CasaSugar

Do You Know Your Labor and Delivery Equipment?

LilSugar — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 03:05:37 PST

When a woman gives birth in the movies, the doctor stands at her pelvis ready to guide the baby into his arms and there is nary an electronic or piece of equipment in sight. In real life, the labor and delivery room is filled with monitors and machines ready to go at a moment's notice.

Take our quiz and see just how familiar you are with these tools of the delivery trade.

Take the Quiz

Casa Verde: Herbal Remedies

CasaSugar — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 05:00:05 PDT

While I do love living with my four-legged canine friend, sometimes I worry that our house might retain a little of that doggy smell. Even though no one's ever actually said this, I'm definitely paranoid about the matter.

So, to combat dog hair and dog odor, I vacuum our house daily. However, when I do a weekend deep clean, I always grab sprigs of rosemary from the bushes outside of our house.

Once back inside, I crumple the needles up and liberally sprinkle the rugs in our house with the crushed, aromatic herb. When the vacuum sucks up the herbs, the entire house is filled with the scent of rosemary and my worries about a canine-scented casa are put to rest!

Another side benefit is that rosemary is also noted as a tick and flea deterrent. Even though we use a monthly flea treatment, it's still nice to know that there's a natural remedy out there as well.

Have you ever used herbs as a way to improve your home's indoor air quality? Tell me about your method in the comments!

Who's Afraid of the Vacuum Monster? Not This Kitty

PetSugar — Wed, 19 May 2010 12:00:37 PDT

My dog North freaks out at about every unexpected (or expected noise) including the vacuum. And he's not alone. More than 74 percent of you say your pets don't like the dreaded monster inside the machine. Not this kitty. She appears to love it. Watch her stretch, curl, and coo at the sucking hose.

Casa Beta: Roomba Robotic Vacuum

CasaSugar — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 08:00:00 PDT

Vacuuming sucks, so when our old canister vacuum bit the dust, I was left with the unglamorous task of purchasing a new one. I've had my eye on Roomba – the robotic machine that will clean my floors while I nap. Seriously. Upon purchasing the Roomba 530 ($300), I was a bit skeptical but more excited (and a little giddy) to give it a shot. Quite honestly, I have never been so thrilled to plug anything in.

After I waited for it to fully charge (about three hours), I let it loose to have its way with my filthy floors. The robot took about 45 minutes to do about three rooms. Longer than I had anticipated, but it cleaned far better than I expected, and I was smitten. Perfect? No. There were a few specks of dirt left behind, but that was in part my fault (I didn't realize that I needed to empty the bin midcycle because it's smart enough to know when enough is enough). Then when it was done with the job, it made its way back to the charging station as I watched in amazement. For my full evaluation, including what I didn't like, just

read more. Likes: I literally followed it around my house to watch the magic and was shocked to see Roomba find its way out of tight spaces and corners. Also, it won't fall down stairs, so you can put it upstairs, walk away, and come back to a clean space. The robot handled hardwood and carpets like a pro and even gobbled up larger chunks with ease. What's more? This smart vac cleans under beds perfectly, and its parts can be ordered individually, which means replacing something is simple and far less expensive than most other vac repairs. My favorite thing about Roomba? Not lifting a finger. Dislikes: Roomba doesn't fall down stairs, but it also doesn't clean them. It didn't fit under some of my furniture, which means I'll still need to whip out my handheld vac and Swiffer from time to time. Also, I had to retrieve random things from it that were left on the floor that were not meant to be swept up, but next time I'll give the room a quick once over first. Finally, to keep the vacs functioning to their fullest, iRobot recommends cleaning the Roomba after each use. This was my least favorite step in the whole process, but I'll take a five-minute cleanup over a full vacuuming session any day. All in all, I'm a big fan. Sure, I won't be tossing my handheld vac or Swiffer anytime soon, but this is by far the best way to clean that I've ever experienced. Now if only they could come up with a robot to do my windows, toilets, and dishes.

Casa Quickie: It's a Power Struggle

CasaSugar — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 14:00:00 PDT

I am quite content with my Dyson DC24 vacuum. But while I love that it's fit for all floor types, it doesn't lose suction, and it's easy to move around, if I were shopping for another vacuum, I'd really only have one priority: power. A powerful motor makes for a powerful vacuum. So when you're shopping for your next cleaner, remember that its strength is in direct proportion to how much dirt it will lift as you pass it across your carpet. Pick the one with the highest strength!

A 12-amp motor is fairly standard, and anything less than that won't be very productive. Meanwhile, a vacuum with more than 12 amps will send more power from the outlet to your motor.
After you've found a few selections with a good strength, suction power (mine is 220 AW) will be next important, and then you'll want to narrow down other needs like floor types and size.

10 Tips For Better Vacuuming

CasaSugar — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 10:00:47 PST

While vacuuming may not be anyone's favorite household cleaning task, there are ways to make it easier, quicker, and more efficient. Check out these 10 tips for making your vacuuming routine less taxing.

The Robot Vacuum Is Part Desktop Accessory, Part Appliance

GeekSugar — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 09:00:30 PST

This past Monday was Clean Off Your Desk Day, and while I cleaned my desk in its honor, I know it won't be long until it's time for another cleaning. (Where does all this dust come from, seriously?) I'm still obsessed with the cute and inexpensive keyboard vacuum, and I just spotted another adorably geeky cleaning device from Fred Flare, the Mini Robo Vacuum ($20).

It's no Roomba; you have to manually operate the mini-vacuum, which also requires two AA batteries. But it's compact, and comes in three different colors - plus it's cute enough to leave on your desktop as a geeky accessory.

View 4 Photos ›

Keep Your Keyboard Clean With the Keyboard Vacuum

GeekSugar — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 12:45:13 PST

Can't stand a dirty keyboard? Neither can I, but getting in between the keys to clean (especially on my laptop) can be challenging at times. Not eating at my desk is not an option (plus, a little dust here and there is pretty hard to avoid), so of course I love this gadget! It's a USB-powered keyboard vacuum ($5).

It plugs into the USB port on your computer and comes with two attachments: a brush and a flexible rubber tip to get in between keys. It's a great stocking stuffer for your favorite workaholic or anyone who appreciates a clean keyboard.

How-To: Keep Your Wool Rug From Shedding

CasaSugar — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 06:15:10 PDT

Wool rugs are beautiful and natural, so they're a wonderful addition to your home. But since wool comes from an animal that sheds itself, rug shedding is inevitable. But it's also not a major battle if you learn a few tricks to deal with the shedding.

First of all, you should put your rug in a low-traffic area. People treading on it causes friction, which in turn causes it to shed its fibers. So a wool rug is better placed under a dining table than as a runner in a busy hallway or in a living room where you spend most of your time. To learn some other tricks to deal with shedding,
read more.

You should vacuum your wool rug regularly. At some point, your rug will cease to shed, so if you vacuum it regularly you will expedite that, and you'll be removing the fibers as they shed - essentially forcing them to shed.
Furthermore, when you vacuum, you should use your vacuum's attachments. Wool rugs are sensitive, so this will prevent you from sucking the rug itself up into the vacuum.
As I mentioned, shedding is inevitable. But you can conceal your rug's fibers by purchasing a rug similar in color to your upholstered furniture. For instance, the shedding from a white wool rug will be very obvious on your navy blue sofa.

Move Over Roomba: Here Comes a New Robotic Vacuum

GeekSugar — Tue, 12 May 2009 07:33:01 PDT

I can't think of much not to love about the Roomba, but there's always room for competition in a market with one really great product.

So, welcome the Panasonic Fukitorimushi (Japanese for "wipe-up bug"), introduced recently at the Tokyo Fiber Senseware exhibition in Milan.

The Fukitorimushi (um, can we please just abbreviate it to "Fuki"? OK then) has a nanocloth underbelly, rather than a traditional sucking mechanism like a Roomba.

Its cloth-covered body kind of looks like you dropped a towel on the floor and forgot to pick it up, but I could learn to live with anything that cleans my apartment for me.