light fixtures • Artificial plants

• Computers • Walls • Whiteboards

5. Natural all purpose cleaner enhancer

• Biodegradable

• All-Natural

• Contains no caustic chemicals

• Is packaged in a recyclable bottle

Full-strength contains 10% Tree Tea Oil taking advantage of our Oils natural solvent, penetrating, non-caustic and aromatic properties.

• Gum in hair • Permanent Marker • Road Tar

• Tree sap • Crayon • Paint and fingernail polish

• Grease • Pet accidents

Use in a 5:1 water solution for:

• Deodorizing Garbage Cans • Eliminating moldy odors

• Freshening the bathroom • Removing smoke or pet odor from air and furniture • Treating pet accidents

Look at a typical household cleaner and you’re bound to find some rather shocking warnings

“Use in well-ventilated area”

“Avoid direct contact with product”

“Excessive inhalation can cause headache, drowsiness, nausea and lack of coordination.”

With warnings like these, it’s no wonder Poison Control Centers across the nation field over 200,000 calls each year involving household cleaning substances. Ours contains no caustic chemicals and can be mixed with other EcoSense cleaners without fear of formation of harmful gases.

Household chemicals can affect more than just the person using them. According to the EPA, household chemicals and other factors can make the air within a home more seriously polluted than the air in even the largest and most industrialized cities.(1)

Many common household cleaners can contain ammonia, phosphates, chlorine and other known offenders. Ecosense contains no ammonia, no phosphates, no chlorine and is made from all natural, biodegradable products.

1. EPA brochure, “The Inside Story: A Guide to Indoor Air Quality,” (www.epa.gov/iaq/pubs/insidest.html).

Categories: Home Improvement

A Guide To Woodworking Plans

Woodworking plans are an essential component of any project. Wood working patterns and scroll saw patterns are needed to plan a project and create accents in your piece. Good plans give step by step instructions, diagrams and illustrations to guide you through from start to finish. You can buy plans, find them for free on the internet or make your own plan.

Finding Woodworking Plans

Free woodworking patterns can be found on the internet. Many are free, but others need to be purchased. You can search for general plans or for specific projects. Patterns are available for everything from a simple box or bird feeder to elaborate furniture projects. Several websites offer plans for making children’s toys and decorative items. Enter the project you are looking for in your favourite search engine or just enter free woodworking plans.

There are books available that are devoted to wood working patterns. You can find these at book stores, on the internet or in your local library. Often, woodworking magazines will contain plans for a wide variety of projects. Purchase a few of these at your local news stand. After you have found one you like best, you may decide to subscribe and receive new plans month after month.

If you are new to woodworking, it’s best to start of with a simple pattern. This will help you learn to read and follow the plans. As your skills increase, you can move on to more difficult projects. Start off with a simple toy or bird feeder before attempting to make a dining room set. Look for detailed and thorough plans to help you create your project.

Good plans include detailed instructions. The instructions should take you step by step through the entire project. Look for plans that have detailed diagrams as well as illustrations of the project at each stage. Print out your plans and keep them in a binder. This will help keep you organized and prevent pages from getting lost or damaged.

You can follow the plan step by step or you may decide to make a few changes to the plan. Changing a few details is a great way to make a generic plan more personal and original. For example, you can change certain designs or accent pieces and give the project a whole new look. Another option is to paint the finished product, rather than staining.

Creating Woodworking Plans

Once you become more experienced, you may decide to try to create your own plan. Start by sketching how you want the finished product to look. The first sketch doesn’t need to be too technical or detailed. You will add the details and dimensions later. Once you have made your original sketch, determine the dimensions of the total finished product.

Determine what type of wood you will use in your project and how much wood you will need. It’s important to use accurate measurements when ordering the wood to avoid running out before the project is finished. Determine what other materials you will need to complete the project. This will help you estimate the total cost.

Create a detailed list of all materials needed and the quantity of each material. Include items such as paint, stain or polyurethane. Consider the tools that will be needed to complete the project. Do you have all that you need? With this information, you can then determine the overall cost. Take this list with you when you go out to purchase supplies.

You will then draw a more detailed sketch of your design. Create diagrams like those found in woodworking plans on the internet. Draw each stage of the process in detail. Write out detailed instructions that will take you step by step through the project. This will help you stay organized and ensure that you don’t skip any essential steps along the way.

See also :

• Basic Tips When Choosing Hardwood
• A Guide to Wood Flooring

Categories: Home Improvement

How to Survive Builing or Remodeling Your Home

1. Think of the project as a new diet.  

Who doesn’t want to lose at least five pounds?  This is one way to do it.  Between running to stores all day and evening long, meeting with contractors, inspecting the work, searching the Western world for the perfect light fixture, who has time to eat?  Provided you don’t sabotage this new, unorthodox diet plan, with McDonalds drive through, you’re good for losing five pounds. If you are a masochistic type who does some of the work yourself – whether it be painting, laying tile, landscaping the yard – you can count on another five to ten pounds of weight loss.  Just think, you may be miserable, frustrated, exhausted, nd down right cynical about the good of the humankind, but your 

jeans will fit nicely!

2. Write checks as aerobic exercise.

These workouts are great for toning the wrist and fingers.  Usually done in hectic spurts as you race out the door in the morning while the contractors are breathing down your neck and your kids are beating each other with the lunch boxes you just prepared, the stress and frantic activity are sure to raise your heartbeat for a good hour.  Grumbling under your breath that the plumber, electrician, or you name it, isn’t really worth this much money adds greater intensity and calorie burn to this little publicized exercise regime.

3. Save money through shopping burnout

Yes, even the most die-hard shopper will come to dread setting foot in any store.  This affliction starts innocently enough as you go to look for light fixtures. How hard can it be?  Hard! Either the light you want is being shipped from Yugoslavia and won’t arrive until your youngest child buys his own home, or you just can’t find the one you want.  You’ll shop every lighting and electrical store you know. You’ll search Home Depot. You’ll haunt hardware stores. And then there’s plumbing fixtures. Sink centers, faucet handles, finishes, special orders. What’s all that about?  And the cost. You’d think you were outfitting the palace for a former third world dictator.  Of course, there’s carpet, tile, hardwood, stairs, siding, windows.  Enough already. And you thought it was a pain picking mints and sweet 

table treats for your wedding.  

After your 1000th trip to Home Depot (or Lowes or Menards or whatever), in addition to all the other trips you’ve made for items that shouldn’t count as shopping (toilet seats, for example), you’ve had it.  Your friends won’t be able to bribe you to check out the latest sale at Bloomingdales.  You’ll think it will be better when you can pick out “fun” things like paint, wall paper, drapes, fabric, furniture – but don’t bet on it. At this point, the pressure to make your home look like something other than an empty rat maze will counteract any joy in shopping. Spending this much money has never been such a miserable experience.  As a result, when your home becomes half-way presentable, you’ll refuse to shop again – even for groceries – for at least six months.  The money you save during this shopping hiatus will be sufficient for you to resume this previously pleasurable past time 

once more without guilt.

4. Impress your friends with obscure facts.
Only someone that has built or remodeled their home can explain the fluid dynamics of a proper toilet water swirl.  Or cite the International Building Code that calls for no more than 6’ between electrical outlets.  Or brag that triple glazed windows are really the wave of the future for light emitting device technology.  See what I mean? :)

5. Pride yourself on your new creative skills.

You’ll discover a creative side that you never knew existed.  Like how to wash dishes in the bath tub.  And how to make a full course meal for a family of four using nothing more than a toaster and hot plate.  Or how to fit an entire family in a house smaller than your first apartment.  They say that necessity is the mother of invention. That’s probably true, but I also think that the only thing that separates modern and pioneer life is just one kitchen or bath remodeling project.

6. Yell at someone other than your kids – and not feel guilty.

Honestly, as a modern woman trying to juggle the running of our homes, possibly a job, and the future Olympic soccer aspirations of our children, you have the primal need to yell. At someone. Anyone. Often our spouse and children suffer from this need of ours to release pent up negative energy generated from nothing more than some miniature human leaving smelly gym shoes on the kitchen table. (Ok, that probably deserves a bit of yelling – we eat at this table!)  But when you remodel your house, you have a whole cast of characters – and believe me, they’re characters – that often deserve a good scream from time to time.  Like when they tell you that they tore out the fireplace because they didn’t think it looked right.  Or when they show you a mistake made three weeks ago that now requires half the house to be torn down in order to fix.  Yelling isn’t immature or a result of too much estrogen, it’s therapy.

7. Throw out (finally) your significant other’s treasured [fill in the blank] from his bachelor days.
You know what I mean. It could be the semi-nude poster he won’t get rid of. Or his collection of exotic beer cans. Or all of his Sports Illustrated magazines since the Chicago Bears last won the Superbowl.  Now is the perfect time to get rid of it.  If you need to move out of your house while the remodeling is done, or you are moving to a new home, such an opportune time may never occur again. Say it won’t fit in the rental house. It’s either this or his golf clubs. Gently remind him that the sentimental item really serves as a reminder of his advancing years.  Anything. Get rid of it.  It will be one positive you can remind yourself of when the stress of remodeling makes you feel that this project was the biggest mistake of your life.

8. Grow closer to your family through forced bathroom sharing.
The saying goes that absence makes the heart grow fonder. Perhaps that wise pundit had to share a closet sized bathroom with three kids and a spouse.  In reality, there’s no greater way to create intimacy in a family than by all trying to get ready for the morning in the same 7’x 5’ space.  You’ll learn new exciting things about your children – like toilet paper is purely optional for little boys.  You’ll discover that there is no bond quite like the one created when the entire family brushes their teeth together over the same sink.  You’ll realize why the older generation of your relatives only washed their hair once a week instead of facing communal bathroom time.  But most importantly, you’ll no longer need to yell at your kids to hurry up for school – they’re standing right next to you.

9. Earn free flights from all of your purchases.

In what is admittedly (and somewhat sheepishly) the only practical survival tip on this list, get an airline mileage credit card. Charge everything on it – lights, plumbing fixtures, windows, doors, lumber, carpet.  The windows alone can get you close to one free trip.    Whether you decide to share your miles with anyone else in the family or to escape on your own to a world of quiet solitude and, preferably, an open bar, is entirely up to you.

10. Hire some good looking contractors and feel like you’re 15 years old again.

Hey, guys get a whole chain of restaurants and bars where the main attraction is busty waitresses in tight t-shirts (Hooters). Why can’t us gals have some eye candy once in a while?  Besides, it’s a productivity tool.  You’ll be more likely to inspect the job or meet the architect if some young, fit, good-looking men are there – especially in the summer months when shirts tend to become optional.  For example, we once hired a roofing crew of male model wannabees for a house we built. My husband called them the “Beefcake Roofers.”  They created quite a stir in the neighborhood that summer.  Let me tell you, it made rushing to stop by the house to go over notes with the trades first thing in the morning a bit more interesting … and much more fun!

Finally, remember, the end result of your new house will be worth the aggravation of the process. Plus, think of all the good stories you can tell!

Categories: Home Improvement

Basic Tips When Choosing Hardwood Flooring

Timeless beauty, clean lines, strength and durability as well as the ease of cleaning and the classic look make hardwood flooring the perfect choice for your home.

No matter what your personal style is, there is a flooring choice for you because of the unlimited selection available. But before you rush out shopping for your hardwood flooring, keep these tips in mind.

Set a budget for yourself. Having a wide variety of flooring to choose from is great, but the downside is that it is easy to get overwhelmed quickly, and this makes you very susceptible to overspending. Remember to balance style with quality with your budget when you make your final choice. 

Tip 1

You will be wise to match the room with your choice of flooring, whether hardwood or otherwise. For example, do not try to put hardwood flooring in a bathroom, due to the high levels of moisture a bathroom receives. 

Tip 2

Different areas of the house demand different types of wood. For example, wood floors that have very light or very dark finishes typically do not fare well in the kitchen.

Tip 3

Choose a hardwood flooring that has an appropriate finish to match your lifestyle. A sitting room that is seldom used will let you get away with a lighter finish. However a hallway or living room will get continual traffic and requires a choice that offers a tougher finish that can stand up to a lot of wear and tear.

Tip 4

Consider installation - doing it yourself or having a professional installer do it for you? Many people successfully install their own flooring, but only after they have done their homework. It is often easer to hire a professional, but do you due diligence when selecting a hardwood flooring installer. You will want to be absolutely sure that it will be installed correctly.

Tip 5

Choosing the color and style of the floor can be the fun part. Choose a hardwood that fits your personal taste and your lifestyle. The comparatively high cost of the flooring and installation demands choosing a wood that will not go out of style quickly.

Categories: Flooring

Tips For A Better Kitchen

Eating will never go out of fashion. We will always need a place in the home where we can easily and safely prepare our food. We call that place the kitchen. Here are a few tips to help make your kitchen a better, safer and more efficient place to work in.

1. Lighting is probably the most important thing to get right. Strip or spotlights located under wall units work best to provide good, unobtrusive lighting.
2. Hard wearing flooring that’s easy to clean is another essential. Carpeting on floors surrounding kitchen worktops is a big mistake.
3. Electric sockets in abundance will make life so much easier. But remember to keep them at least a metre from any source of water.
4. Have all your regularly used utensils stored close to the areas where they will be used. This increases     efficiency and reduces accidents.
5. Choose the type of kitchen sink that’s best suited for you. They come in all shapes, double or single, and in a variety of materials. Think before you buy. 
6. The type of taps on your sink is important too. Get taps with plenty of height. The swivelling type adds     flexibility, but you may prefer the look of double taps. Again, think about what you want.
7. Keep children out of your kitchen. Toddlers have greater ingenuity than you give them credit for. Fit any cupboard or drawer they can reach with childproof catches. Store all sharp objects, knives, etc, high up in a locked drawer.

Read also...The Popular Kitchen Design

Categories: Kitchen