CasaSugar

Casa Quickie: Avoid Carpet Burn

CasaSugar — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 06:15:41 -0700

This type of carpet burn, though, is the type that can scorch your indoor air quality. If you're getting new carpeting installed in your home, you want to watch out for nasty VOCs, which can make the indoor air quality in your home positively dismal, and contribute to asthma, lung irritation, and even long-term breathing and health complications.

So, if you're going to install carpet, minimize VOCs by buying carpets that have a Green Label. This label ensures that the carpet has been tested and shown to have lower levels of VOCs by the Carpet and Rug Institute's indoor air-quality carpet testing and labeling program. To further minimize your exposure to VOCs, make sure to air the house out for 48 to 72 hours following installation.

Source

Do You Live in a Walking-Friendly Neighborhood?

CasaSugar — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 14:00:00 -0800

One good way to keep yourself and your family healthy is by living in a neighborhood that has services, such as grocery stores and restaurants, close by. Other good signs for a walking-friendly neighborhood include walking paths, sidewalks, and public transit stops that enable you to walk part way. Is your house located in a walking-friendly neighborhood?

Source

Casa Quickie: Scrub For Your Health

CasaSugar — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 14:00:17 -0700

Good news! For those of us who do all of the house cleaning without help from maids or cleaning services, we're saving more than money. We might also be extending our lifespans! According to an article in Prevention, by simply "vacuuming, mopping floors, or washing windows for a little more than an hour, the average person can burn about 285 calories, lowering risk of death by 30 percent, according to a study of 302 adults in their 70s and 80s." I like the sound of that. And now, I'm going to go get out the Dyson and do some vacuuming.

Source

How-To: Get Rid of Fabric-Eating Moths

CasaSugar — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 10:00:34 -0700

If you've opened your closet and realized that your favorite cashmere sweater has holes all over it, you've probably got a moth problem. It's unlikely that the moths are attracted to just that one cardi, so there are a few steps you should take to ensure your whole wardrobe doesn't suffer the same fate. That is, unless we're talking about all those reindeer Christmas sweaters from grandma.

To learn how to kick those buggers to the curb, read more.

Clothes moths feed on wool, feathers, fur, hair, lint, paper, and even cotton, linen, silk, and some synthetic fibers. But in general, they especially crave fabrics that have been stained or soiled with food, beverages, perspiration, sweat, oil, and urine. In many cases, you can't even tell that your apparel has been stained, so you should always clean your garments before you store them.
If you've already discovered you have a moth problem, you should wash all of your clothes in the infested area in hot water and detergent or dry clean them.
When it comes time to store your out-of-season clothes, you should keep them in airtight containers such as plastic boxes and bags, metal containers, or wooden (cedar is ideal) chests.
Moths tend to develop under humidity. So, if your closet or storage space is near a bathroom or humidifier, you should ventilate the area by opening windows or using a fan.
Clothes moths also prefer darkness. So if you have an alternative place to store your apparel that is bright, consider moving your clothes. You might also leave on low-energy lightbulbs such as CFLs or LEDs to light your closet.
To capture the male clothes moths in order to stop the breeding process, use a pheromone trap in your closet.
You should also vacuum your closet thoroughly in all cracks and crevices, as well as carpeting. Use a flashlight to identify lint and hair at the baseboards, in air ducts, and corners of the room that you might not see otherwise. If you have upholstered furniture in your closet (lucky lady), make sure to vacuum it thoroughly as well.
As for moth repellants, mothballs are tried and true, but they can also be harmful to your health, and leave a strong odor on your clothes. So, you can make a sachet with these herbal mothball alternatives. Cedar chips tend to lose their effect after the wood has dried, but cedar chests, which are airtight, are often effective.

European Union Phases Out Energy-Wasting Bulbs

CasaSugar — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 14:30:58 -0700

As of today, it's going to be a whole lot harder to get your hands on a standard incandescent bulb in Europe. In an effort to improve energy efficiency by 20 percent by the year 2020, the European Union has mandated that factories must cease the production of frosted incandescents and 100-watt clear bulbs. The new, more energy-efficient bulbs consume up to 80 percent less energy.

These traditional bulbs will be restocked with halogen and CFL bulbs over the next few years. As of 2012, energy-efficient bulbs will be the only lighting available in Europe.

To hear about the controversy surrounding the switch, read more.

However, if you're a fan of the energy-sucking bulbs, you can still buy them in stores where the bulbs are already in stock. Apparently some Europeans have been busy hording the 100-watt bulbs, preferring the traditional bulbs for their color and light quality, or even for health reasons. Migraine sufferers have said that the lighting exacerbates their headaches. In addition, epileptics have also said that the energy-efficient bulbs exacerbate their seizures, and object to the change.

While CFLs have improved greatly in light quality throughout the years, many people still believe that the light quality is very poor, even though a Popular Mechanics study actually showed that CFLs performed incandescents in overall light quality.

If you're a European reader, have you been affected by this change? Are you hording traditional bulbs, or are you a CFL convert? And if this same ban occurred in the United States, how do you think Americans would react?

How-To: Make Your Bedroom Perfect For Sleeping

CasaSugar — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 08:00:00 -0700

Is your bedroom less than relaxing? Want to figure out how to make it a place of comfort and relaxation? Then take a look at my tips!

Keep your bedroom tidy. Clutter, piles, and messes can stress you out and remind you of tasks that need to be finished. By keeping everything in its place (or at least out of sight), you'll immediately feel calmer.
Paint your bedroom a relaxing color. Blues, grays, neutrals, and lavenders are good choices for the bedroom.
Banish your television and laptop. Surfing the net and watching television in bed can lead to physical and mental health issues, including obesity, high blood pressure, and diabetes. So keep the laptop in your office and the television in the living room, out of temptation's path.

For the rest of my tips, just read more.

Pick a comfortable mattress. Even better, pick a green mattress.
Keep your bedding clean. Wash your sheets once a week in hot water, which will kill dust mites. Dust mites can exacerbate allergies and respiratory issues.
Use blinds or curtains that allow in the right amount of light. If you work a late shift, you'll want to invest in blinds that completely shut out the sun. Otherwise, try to let in natural light in the mornings; it will help to wake you up naturally (when you don't have to get up with an alarm, that is).
Dress your bed with soft linens, and choose sheets with a high thread count.

Source

Garden Therapy: Shake and Bake Bugs

CasaSugar — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 05:30:06 -0700

Diatomaceous earth (aka, DE) is a naturally occurring, soft, chalklike sedimentary rock that is made from tiny, fossilized water plants and can be easily crumbled into a powder. In its powder form, DE dehydrates an insect's exoskeleton, killing them, so it makes a great nontoxic pesticide. You can disperse DE around your garden to protect your plants. To do so, fill a large spice shaker with it and dust it around the soil of your plants. Try Earthworks Health to order diatomaceous earth and a dispenser, if you need one.

How-To: Eliminate Mold in Your Home

CasaSugar — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 11:00:41 -0700

Mold is not your friend. Being exposed to mold in your home can cause allergic reactions and respiratory problems, and is very hazardous to your health. So, if you see it, or smell a musty odor in your digs, you need to remove it. Mold grows in moist areas, so anywhere you've had water leaks, flooding, or high humidity, especially bathrooms and kitchens, you're likely to have a problem. To learn how to eliminate mold in your home, read more.

The first step is to remove the mold and clean the surfaces where you found it. To prevent inhalation, you should put on a mask or respirator before you begin, and also put on goggles, rubber gloves, and clothes you can wash immediately after.

You'll want to begin by misting the moldy areas or dampening them with a sponge; this will keep airborne particles to a minimum.
To remove mold from hard surfaces like counters, plastic, porcelain, glass, etc., you'll need to scrub them with a non-ammonia soap or detergent using a heavy duty sponge or a bristle brush.
If you find mold on any porous surfaces like paper, drywall, or carpeting/carpet padding, you'll need to discard them entirely, as mold cannot be removed completely from them. Sorry!
If you're working with a hard surface that's wood, scrubbing may not work entirely, so you should sand the surface down to remove the mold.

The second step is to disinfect the affected area with either a bleach and water solution or another disinfectant. If the surface is clean, you can use 1/4 cup of bleach diluted in one gallon of water. If it's dirty, you should use more bleach.
Let the disinfectant sit for 15 minutes, then rinse it with clean water.
The last, and crucial step, is to dry it immediately (so no more mold grows!). Dry it with a cloth and then use a blow-dryer, fan, or dehumidifier to dry it thoroughly.
Be sure to wash and dry your clothes and any rags that you used, and dispose of any other mess.

Casa Verde: Mothball Alernatives

CasaSugar — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 14:00:00 -0800

A moth is one pest you don't want to invite into your closet. But, mothballs are party poopers, too. Mothballs slowly evaporate into gas, and if their two active ingredients, naphthalene and paradichlorobenzene, are inhaled, they can be harmful to your health. Luckily, there are alternatives that'll keep your sweaters and your health safe from harm. To hear them, read more.

Cedar blocks or chips
Rosemary
Thyme
Dried cloves
Lavender
Cinnamon sticks
Eucalyptus
Bay leaves

Nearly all household ingredients! If you're going to use herbs as an alternative, make a sachet for them by filling a small canvas drawstring bag with a mix of ingredients. You can also add drops of essential oils of any of those herbs.

In The News: Cleaning Companies Sued Over Ingredient Lists

CasaSugar — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 06:15:54 -0800

If you've ever stopped to wonder what exactly is in your container of Palmolive soap, you're not alone. Despite a little known New York State Environmental Conservation Law requiring companies to semi-annually report product ingredients and research, big names in the household cleaning world have been biting their tongues about what they've been putting in our household cleaning products. Now, they're facing a lawsuit from environmentalists for withholding information. To hear additional details about this, read more.

Last September, a coalition of environmental and health activists sent Procter & Gamble, Colgate-Palmolive, and a few other firms a letter informing them of the need to report the chemical ingredients of their cleaning products and their research on their effects, and all but two - Method and Seventh Generation - refused. Now, Earthjustice, a nonprofit public-interest law firm, is filing suit against the companies on behalf of the Sierra Club, the American Lung Association, and other groups.

While some companies provide ingredient lists on their websites, most do not. The two companies that complied have made a name for themselves as purveyors of eco-friendly goods, so it comes as no surprise that they'd oblige. There's really no information to suggest that contents of the other products are harmful, but the withholding of information is suspicious. Would you feel more comfortable if the contents of your household cleaning products were made known to you? Or do you not care?